2012 North American Car & Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

Here they are. The finalists for the eagerly-awaited and tough-to-crack 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have been announced. And, the models that make the final cut are Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat in cars and BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque in trucks. If you are wondering, Sports Utility Vehicles and Crossovers are classified as trucks in USA. These finalists have been chosen from a list of over 30 all-new or significantly-revised models that went on sale in North America in the past 12 months. The list included extremely competitive models such as Audi A6, Audi A7, Toyota Prius V and Mercedes-Benz M Class. Now you know why we said these awards are tough to crack.

If you do not know already, these awards are unique in the United States because, instead of being given by a single media outlet or entity, they are awarded by a coalition of automotive journalists from USA and Canada representing all forms of media that includes magazines, television, radio, newspapers and websites. The title-winners will be announced on the opening day of the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan-09. The awards, considered to be one of the most significant in the automotive world, are currently in their 19th year. In 2011, it was Chevrolet Volt and Ford Explorer which won the North American Car and Truck of the Year titles respectively.

This time though, our bet is on the Ford Focus and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque to win the titles, but the Hyundai Elantra and BMW X3 could spring a big surprise. Let us wait and watch!