Just the other day I wrote about how my father has ordered a 2008 Cadillac CTS, his first GM car in a quarter-century.

This morning we learned that the car has won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award. Some people are bound to be surprised by this win. Off the top of my head, I can think of three reasons why the car won:

1. It looks great and performs well.

2. With the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu, and Buick Enclave, GM has put three great products on the road in the last year. They gave the SUV award to Mazda. By giving the award to the CTS, they recognize GM’s broader achievement.

3. GM has been buying Special Advertising Sections like crazy, and can be counted on to advertise the crap out of this award. Not that MT can necessarily be bought, but they’re highly unlikely to give the award to a manufacturer that won’t be doing a ton of advertising.

I think all three factors likely contributed to the win.

One additional note: The Pontiac G8 was not eligible for the award because it will go on sale after the deadline. I would not be surprised if GM delayed the car’s launch in part to make it eligible for next year’s award. Why have it compete against the CTS and Malibu for the same award?