Los Angeles (Nov. 20, 2015) – Highlighting a commitment to innovation, superior design and appeal to Hispanic families, the Hispanic Motor Press Awards® has named the 2016 Toyota Mirai and 2016 Toyota Tacoma among its Best Cars of 2016. The Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle was honored with the Innovation Award, while the Tacoma mid-size pickup was selected best Pickup L-Duty truck.

Jack Hollis, group vice president of Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., accepted the awards on behalf of the company at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday. Ricardo Rodriguez-Long, the jury director for the 6^th annual awards, presented Hollis with these honors.

“Hispanic consumers represent a critically important market for Toyota, and we dedicate a great deal of time to understanding how we can design and market our vehicles to meet their needs,” said Hollis. “We’re thrilled to receive these awards today, and thank the jurors for recognizing two vehicles that we’re extremely proud to bring to customers.”

The jury for the 6^th annual Hispanic Motor Press Awards® was made up of 15 Hispanic journalists who frequently cover the automotive industry. The vehicles are assessed for how well they match the needs of the Hispanic consumer, with a vetting process than includes test drives, market availability and affordability. They also factored in the design, comfort, safety, performance, functionality, accessory content, driver satisfaction, consumer final cost and overall value.

“After closely reviewing more than 100 vehicles this year, Toyota rose to the top among our jury panel for its commitment to innovation with the Mirai. This is a car that leads the industry towards the future. The new Tacoma raises the bar in the segment with superior mechanics and interior design,” said Rodriguez-Long. “Not only are these two vehicles best in class, they also offer great value to the Hispanic consumer, which represents a growing market for new vehicle sales.”

The Toyota Mirai is a mid-size sedan that uses no gasoline and emits nothing but water vapor. The innovative fuel cell vehicle is powered by hydrogen. The Mirai offers an EPA-estimated 67 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge) city/highway/combined, and an EPA-estimated driving range of 312 miles on a single fill of hydrogen.

Toyota celebrated the official on-sale date of the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle on Oct. 21, with more than 2,000 consumers already raising their hands to purchase this all-new vehicle. Trailblazing customers across California have already started to receive their vehicles from the eight authorized Toyota California dealers.

The Toyota Tacoma, America’s best-selling mid-size pickup for 10 years running, was redesigned for 2016, taking into account ruggedness, design and performance in horsepower and fuel efficiency. The truck boasts a new powertrain and off-road technology. It also has premium interior features such as wireless charging and a GoPro® camera mount.