Media's North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists Announced
DETROIT, Dec. 15, 2003 -- An international group of automotive journalists has selected the Cadillac XLR, Mazda RX-8 and Toyota Prius as the finalists for the North American Car of the Year, while the Cadillac SRX, the Ford F-150 and Nissan Titan are finalists for the North American Truck of the Year.
The awards are unique 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.
They honor the most significant car and truck of the year.
The finalists were disclosed today (Dec. 15th) at a news conference in Detroit.
The winners, however, are still secret and will be announced at 10:45 a.m. on January 4th at the North American International Auto Show. Although the winners are disclosed at the NAIAS, the show is not otherwise involved.
The awards -- first given in 1994 -- 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 "all new" or "substantially changed" from the previous model.
The jurors represent publications such as the Toronto Star, Car and Driver magazine, AutoWeek, The Chicago Tribune, MotorWeek, The Washington Post, USA Today, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Road & Track magazine, the San Jose Mercury News, Consumer Guide, the Boston Globe, Automotive News, Popular Mechanics and Fortune.
This year there were 17 cars and 13 trucks on the ballot. In early December the jurors sent their ballots to the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, where they were counted and the results kept secret.
At today's news conference Deloitte vice chairman Richard Gabrys handed over sealed envelopes containing the finalists to Tony Swan, who made the announcements. Swan is the executive editor of Car and Driver magazine and one of the seven jurors on the organizing committee which administers the awards.
While the finalists were disclosed, only Gabrys knows the winners.
The news conference was part of a luncheon for the North American International Auto Show, which opens next month.
Last year's North American Car of the Year was the Mini Cooper, while the North American Truck of the Year was the Volvo XC90.
A list of the 2004 eligible cars and trucks is below: North American Car of the Year nominees: Acura RSX Acura TL Audi A8 L BMW 5-Series Cadillac XLR Chevrolet Malibu Chrysler Crossfire Chrysler Pacifica Jaguar XJ8/XJR Mazda RX-8 Nissan Maxima Nissan Quest Pontiac GTO Toyota Prius Toyota Scion xB Toyota Sienna Volkswagen Phaeton North American Truck of the Year nominees: BMW X3 Cadillac SRX Chevrolet Colorado Chevrolet SSR Dodge Durango Ford F-150 GMC Canyon Infiniti FX35/45 Lexus RX 330 Nissan Pathfinder Armada Nissan Titan Porsche Cayenne S/ Cayenne Turbo Volkswagen Touareg
Members of the 2004 organizing committee are Tony Swan, Alex Law, Michelle Krebs, Matt Nauman, John McElroy, John Davis and Christopher Jensen.