(WWJ) Stellantis and Nissan were the big winners as the finalists for North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year are now public. They were the only companies with more than one finalist.
As volunteer president of the jury, I had the honor of making the announcement to start the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Dodge Charger will face off against the Nissan Sentra and Honda Prelude for Car of the Year.
Ram has two representatives in the Truck of the Year Category, with the Ram Hemi and Ram 2500 going against the Maverick Lobo.
And the Utility of the year will see two electric vehicles vs a utility with gasoline and hybrid trims. It’s the Hyundai Palisade, Lucid Gravity and Nissan Leaf.
For about twenty years I’ve been one of the fifty jurors who get to drive and judge these vehicles. Here are some impressions on the finalists
CAR
Dodge Charger: Fun and bold. You can get an electric version or a gasoline powered V6, which has more power than a traditional V8.
Honda Prelude: Sporty performance in a small package. It’s the kind of vehicle that Honda is known for.
Nissan Sentra: Good small car, with great value.
TRUCK
Ford Maverick Lobo: If the small, but sporty Maverick isn’t fun enough, the “street truck” treatment makes it more smile worthy.
Ram Hemi: By popular demand, the Hemi is back, and it’s as good as you’d expect.
Ram 2500: It’s a great work truck that now has the upscale interior and technology that the light duty Ram is known for.
UTILITY
Hyundai Palisade: A full update makes a great family SUV even better.
Lucid Gravity: This is a vehicle that will help a good EV startup really make its mark in the electric vehicle competition.
Nissan Leaf: The original modern electric vehicle is totally redone, and is ready to jump in to what may be the most competitive part of the EV market.
Those of us in the jury will now get an opportunity to re-evaluate these vehicles, and take another vote.
We will all learn the winners together when the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year Awards are announced January 14th to open the Detroit Auto Show.