The opening of the press preview at the North American International Auto Show today was focused on celebrating the renaissance of the American Big Three automakers and their home town of Detroit, but non-U.S.-based automakers stole a march on them in winning both of the prestigious vehicle-of-the-year awards that are dispensed at the show.
The Hyundai Elantra was named the North American Car of the Year, and the Land Rover Evoque, an SUV, was named the North American Truck of the Year, by a panel of 50 automotive journalists.
Hyundai also won the Car of the Year Award three years ago, for its Genesis, and the clustering of such top-shelf recognition underscored the feat that the Korea-based brand has pulled off in the U.S. market over the last few years. Hyundai's U.S. sales grew by 20 percent in 2011 over the year before.
Actually, the Car of the Year category was the only one a Big Three entrant could have ended up winning. The Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Passat, both substantially overhauled for their introductions last year, were the other finalists for the car category.
Besides Evoque, the finalists for the Truck of the Year Award were the BMW X-3 and Honda CR-V. The X-3 is built in Spartanburg, S. C., while the new CR-V is an important vehicle as Honda recovers from its supply problems caused by natural disasters last year.
This was the first time Range Rover has won a vehicle-of-the-year award at NAIAS. India's Tata Motors bought Range Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford a few years ago. Evoque is the lightest and most fuel-efficient Range Rover ever produced, the company said.
Criteria used to judge the winners include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. The 2012 semifinalists were Audi's A6 and A7, Buick Verano, Chevrolet Sonic, Chrysler 300/SRT8, Fiat 500, Ford Focus, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Rio/Rio 5, Scion iQ, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius V, VW Beetle and VW Passat. The truck semifinalists were the X3, Honda CR-V, Mercedes-Benz M Class, Mini Countryman, Nissan Quest and Saab 9-4X.
The Big Three are making some noise at the Detroit show. But these important awards left them nothing to shout about.
| Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us | FAQ 
