North American Car, Truck and Utility of the year announced
DETROIT, Mich. — In addition to the plethora of pretty vehicles on display, the North American International Auto Show also reveals one of the most coveted awards in the automotive industry: The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicles of the Year (NACTOY).
The car and utility segment finalists were peppered with European and Asian automakers, and the only place the Detroit Three made the finalist list was in the truck category. Vehicles eligible for the award must be all-new for the upcoming model year, and the award encompasses everything from design innovation to driver satisfaction and value.
The finalists for the car category included all new versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord as well as the completely new Kia Stinger.
Honda Accord took the top honors this year, which makes it the second year in a row that Honda has garnered a NACTOY award, as it won the truck category last year with it’s all-new Ridgeline.
Finalists for the utility segment included another Honda vehicle – The Odyssey. The other contenders were the Volvo XC60 and Alfa Romeo Stelvio. This year’s winner was the XC60.
This might be considered a mini upset as last year’s winner was a minivan. However, Volvo is no stranger to this award as big brother XC90 won this segment in 2016.
The finalists for the truck segment, which included two full-size SUVs as well as a pickup truck, were the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. Though Expedition and Navigator are from the same family, Navigator took home the award. It was introduced as a concept a couple years ago, and though the production vehicle forwent the gullwing doors and tri-folding power steps, it looks remarkably similar to that original vehicle – which likely scored it huge points in the design category.
As we head into 2018, the quest for next year’s NACTOY winners begins. So, stay tuned as the new crop of vehicles come out. The top finalists for the 2019 award will be announced in November.