Middleborough, Mass., July15, 2026 — At its annual awards dinner, held at the NEMPA headquarters in Middleborough, Mass., the New England Motor Press Association announced the winners of its prestigious Winter Vehicle Awards, design and technology awards, as well as two professional awards for outstanding contributions to the automotive industry.
“Members of the New England Motor Press Association take great pride in honoring those vehicles that have showed outstanding performance in our New England market – shaped by weather, road conditions and terrain that’s unlike any other in the country,” said Zane Merva, NEMPA President. “NEMPA Vehicle Awards stand out because the winning vehicles prove their ability and agility in one of the most densely populated and geographically distinct regions in America. Car buyers in New England boast higher-than-average levels of education and income and have their own automotive preferences. NEMPA directly influences these multi-vehicle owners, who shop a wide range of cars and light trucks from all-wheel-drives of all types to electric vehicles and hybrids. And in 2025, New Englanders spent $67.9 billion on new cars and trucks according to NADA data,” he added.
Journalists and industry professionals gathered for the award presentation, while Wayne Carini, best known as the host of Chasing Classic Cars, was the master of ceremonies.
“This year, we are also pleased to award the Yankee Technology Cup presented by MIT’s Bryan Reimer and the Ritvo Design & Elegance Award presented by Larz Anderson Automotive Museum Trustee Natalie Harrington.” He continued, “We also recognize individuals who significantly and diligently contribute to the coverage of the industry, and those winners are Zachary Reed of Toyota and George Kennedy of Kia.”
2026 NEMPA Winter Vehicle Awards
Overall NEMPA Winter Vehicle Award Winners
NEMPA Official Winter Vehicle of New England: Subaru Outback Wilderness
Subaru of America’s Miranda Jimenez accepts the award with Zane Merva, NEMPA President
NEMPA Best Winter Truck of New England: Ram 1500 Warlock
NEMPA Best Winter Crossover of New England: Honda Passport TrailSport
NEMPA Best Winter Family Utility Vehicle of New England: Kia Telluride X-Pro
NEMPA Best Winter EV of New England: Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy
NEMPA Top Winter Picks (Class Winners)
Winter Trucks & SUVs
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Compact/Midsize Truck – Ford Maverick Hybrid
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Full-Size Truck – Ford F-150 Tremor
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Small SUV – Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Compact SUV – Subaru Forester Hybrid
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Mid-Size SUV – Toyota 4Runner Limited
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Full-Size SUV – Chevrolet Suburban Z71
Chevy’s Alex Nunez accepts the NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Full-Size SUV – for the Chevrolet Suburban Z71 from Zane Merva, President of NEMPA.
Winter Luxury & Performance
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Luxury SUV – Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Luxury Mid-Size SUV – Acura MDX Type-S
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Luxury Compact SUV- Genesis GV70
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Performance Car – Dodge Charger Six Pack Plus
Chris Naughton, from Honda/Acura accepts the NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Luxury Mid-Size SUV for the Acura MDX Type-S.
Winter Commuter & Family
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Daily Driver – Toyota Prius AWD Limited
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: Family Hauler – Toyota Sienna Platinum AWD
NEMPA Top Winter Pick: All Year EV – Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally
The Yankee Cup Technology Award
Presented by Bryan Reimer, Ph.D., Research Scientist, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and MIT AgeLab
Selected with input from faculty at MIT, the Yankee Cup goes to a vehicle, automotive feature, or system that significantly enhances the motoring experience, whether by making driving safer, more cost-efficient or simply more enjoyable. The 2026 Yankee Cup Technology Award goes to Rivian.
Bryan Reimer, Ph.D., research scientist at MIT, presented the Yankee Technology Cup Award to Britt Beck of Rivian.
Ritvo Design & Elegance Award
Presented by Natalie Harrington,
Trustee, Larz Anderson Automotive Museum
Selected with input from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, this award honors the best in automotive design. It is named for the late Gene Ritvo, a veteran concours photographer and longtime NEMPA member who had a keen eye for elegant design. The 2026 Ritvo Design & Elegance Award goes to the McLaren Artura Spider.
Natalie Harrington, Trustee of the Larz Anderson Automotive Museum presents the NEMPA Ritvo Design & Elegance Award to Natalie Riordan from McLaren Americas.
2026 Industry Honors
The 2026 NEMPA Charles E. Dole High Road Award
Zachary Reed, Toyota Motor North America
The Charles E. Dole High Road Award is presented to an automotive professional who typifies the enterprise, collegiality, helpfulness, integrity and good will that marked the career of Charlie Dole, for many years the automotive columnist for the Christian Science Monitor and dean of the New England automotive press corps.
The 2026 NEMPA Camel’s Back Award
George Kennedy, Kia America
The Camel’s Back Award is presented to a member of the automotive public relations corps who has consistently and with good humor and genuine helpfulness risen to NEMPA’s requests, rather than allowing them to be the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
About the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA)
The New England Motor Press Association is a professional organization of journalists, opinion leaders, influencers and content creators recognized as the trusted supplier of automotive information to the 15.4 million citizens of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. NEMPA members deliver their content digitally, as well as through radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. NEMPA combined coverage, analysis, and influence across all platforms reaches more than 250 million readers, viewers, and listeners every month. For nearly 40 years, NEMPA has played an integral role in the automotive industry by providing independent reviews of new vehicles directly from the manufacturers, hosting exclusive events, and presenting industry and vehicle awards based on real-world, rigorous vehicle testing in New England. For more information, please visit www.nempa.org.
