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!
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