The Chrysler 300/300c and Ford Escape Hybrid have been picked as North American Car and Truck of the Year for 2005, respectively, by a jury of 48 independent auto writers from Canada and the U.S.
The awards were handed out at the North American International Auto Show on Sunday, but there is no connection between the jury and the show, or between the jury and the car companies. Unlike other awards (such as the Canadian program), the North American awards are not financed by the car companies, and the jurors are all full-time professional auto writers.
It was the second year in a row that a hybrid vehicle has been honored by the group, following last year's win by the Toyota Prius was the North American Car of the Year.
Each year since 1994, the jury of automotive journalists representing newspapers, magazines, television and now the internet honors a new car and a new truck that set the new standard in their segments in areas including innovation, value for the dollar, safety, ride and handling.
Early in December, the journalists (including me and seven other Canadians) voted on 17 new cars and 12 new trucks. The ballots were sent to Steven Laughman, a partner at the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Detroit.
The names of the finalists were released on December 13 and included the Chrysler 300/300C, the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette for Car of the Year, and Ford Escape Hybrid, the Ford Freestyle and the Land Rover LR3 for Truck of the Year.
Each juror was given 25 points to divide among cars and 25 points to divide among trucks, but no more than 10 points could be given to a single car and a single truck. That means the most points a car or truck could get for 2005 would be 480 points.
In the car category, the Chrysler 300 got 313 points, the Ford Mustang 256 and the Corvette 108.
In the truck category, the Ford Escape Hybrid got 232 points, the Land Rover LR3 got 163 and the Ford Freestyle 148.
Those selections were made from a list of cars that included: Acura RL, Audi A6, BMW 6-Series, Buick Allure/LaCrosse, Cadillac STS, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler 300/300C, Dodge Magnum, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Mustang, Honda Accord Hybrid, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac G6, Porsche 911, Scion tC, Subaru Legacy, and Volvo S40/V50.
The truck nominees included Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Dakota, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Freestyle, Ford F-Series Super Duty, Hyundai Tucson, Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover LR3, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Tacoma.
Last year's North American Car of the Year was the Toyota Prius, while the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.
The awards are funded by dues paid by jurors and are administered by a seven-person organizing committee, including myself, Tony Swan (Car and Driver), John McElroy (Autoline Detroit), John Davis (MotorWeek), Don Chaikin (Popular Mechanics), Mitch McCullough (New Car Test Drive), and Christopher Jensen (The Plain Dealer). For 2005 the finalists for the North American Car of the Year are the Chevrolet Corvette, the Chrysler 300/300C and the Ford Mustang.
For 2004, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Toyota Prius, the Mazda RX-8 and the Cadillac XLR. The winner was the Prius. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the Nissan Titan and the Cadillac SRX. The winner was the Ford F-150.
For 2003, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Infiniti G35 Coupe, the Nissan 350Z and the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. The winner was the Mini Cooper/Cooper S. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Volvo XC90, the Hummer H2 and the Honda Element and the Nissan Murano, which tied. The winner was the Volvo XC90.
For 2002, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Nissan Altima, the Ford Thunderbird and the Cadillac CTS. The winner was the Nissan Altima. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Jeep Liberty. The winner was the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
For 2001, the finalists for North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. The winner was the PT Cruiser. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Acura MDX, the Ford Escape and the Toyota Sequoia. The winner was the Acura MDX.
For 2000, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Ford Focus, the Audi TT and the Lincoln LS. The winner was the Ford Focus. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Nissan Xterra, the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and the Toyota Tundra. The winner was the Nissan Xterra.
For 1999, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler 300M. The winner was the Volkswagen New Beetle. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. The winner was the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
For 1998, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chevrolet Corvette, the Audi A6 and the Lexus GS300/400. The winner was the Chevrolet Corvette. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz ML 320, the Dodge Durango and the Subaru Forester. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz ML 320.
For 1997, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Jaguar XK8 and the BMW 5-Series. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz SLK. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford Expedition, the Dodge Dakota and the Toyota RAV 4. The winner was the Ford Expedition.
For 1996, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler minivan, Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The winner was the Chrysler minivan. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe and the Range Rover 4.0 SE. The winner was the Ford F-150.
For 1995, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler Cirrus, the Ford Contour and the Oldsmobile Aurora. The winner was the Chrysler Cirrus. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Explorer and the Ford Windstar. The winner was the Chevrolet Blazer.
For 1994, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Toyota Supra. The winner was the Mercedes C-Class. The finalists for North American Truck of the Year were the Dodge Ram pickup, the Chevrolet S-10/GMC Sonoma and the Land Rover Defender 90. The winner was the Dodge Ram.
