North American Car and Truck of the Year: The Finalists
Last year's winning "truck," the 2012 Land Rover Evoque
It’s hard to believe it’s that time already.
No, I’m not talking about the arrival of Fall, or that Halloween is just around the corner or that Costco already has Christmas stuff in the aisles. I can’t believe it’s already that time of year for the North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) nominations.
The annual awards have snuck up on me, and going through the list of 20 nominated vehicles offered up even more surprises.
There are 11 cars and nine trucks up for awards this year. On the car side, the domestics have landed five spots, tying the Japanese and leaving just one opening, which the Germans grabbed. On the truck side (a word with a liberal definition, it seems), there are three domestic models, four Japanese finalists, two Germans and a Korean.
2013 North American Car of the Year Nominees:
- BMW 3 Series
- Cadillac ATS
- Chevrolet Malibu
- Dodge Dart
- Ford Fusion
- Honda Accord
- Lincoln MKZ
- Nissan Altima
- Scion FR-S
- Subaru BRZ
- Toyota Avalon
Truck/Utility of the Year Nominees:
- Acura RDX
- Audi Allroad
- BMW X1
- Ford C-MAX
- Ford Escape
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Infiniti JX35
- Mazda CX-5
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Ram 1500
On the car side, the winner(s) should be the FR-S/BRZ twins. Toyota and Subaru have achieved the impossible and created an affordable sports car with real driving dynamics. Easy call there! On the truck side, the Ram 1500 will win, because it’s the only truck on the list. Sure, the category has been extended to include crossovers, but come on, many of these small crossovers/utility vehicles should’ve been nominated in a third category.
Which car and truck do you believe should win the NACTOY awards?
-tgriffith
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I predict a C-MAX victory and a Fusion victory… a Ford sweep!