Automakers love to advertise their vehicles with the awards they earn to show off what the vehicle has been recognized for. As we head closer to the official beginning of the new 2018 model year the contenders for one of the most prestigious awards have begun to line up and become available to be judged. One of the first awards to be offered for this new model year is the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year. These awards see a large number of vehicles vying for recognition and the right to take to the screen and show off this trophy during commercials.
In order for a vehicle to be eligible for this award, a vehicle must be entirely new or substantially changed for the new model year. This means those vehicles that have been updated, refreshed or continue on as a model that has been offered in the past aren’t eligible for the award. This also excludes new variants of existing models and there is a deadline for vehicles to be considered. Those models that did not meet the deadline are going to be considered for the award or the 2019 model year, but for this year we have a list of those that will be looking to be judged.
In the car category, the vehicles that will be considered are Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A5/S5, BMW 5 Series, Honda Clarity, Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Stinger, Lexus LC500, Mini Countryman, Porsche Panamera, Subaru Impreza, Tesla Model 3 and Toyota Camry.
Moving to the utility vehicle category you’ll find Audi Q5/S5, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, BMW X3, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Terrain, Honda Odyssey, Jeep Compass, Kia Niro, Land Rover Discovery, Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue Sport, Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota CH-R, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Tiguan and Volvo XC60.
The truck category only has three entries with only a few new models and those are Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Ford Expedition, and the Lincoln Navigator.
This award is voted on by a sixty-member panel to figure out which vehicles are worthy of the awards. These vehicles are judged based upon the following considerations: overall excellence, innovation, design, value, significance, performance, technology, and safety. The finalists for the award will be announced in November as a shortlist that we can discuss then and the winners are finally announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
With this voting that will begin to take place, the panel of sixty people will start to test and experience the vehicles that are on this list in order to try and figure out which one of these vehicles in each category is worth of the award. We’ll get to know which ones win in January and these vehicles are certainly an impressive collection of vehicles that will make the job of picking one difficult in these categories.
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