Tag Archives: BMW 3 Series

Auto Loan: Finalists Announced for 2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year

This morning, the top 3 finalists for the 20th annual North American Car of the Year and Truck/Utility of the Year were announced at a luncheon for the Automotive Press Association. Contenders for Car of the Year will be the Cadillac ATS, Ford Fusion, and Honda Accord, and contenders for Truck/Utility of the Year will be the Ford C-Max, Mazda CX-5, and Ram 1500.

Finalists for both awards were voted on by 49 American and Canadian automotive journalists. 11 cars and 10 trucks/utilities made the short list of nominees. The Dodge Dart, BMW 3 Series, and Nissan Altima were among the cars that didn’t quite make the cut. On the truck/utility side, the Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Nissan Pathfinder didn’t make the top 3.

Here are the complete nominee lists for the 2013 North American Car of the Year and Truck/Utility of the Year Award.

2013 North American Car of the Year

BMW 3 Series
Cadillac ATS – FINALIST
Chevrolet Malibu
Dodge Dart
Ford Fusion – FINALIST
Honda Accord – FINALIST
Lincoln MKZ
Nissan Altima
Scion FR-S
Subaru BRZ
Toyota Avalon

2013 North American Truck/Utility of the Year

Acura RDX
Audi Allroad
BMX X1
Ford C-Max – FINALIST
Ford Escape
Hyundai Santa Fe
Infiniti JX35
Mazda CX-5 – FINALIST
Nissan Pathfinder
Ram 1500 – FINALIST

Both winners will be announced on January 14th as part of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Last year’s winners were the Hyundai Elantra and the Land Rover Range Rover.

Readers, we want to hear from you! Who do you think will win Car and Truck/Utility of the Year? Do you disagree with the top 3? Leave a comment below, and tell us what you think!

Are you ready to get into a new or used car, truck, or utility vehicle? Approved Loan Store can help! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get you the car you want at terms you can afford! Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and get the latest auto news and buying tips by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

The Paris Motor Show: What’s New and Shiny from BMW

The Paris Motor Show is coming up in a little over a week, and all the major car manufacturers are giving auto enthusiasts an early sneak peek at what they can expect to see from the show. Up until the show next week, we are going to bring you the latest news and announcements coming out of the Paris Motor Show.

BMW’s line-up for the Paris Motor Show is squarely focused on the future of the industry, specifically electric car and hybrid technology. Their headliner is the BMW Concept Active Tourer which consumes less than 2.5 liters of fuel for every 100 kilometers, or 0.66 gallon per 62 miles. They will also be showing off the BMW i3 Concept which is entirely electric drive and built with environmental sustainability in mind. Materials used in the car’s interior were chosen carefully including the eucalyptus wood for the instrument panel and the olive leaf treatment used on the leather seats.

BMW will be showing off more than just concept cars, though. The new BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, and 7 Series will all be premiering at the Paris Motor Show, and BMW’s new ConnectedDrive feature will also be on display. ConnectedDrive is a built-in three-dimensional navigational system and dictation service which allows drivers to write e-mails and text messages without their eyes ever leaving the road. The system is available for all BMW models.

While I’m sure the concept cars will be an interesting peek at what lies ahead, I am more interested in seeing how ConnectedDrive stacks up against other voice recognition/navigational systems. Does the voice recognition actually work, or will the first model have problems? I hope that BMW has not cut corners with the technology like other manufacturers have done in the past few years. We have covered the dangers of distracted driving, and if ConnectedDrive works the way it is intended, it could keep more drivers’ eyes off their phones and on the road.

To see more of the upcoming show, stay tuned to the Approved Loan Store and check out the event’s official site here. Also, get the latest auto news by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!