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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The five top contestants who correctly answered the Jeep-branded trivia questions during the automaker's "Jeep Tweet-to-Win" contest last week will now be getting ready to head to the New York International Auto Show.

While giving no traffic specifics, Mike Manley, president and chief executive officer of Jeep Brand, said the contest "noticeably" increased traffic to Jeep.com and to the automaker's Twitter and Facebook sites.

"The ‘Jeep Tweet-to-Win' contest is a unique and innovative way to create significant buzz for the iconic Jeep Wrangler and the new special edition Wrangler Islander," Manley pointed out.

"The contest has also enabled Jeep to carry on a two-way conversation with its customers, while noticeably increasing traffic to Jeep.com and our Twitter and Facebook sites," he added.

As the next phase of the contest, the five winners are now slated on April 1 to dig in a giant sandbox which was built specifically for the NY International Auto Show. The first person who finds a golden Jeep Tiki will win an all-new 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander.

The winners are:

—Chris Gross, of Shelbyville, Ind.

—Casey Johnson, of Newton, Pa.

—Joel Lounds, of Bonita Springs, Fla.

—Kevin O'Neill, of Wixom, Mich.

—Steven Scott, of Sterling, Va.

In New York at the auto show, Jeep brand officials plan to announce the next phase of their Wrangler Islander promotion.