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North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists

19 December 2000

North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists

                             The Envelope, Please

    DETROIT, Dec. 19 Only one man knows the winners of this
year's North American Car and Truck of the Year and he isn't telling.  That is
until January 8, 2001, at 7:30 a.m. in WI-54 in Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan,
during the North American International Auto Show.  That's when Mr. Dick
Gabrys, vice chairman of Deloitte & Touche in Detroit, lets the world know the
winners.
    The award, first given in 1994, has become the most significant of its
type.  The select group of 50 of the most influential automotive journalists
from The United States and Canada cast votes independent of any publication or
company.  Their selection is based solely on the qualifications of the vehicle
and they are responsible for selecting winners that set new benchmarks in the
classes in which they compete.  They evaluate the vehicles on factors
including value for the dollar, innovation, handling, performance, safety and
driver satisfaction.  To be eligible, a vehicle must have been substantially
changed from the previous model and must be on sale shortly after the
announcement of the award.  The cars must have reasonably foreseeable annual
sales in North America of 5,000 vehicles, and for trucks the number is 2,000
vehicles.

    For this year, the three North American Car of the Year finalists are:
      *  Chrysler PT Cruiser
      *  Honda Insight
      *  Toyota Prius

    Finalists in the North American Truck of the year are:
      *  Acura MD-X
      *  Ford Escape
      *  Toyota Sequoia

    "This is the eighth renewal of the North American Car and Truck of the
Year Awards, and I think it is both interesting and gratifying to note the
evolving priorities of our 50 jurors, particularly on the car side of the
ledger," said Tony Swan, president of the organizing committee.
    "Two of the three finalists for the 2001 North American Car of the Year
title -- the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius -- represent the state-of-the-art
in environmentally friendly automobiles.  And the PT Cruiser represents a rare
blend of style and functionality in a small package.
    "On the truck side, we have a trio of vehicles that reflect the continuing
expansion of the sport-utility market into unique sub-segments attuned to the
specific needs of prospective owners."
    "As always, we're grateful for the efforts of our jurors who evaluated
literally dozens of new vehicles prior to casting their ballots."

    Previous winners include:
      *  1994 North American Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz C-Class
      *  1994 North American Truck of the Year - Dodge Ram

      *  1995 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler Cirrus
      *  1995 North American Truck of the Year - Chevrolet Blazer

      *  1996 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler minivans
      *  1996 North American Truck of the Year - Ford F-150

      *  1997 North American Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz SLK
      *  1997 North American Truck of the Year - Ford Expedition

      *  1998 North American Car of the Year - Chevrolet Corvette
      *  1998 North American Truck of the Year - Mercedes-Benz ML320

      *  1999 North American Car of the Year - Volkswagen New Beetle
      *  1999 North American Truck of the Year - Jeep Grand Cherokee

      *  2000 North American Car of the Year - Ford Focus
      *  2000 North American Truck of the Year - Nissan Xterra