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2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year Slate: Crossovers Dominate
DETROIT — The 26 vehicles on the short list for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year include the Nissan GT-R, the Dodge Challenger and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. In a major breakthrough for the once-maligned Korean automakers, the Hyundai Genesis also made it into the semifinal voting round.
The vehicles under consideration for 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year were revealed on Tuesday. The award, arguably the most prestigious award of its kind in the U.S., will be announced during the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The jury is composed of automotive journalists.
Crossovers dominate the short list and straddle both car and truck categories. They include the Ford Flex and Toyota Venza, which are under consideration for '09 Car of the Year. Crossovers also crowd the field for '09 Truck of the Year. They include the BMW X6, Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot, Infiniti FX35/50, Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec, Nissan Murano, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan.
The Dodge Ram and the Ford F-150 were the only pickups to make the list. The Kia Borrego, with its body-on-frame construction, was the only "true" SUV to be included. A previous version of the Nissan Murano was a finalist for 2005 Truck of the Year.
Other '09 Car of the Year contenders are: the Audi A4, BMW 1 Series, Cadillac CTS-V, Honda Fit, Jaguar XF, Lincoln MKS, Mazda 6, and Pontiac G8.
The Cadillac CTS was a finalist for 2008 North American Car of the Year.
The 2008 winners of the contest were the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and the 2008 Mazda CX-9.
What this means to you: Now you know whom to root for in this popular throwdown. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
The vehicles under consideration for 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year were revealed on Tuesday. The award, arguably the most prestigious award of its kind in the U.S., will be announced during the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The jury is composed of automotive journalists.
Crossovers dominate the short list and straddle both car and truck categories. They include the Ford Flex and Toyota Venza, which are under consideration for '09 Car of the Year. Crossovers also crowd the field for '09 Truck of the Year. They include the BMW X6, Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot, Infiniti FX35/50, Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec, Nissan Murano, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan.
The Dodge Ram and the Ford F-150 were the only pickups to make the list. The Kia Borrego, with its body-on-frame construction, was the only "true" SUV to be included. A previous version of the Nissan Murano was a finalist for 2005 Truck of the Year.
Other '09 Car of the Year contenders are: the Audi A4, BMW 1 Series, Cadillac CTS-V, Honda Fit, Jaguar XF, Lincoln MKS, Mazda 6, and Pontiac G8.
The Cadillac CTS was a finalist for 2008 North American Car of the Year.
The 2008 winners of the contest were the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and the 2008 Mazda CX-9.
What this means to you: Now you know whom to root for in this popular throwdown. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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