The awards were handed out at the North American International Auto Show on Sunday, but there is no connection between the jury and the show, or between the jury and the car companies. Unlike other awards (such as the Canadian program), the North American awards are not financed by the car companies, and the jurors are all full-time professional auto writers.
It was the second year in a row that a hybrid vehicle has been honored by the group, following last year's win by the Toyota Prius was the North American Car of the Year.
Each year since 1994, the jury of automotive journalists representing newspapers, magazines, television and now the internet honors a new car and a new truck that set the new standard in their segments in areas including innovation, value for the dollar, safety, ride and handling.
Early in December, the journalists (including me and seven other Canadians) voted on 17 new cars and 12 new trucks. The ballots were sent to Steven Laughman, a partner at the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Detroit.
The names of the finalists were released on December 13 and included the Chrysler 300/300C, the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette for Car of the Year, and Ford Escape Hybrid, the Ford Freestyle and the Land Rover LR3 for Truck of the Year.
Each juror was given 25 points to divide among cars and 25 points to divide among trucks, but no more than 10 points could be given to a single car and a single truck. That means the most points a car or truck could get for 2005 would be 480 points.
In the car category, the Chrysler 300 got 313 points, the Ford Mustang 256 and the Corvette 108.
In the truck category, the Ford Escape Hybrid got 232 points, the Land Rover LR3 got 163 and the Ford Freestyle 148.
Those selections were made from a list of cars that included: Acura RL, Audi A6, BMW 6-Series, Buick Allure/LaCrosse, Cadillac STS, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler 300/300C, Dodge Magnum, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Mustang, Honda Accord Hybrid, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac G6, Porsche 911, Scion tC, Subaru Legacy, and Volvo S40/V50.
The truck nominees included Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Dakota, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Freestyle, Ford F-Series Super Duty, Hyundai Tucson, Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover LR3, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Tacoma.
Last year's North American Car of the Year was the Toyota Prius, while the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.
The awards are funded by dues paid by jurors and are administered by a seven-person organizing committee, including myself, Tony Swan (Car and Driver), John McElroy (Autoline Detroit), John Davis (MotorWeek), Don Chaikin (Popular Mechanics), Mitch McCullough (New Car Test Drive), and Christopher Jensen (The Plain Dealer). For 2005 the finalists for the North American Car of the Year are the Chevrolet Corvette, the Chrysler 300/300C and the Ford Mustang.
For 2004, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Toyota Prius, the Mazda RX-8 and the Cadillac XLR. The winner was the Prius. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the Nissan Titan and the Cadillac SRX. The winner was the Ford F-150.
For 2003, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Infiniti G35 Coupe, the Nissan 350Z and the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. The winner was the Mini Cooper/Cooper S. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Volvo XC90, the Hummer H2 and the Honda Element and the Nissan Murano, which tied. The winner was the Volvo XC90.
For 2002, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Nissan Altima, the Ford Thunderbird and the Cadillac CTS. The winner was the Nissan Altima. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Jeep Liberty. The winner was the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
For 2001, the finalists for North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. The winner was the PT Cruiser. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Acura MDX, the Ford Escape and the Toyota Sequoia. The winner was the Acura MDX.
For 2000, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Ford Focus, the Audi TT and the Lincoln LS. The winner was the Ford Focus. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Nissan Xterra, the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and the Toyota Tundra. The winner was the Nissan Xterra.
For 1999, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler 300M. The winner was the Volkswagen New Beetle. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. The winner was the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
For 1998, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chevrolet Corvette, the Audi A6 and the Lexus GS300/400. The winner was the Chevrolet Corvette. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz ML 320, the Dodge Durango and the Subaru Forester. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz ML 320.
For 1997, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Jaguar XK8 and the BMW 5-Series. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz SLK. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford Expedition, the Dodge Dakota and the Toyota RAV 4. The winner was the Ford Expedition.
For 1996, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler minivan, Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The winner was the Chrysler minivan. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe and the Range Rover 4.0 SE. The winner was the Ford F-150.
For 1995, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler Cirrus, the Ford Contour and the Oldsmobile Aurora. The winner was the Chrysler Cirrus. The finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Explorer and the Ford Windstar. The winner was the Chevrolet Blazer.
For 1994, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Toyota Supra. The winner was the Mercedes C-Class. The finalists for North American Truck of the Year were the Dodge Ram pickup, the Chevrolet S-10/GMC Sonoma and the Land Rover Defender 90. The winner was the Dodge Ram.