DETROIT — Ford and General Motors snagged four finalist spots in the competitive 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year race, organizers announced on Wednesday. The Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf/GTI are the three finalists for the 2010 North American Car of the Year. The Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback are the finalists for the 2010 North American Truck of the Year.
Left in the dust in the 2010 competition for North American Car of the Year were the BMW 335d, the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO, Honda Insight, Kia Soul, Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Porsche Panamera, Subaru Legacy, Suzuki Kizashi and Toyota Prius. In a move that caused some internal wrangling among jurors, the Ford Fusion and Ford Fusion Hybrid were not paired up in the voting.
Left in the dust in the 2010 competition for North American Truck of the Year were the Acura ZDX, Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Land Rover LR4, Lincoln MKT and Volvo XC60.
The 2009 North American Car of the Year was the Hyundai Genesis, and the 2009 North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150. The awards are given by automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada. The winners will be announced during the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
Inside Line says: Time to rev up that office pool. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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icecubefosho says:
07:57 PM, 12/17/2009
The LaCrosse is more of a "Lexus". I don't really rank it as a desirable driving machine. NOT the top North American Car. Its a fine highway cruiser, don't get me wrong. Its just not my definition of a real true car. The Taurus surely isn't there. The SHO is a real let-down. I'd get a LaCrosse over a Taurus any day, but nevertheless, I wouldn't get any.
jdubz1 says:
07:13 AM, 12/17/2009
The only "truck" that's even close to being a truck is the LR4. Since when is an Accord and Subaru a "truck"??!! Does this mean in couple years that if the Honda Fit gets an extra inch of ground clearance and AWD it's going to be eligible in this catergory,too??? Soooooooo, the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor and Dodge Ram Heavy Duty are waaaay too "truck-ish" to qualify??? That would be awful if an actual TRUCK wins this catergory!! Seriously....WTF!!!
speed_3 says:
10:57 PM, 12/16/2009
My top 3 Cars would be: Camaro or Lacrosse, Mazda 3, and BMW 335d. I also think that the Volvo XC60 and Q5 are more deserving than the transit connect. I disagree with the LaCrosse/Taurus comment. You can get a well-equiped LaCrosse in the low thirtys, but I saw a taurus (not even an SHO) stikering well above 40K the otherday. In my mind the LaCrosse is just as much of a car the Taurus is, and far more groudbreaking being a Buick.
icecubefosho says:
09:10 PM, 12/16/2009
Yeah if they're gonna have the LaCrosse, they should've had the fatty Taurus as well. Either way, both of em don't deserve it.
Prius does NOT deserve it.
tbone85 says:
07:24 PM, 12/16/2009
The Prius gets excellent gas mileage, but it is an unmitigated design disaster. Just this side of the Asstek, the Prius looks like boiled butt. The argument that it's mileage makes it beautiful is ridiculous. I can't imagine seeing myself or being seen in something that should have been named Pacer II.
dannysj says:
06:41 PM, 12/16/2009
I'm really, really surprised that the E Class, the Taurus and the Prius (yes I think it's a big deal) didn't make it, yet the Golf and Lacrosse did. The Fusion is the only care that has an argument to be in the top three. As far as Trucks... that's a serious WTF. How the heck does the Q5 not make the top three, but those turkeys do?
ra65c83 says:
03:45 PM, 12/16/2009
AS much of a truck as the Equinox and Transit Connect
felonious says:
03:05 PM, 12/16/2009
The Outback is a truck? Seriously??
icecubefosho says:
01:57 PM, 12/16/2009
LaCrosse?
TransitConnect?
Equinox?
Yeck.