Honda wins car and truck awards

Ridgeline and Civic take the National Car and Truck of the Year awards as voted on by auto writers
January 8, 2006: 2:58 PM EST

Detroit (CNNMoney.com) - Honda took both the Car and Truck of the Year awards handed out at the opening of the Detroit Auto Show Sunday.

The annual awards are voted on by a committee of 49 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. The journalists involved write for a variety of publications, including Fortune Magazine, while some are freelance writers.

The awards are open to all new or substantially redesigned vehicles introduced during the past year. The three finalists for cars were the Civic, the Ford Fusion sedan and the Pontiac Solstice sports car.

Among trucks, the finalists were the Ridgeline, the Ford Explorer SUV and the Nissan Xterra SUV.

The awards are said to recognize vehicles for their innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

The Ridgeline is unusual for a truck in that it features car-like engineering that has been heavily reinforced to deal with heavy loads. Among its noted features are a trunk hidden under the bed and a tailgate that swings out as well as down.

"Heavy duty truckers may scoff, but with the Ridgeline you can have your SUV and pick-up, too," said John Gilbert, a wrier with St. Paul magazine and one of the jurors.

Officially known as the North American International Auto Show, the Detroit event is the year's major showcase for car manufacturers around the world. For more coverage, go here.

The Civic was completely redesigned for 2006, becoming slightly larger. It also has a more radical, futuristic shape.

The last generation Civic suggested that Honda, like so many other automakers, might be content with resting on its laurels, said Stephen Cole Smith, an auto writer with the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. "The new Civic suggests that isn't the case."

As the 2015 Detroit Auto Show draws nearer, the jurors of the North American Car & Truck/Utility Of The Year (NACTOY) Award hone their field from the long list to the short—and prepare to hand out of the trophies. Our own editorial director Marty Padgett is among those jurors, and will also be announcing the winners at the show this year.

As with every year, the NACTOY award process for 2015 has been a long and careful one, with multiple drives of each car, input from each of the 50 jurors, and many votes to narrow the field from each new car to hit the street to the ones that deserve the most attention and honor—and finally, to the winners, to be announced Monday, January 12.

Last year's Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray; the Truck/Utility of the Year was the Chevrolet Silverado. American carmakers have won 12 of the 21 times the award has been given; of the remaining 9 awards, four went to European brands, three to Japanese brands, and two went to Korea's Hyundai.

This year’s finalists are:

2015 North American Car of the Year:

Ford Mustang
Hyundai Genesis
Volkswagen Golf

2015 North American Truck/Utility of the Year:

Chevrolet Colorado
Ford F-150
Lincoln MKC

The “short list” of nominees was released back in October:

2015 North American Car of the Year Short List

Acura TLX
Audi A3
Chrysler 200
Ford Mustang
Honda Fit
Hyundai Genesis sedan
Hyundai Sonata
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Toyota Camry
Volkswagen Golf/GTI

2015 North American Truck/Utility of the Year Short List

Audi Q3
Chevrolet Colorado
Chevrolet Tahoe
Ford F-150
GMC Canyon
Lexus NX
Lincoln MKC
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Nissan Murano
Porsche Macan
Subaru Outback
Toyota Highlander

Some of the notable absences from the finalists lists include: the new Audi Q3, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Porsche Macan, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Audi A3.

After much testing and deliberation, the winners have 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards have been announced. Previously whittled down to three finalists in each category over the course of the past year, the 2023 NACTOY winners are as follows:

2023 North American Car of the Year: Acura Integra

The Acura Integra has won in this year's Car category, beating out the Hyundai Genesis Electrified G80 and Nissan Z.

The Integra nameplate has been revived for the 2023 model year, with the Honda Civic-based sedan offering an affordable sport compact from the luxury brand. You can read our First Drive review of the Acura Integra here.

2023 North American Truck of the Year: Ford F-150 Lightning

The Ford F-150 Lightning has taken the award in the Truck category, knocking out the other two finalists, the Chevy Silverado ZR2 and the Lordstown Endurance. It was interesting to see two all-electric contenders in the pickup field, one based on a legacy platform, and the other coming from a new company and using novel, in-wheel motor technology. It's Ford's third NACTOY Truck win a row.

The battery-powered Ford F-150 Lightning is the most powerful F-150 to ever roll off the factory floor, and it has proven itself to be wildly popular, and for good reason. You can read more about it in our First Drive review. or our buying guide. Also worth noting is that the truck's Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch technology won Autoblog's 2022 Technology of the Year Award.

2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year: Kia EV6

Kia EV6 has taken the top spot in the Utility Vehicle category, over two other all-electric rivals, the Cadillac Lyriq and Genesis GV60. This seems like it was probably the toughest choice for the NACTOY jurors, as these are each excellent EVs.

The Kia EV6 is built on the same E-GMP electric platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Genesis GV60, which means it has 800-volt battery architecture for extremely fast charging, available all-wheel drive and plenty of power. The EV6 has quickly become a favorite at Autoblog, especially since joining our long-term fleet. Read more about it in our First Drive, buying guide and long-term reviews.

About NACTOY

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards are voted on by 50 jurors who work for media outlets across North America who narrow the field, which was originally 47 vehicles, three times over the course of the year. Jurors also test the semifinalists at an October group event in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Autoblog Editor-In Chief is a member of the jury.

The Honda Civic (Car), Ford Maverick (Truck) and Ford Bronco (Utility Vehicle) were the 2022 winners.