2007 North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

    DETROIT, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- An international group of automotive
 journalists has selected the Honda Fit, the Saturn Aura and the Toyota
 Camry as finalists for the 2007 North American Car of the Year. The
 Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Edge and Mazda CX-7 are finalists for the 2007
 North American Truck of the Year.
     The awards are unique in the United States because - instead of being
 given by a single publication, radio or television station - they are given
 by 49 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.
     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.
     Steve Laughman, a partner at Deloitte & Touche, was responsible for
 counting the ballots, which jurors sent directly to the accounting firm.
 The results were announced today at a news conference during a luncheon
 held by the Detroit Economic Club and the North American International Auto
 Show.
     However, Laughman remains the only person who knows the winners, which
 will be announced January 7th at the North American International Auto
 Show.
     Although the winners are disclosed at a news conference at NAIAS, the
 show does not give the awards.
     The jurors represent outlets such as the Toronto Star, Car and Driver
 magazine, AutoWeek, The Chicago Tribune, MotorWeek, USA Today, Autoline
 Detroit, Edmunds.com, Road & Track magazine, the San Jose Mercury News,
 Consumer Guide, the Boston Globe, Automotive News, Popular Mechanics and
 Fortune.
     Last year the 2006 North American Car of the Year was the Honda Civic,
 and the 2006 North American Truck of the Year was the Honda Ridgeline.
     Domestic automakers have been named "North American Car of the Year"
 six times. Japanese cars have won three times. European cars have won four
 times.
     Domestic automakers won "North American Truck of the Year" eight times,
 Japanese automakers have won three times (Honda and Acura took two of
 those) and European automakers have won twice.
     In the totals above, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep are counted as domestic
 automakers. Volvo and Mercedes-Benz are included in the European category,
 even though Volvo is owned by Ford, and Mercedes is part of
 DaimlerChrysler.
     While more than 60 new vehicles were eligible, jurors finally voted on
 11 cars and 15 trucks.
     Nominees for the 2007 North American Car of the Year
 
      Chrysler Sebring
      Dodge Caliber
      Honda Fit
      Infiniti G35
      Jaguar XK/XKR
      Lexus LS 460
      Mercedes S-Class
      Nissan Altima
      Nissan Versa
      Saturn Aura
      Toyota Camry
 
     Nominees for the 2007 North American Truck of the Year
 
      Acura MDX
      Acura RDX
      Audi Q7
      BMW X5
      Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
      Chevrolet Silverado
      Dodge Nitro
      Ford Edge
      GMC Acadia
      Honda CR-V
      Hyundai Santa Fe
      Jeep Wrangler
      Mazda CX-7
      Saturn Vue Green Line
      Toyota FJ Cruiser
 
 

SOURCE North American Car of the Year Organizing Committee