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Independent Journalists Name the North American Car And North American Truck of the Year

    DETROIT, Jan. 8 The Chrysler PT Cruiser and Acura MD-X
were named the 2001 North American Car and Truck of the Year, respectively, in
an awards ceremony at the start of the North American International Auto Show
here today.
    Now in their ninth year, the North American Car and Truck of the Year
awards are chosen by a jury of 50 independent auto journalists from the United
States and Canada.
    The awards are open to new or significantly revised vehicles that will be
on the market in North America in 2001, and the jurors look for cars and
trucks that raise the level of achievement in their respective categories.
Evaluations of the many vehicles eligible for the awards went on throughout
2000, with the jury voting once in September to reduce the field to the most
significant contenders and then voting again in mid-December to choose the
finalists.
    The finalists for the 2001 North American Car of the Year award were the
Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Honda Insight, and the Toyota Prius.  The finalists
for the 2001 North American Truck of the Year award were the Acura MD-X, the
Ford Escape, and the Toyota Sequoia.
    The president of the awards' organizing committee, Alex Law, made the
point that "They are the most prestigious automotive prizes in North America
for many reasons, not the least of which is because they are picked by a group
of independent auto writers from a vast array of media across the continent."
Law added that the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are also a
secret from everyone but the man who counts the ballots -- Richard Gabrys, the
vice-chairman of Deloitte & Touche -- until the envelopes are open.