2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year Shortlists Released
The short lists of nominees for the 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year have just been announced with GM and Kia boasting three models, while Ford and Nissan have four models nominated (if you include Lincoln and Infiniti).
On the list for the 2011 North American Car of the Year are the Audi A8, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata/2.0T/Hybrid, Infiniti M37/56, Jaguar XJ, Kia Optima, Mazda 2, Nissan Juke, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen Jetta and Volvo S60.
The 2011 North American Truck of the Year list includes the Dodge Durango, Ford Edge, Ford Explorer, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Tucson, Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Sorento, Kia Sportage, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Porsche Cayenne, Toyota Sienna and Volkswagen Touareg.
Of note, just three vehicles on the list contain unconventional powertrains, with those vehicles being the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. It’s also important to point out that Ford has just one car on the list and three vehicles in the truck category (if you include Lincoln).
The top three finalists in each category will be announced on December 16th with the winners being given their titles at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
Last year the Ford Fusion Hybrid won the North American Car of the Year Award, while the Ford Transit Connect took home North American Truck of the Year.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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That's funny - maybe it's just a coincidence, but I heard that Colum is considering changing his name to Colin.
Some think it's absolutely rediculous that this car, as innovative as it may be, could even be in the running since for the vast majority of people it's not even available for sale yet. The Sonata, on the other hand, has sold about a quarter of a million in it's first year of production and offers the customer tremendous fuel economy without the overly expensive technology that drives the Volt. Turbo 47 MPG, Regular 50 MPG and Hybrid not yet announced. (Imperial gallons). The car is stylish, affordable at a starting price of under $20000 US, innovative (check out the Hybrid), reliable and proven. Many journalists awarded full points to the Sonata recognizing it's massive impact on the industry this year. Those that chose the Volt have lost their way I'm afraid and it's terribly unfortunate.