DETROIT, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saturn Aura is the 2007 North
 American Car of the Year, while the Chevrolet Silverado is the 2007 North
 American Truck of the Year, it was announced today.
     The awards are unique in North America because, instead of being given
 by a single media outlet, the winners are chosen by 49 automotive
 journalists who represent newspapers, magazines, television shows and web
 sites in Canada and the United States.
     The winners of the awards -- first given in 1994 -- were revealed at a
 news conference at the world-class North American International Auto Show
 in Detroit. However, the show does not give the awards.
     The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding vehicles of
 the year based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling,
 driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. To be eligible vehicles must
 be new.
     Although dozens of new 2007 vehicles were eligible, the jurors whittled
 the field down to 12 cars and 15 trucks on which they voted.
     The jurors voted early in December by sending their ballots directly to
 Steve Laughman, a partner at Deloitte & Touche in Detroit. Laughman kept
 the winners secret until today's news conference when he handed over the
 sealed envelopes.
     The Saturn Aura got 205 points; the Honda Fit got 176 and the Toyota
 Camry 89 points.
     The Chevrolet Silverado got 243 points; the Mazda CX-7 got 135 and the
 Ford Edge got 92.
     Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Honda Civic while
 the North American Truck of the Year was the Honda Ridgeline.
     In the last 14 years, domestic automakers have won the North American
 Car of the Year seven times. Japanese automakers have won three times and
 European automakers have won four times.
     Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year nine
 times. Japanese automakers have won three times and European automakers
 have won twice.
     The jurors represent outlets such as the Toronto Star, Car and Driver
 magazine, AutoWeek, The Chicago Tribune, MotorWeek, USA Today, Autoline
 Detroit, Edmunds.com, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Road & Track magazine,
 the San Jose Mercury News, Edmunds.com, Consumer Guide, the Boston Globe,
 Automotive News, Popular Mechanics and Fortune.
     Here are the vehicles on which the jurors voted:
 
     2007 North American Car of the Year
 
     Chrysler Sebring
     Dodge Caliber
     Honda Fit
     Hyundai Elantra
     Infiniti G35
     Jaguar XK/XKR
     Lexus LS 460
     Mercedes-Benz S-class
     Nissan Altima
     Nissan Versa
     Saturn Aura
     Toyota Camry
 
     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
 
     A list of previous finalists and winners follows.
     For 2006 the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Honda Civic, Ford Fusion and Pontiac Solstice. The winner was the Honda
 Civic.
     For 2006 the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Honda Ridgeline, the Nissan Xterra and the Ford Explorer. The winner
 was the Honda Ridgeline.
     For 2005, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Chevrolet Corvette, the Chrysler 300/300C and the Ford Mustang. The winner
 was the Chrysler 300/300C.
     For 2005, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Ford Freestyle, the Land Rover LR3 and the Ford Escape Hybrid. The
 winner was the Ford Escape Hybrid.
     For 2004, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Toyota Prius, the Mazda RX-8 and the Cadillac XLR. The winner was the
 Toyota Prius.
     For 2004, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Ford F-150, the Nissan Titan and the Cadillac SRX. The winner was the
 Ford F- 150.
     For 2003, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Infiniti G35 Coupe, the Nissan 350Z and the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. The
 winner was the Mini Cooper/Cooper S.
     For 2003, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Volvo XC90, the Hummer H2 and the Honda Element and the Nissan Murano,
 which tied. The winner was the Volvo XC90.
     For 2002, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Nissan Altima, the Ford Thunderbird and the Cadillac CTS. The winner was
 the Nissan Altima.
     For 2002, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and the Jeep Liberty.
 The winner was the Chevrolet TrailBlazer.
     For 2001, the finalists for North American Car of the Year were the
 Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. The winner was
 the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
     For 2001, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Acura MDX, the Ford Escape and the Toyota Sequoia. The winner was the
 Acura MDX.
     For 2000, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Ford Focus, the Audi TT and the Lincoln LS. The winner was the Ford Focus.
     For 2000, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Nissan Xterra, the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and the Toyota Tundra. The
 winner was the Nissan Xterra.
     For 1999, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Volkswagen New Beetle, the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler 300M. The winner
 was the Volkswagen New Beetle.
     For 1999, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. The
 winner was the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
     For 1998, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Chevrolet Corvette, the Audi A6 and the Lexus GS300/400. The winner was the
 Chevrolet Corvette.
     For 1998, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Mercedes-Benz ML 320, the Dodge Durango and the Subaru Forester. The
 winner was the Mercedes-Benz ML 320.
     For 1997, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Jaguar XK8 and the BMW 5-Series. The winner was the
 Mercedes-Benz SLK.
     For 1997, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Ford Expedition, the Dodge Dakota and the Toyota RAV 4. The winner was
 the Ford Expedition.
     For 1996, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Chrysler minivans, Ford Taurus/ Mercury Sable and the Mercedes-Benz
 E-Class. The winner was the Chrysler minivan.
     For 1996, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Ford F-150, the GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe and the Range Rover 4.0 SE.
 The winner was the Ford F-150.
     For 1995, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Chrysler Cirrus, the Ford Contour and the Oldsmobile Aurora. The winner was
 the Chrysler Cirrus.
     For 1995, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were
 the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Explorer and the Ford Windstar. The winner
 was the Chevrolet Blazer.
     For 1994, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the
 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Toyota Supra. The
 winner was the Mercedes C-Class.
     For 1994, the finalists for North American Truck of the Year were the
 Dodge Ram pickup, the Chevrolet S-10/GMC Sonoma and the Land Rover Defender
 90. The winner was the Dodge Ram.
 
 

SOURCE North American Car & Truck of The Year