Once again it’s time for the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists – did your vehicle make the list?

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are handed out at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, to be held on January 11, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. The jury comprises 49 automotive journalists who represent television, radio, magazines, web sites and newspapers.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors that include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

To be eligible, vehicles must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model. This year the jury considered more than 50 vehicles and finally whittled the list down to 16 cars and 10 trucks.

Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Hyundai Genesis, while the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.

A jury selected the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf/GTI as the top 3 finalists for North American Car of the Year, while the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback are finalists for North American Truck of the Year.

Since I’m partial to Volkswagen, I’m glad the Golf/GTI made the list, but I also like Subaru and it was nice to see the Subaru Legacy on the list. As far as trucks go, again I was glad to see the Subaru Outback on the list, but equally pleased that the Volvo XC60 and the Lincoln MKT were also recognized.

Here is the full list of the nominees:

Cars

• BMW 335d
• Buick LaCrosse
• Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Ford Fusion
• Ford Fusion Hybrid
• Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
• Honda Insight
• Kia Soul
• Mazda3/MazdaSpeed3
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Porsche Panamera
• Subaru Legacy
• Suzuki Kizashi
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI

Trucks

• Acura ZDX
• Audi Q5
• Cadillac SRX
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Ford Transit Connect
• Honda Accord Crosstour
• Land Rover LR4
• Lincoln MKT
• Subaru Outback
• Volvo XC60

More information on the awards – including the names of jurors as well as previous finalists and winners – is available at northamericancaroftheyear.org.

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