Ford Taurus, 2010 International Car of the Year

Following a 13-year long period when the International Car and Truck of the Year (ICOTY) awards were handed out during the Detroit Auto Show in January, the ceremony moved to Los Angeles, the place where this year's winners were announced.

As we told you earlier today, the 2010 International Truck of the Year award went to the Volvo XC60. The picture was completed by Ford's new Taurus, which got the Car of the Year award and made the American manufacturer the big winner of this year's awards.

“This award is not centered on power and performance. It’s about how a car reflects our personalities, lifestyles and self-image and how well the automaker achieves that goal through the design and marketing of the vehicle,” Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY creator and executive producer said in a release.

Ford "blames" getting the title on the features it incorporated into the Taurus, including Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert, MyKey parental program, Ford SYNC and Voice-Activated Navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link. Because...

"... Taurus is not just a car you need to get from point A to point B, it is a car you want to arrive in in style,” Pei-Wen Hsu, Taurus marketing manager added. “The new Taurus gives you a little blast of attitude and turns heads around every corner.”

The award was given to the Taurus by a jury made up of 19 automotive media from the US and Canada.