Gary Cowger, president of General Motors' North American operations, saidthe TrailBlazer's engine not only won over jurors for the awards but iswinning over buyers with its new engine, that achieves V8 performance and six-cylinder fuel economy.
Though the finalists in each category were announced in December, thewinners remain a secret until they are announced at the NAIAS 2002. Theaccounting firm of Deloitte and Touche in Detroit, which tabulates the votes,keeps the winners secret until they are revealed at the NAIAS 2002.
The awards are open to new or significantly revised vehicles that will beon the market in North America in 2002. In September, jurors voted to narrowthe field of nominees to 10 cars and 10 trucks from a list of 20 eligible carsand 16 eligible trucks by ranking them one through 10.
In the final voting, jurors have 25 points they assign to vehicles in eachof the car and truck categories. No more than 10 points can be given to asingle vehicle. The car and truck garnering the most points win theprestigious awards.
The Altima received 267 votes, followed by the Cadillac CTS with 203 andthe Ford Thunderbird with 160. In the truck category, the ChevroletTrailBlazer earned 217 votes compared with 206 for the Chevrolet Avalanche and162 for the Jeep Liberty.