2004 Detroit Auto Show: Car and Truck of the Year Winners Announced
 Ford Motor Company VP of Product Creation for North America Phil Martens (L) and President of Ford Division Stephen Lyons (R) celebrate the Ford F-150's "North American Truck of the Year" award at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan Sunday, January 4, 2004. The award is selected by a panel of 49 automotive journalist from the United States and Canada. |
 TOYOTA PRIUS CAPTURES NORTH AMERICAN CAR OF THE YEAR -- Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager, Toyota Division, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., proudly displays the 2004 North American Car of the Year trophy bestowed upon the Toyota Prius. The new gas/electric hybrid Prius went on sale in October and boasts a city fuel economy rating of 60 m.p.g. and greatly reduced emissions. A jury of 50 automotive writers and broadcasters voted Prius number one by a wide margin over two other cars chosen as finalists. The Toyota Pruis has enjoyed the fastest sales start of any car in the company's history. |
DETROIT, Jan. 4, 2004 -- A group of 49 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada has selected the 2004 Toyota Prius as the 2004 North American Car of the Year and the 2004 Ford F-150 as the North American Truck of the Year.
The awards honor vehicles that establish new benchmarks in areas including design, innovation, safety and handling.
Now in their tenth year, they are the only independent, international awards in North America.
Instead of coming from a single publication they are given by veteran automotive journalists representing newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Most of those journalists have been covering the auto industry for at least two decades.
The winners were announced January 4th at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, although the auto show is not otherwise involved.
The jurors considered 17 cars and 13 trucks. The three car finalists were the Toyota Prius, Mazda RX-8 and Cadillac XLR. The three truck finalists were the Nissan Titan, the Ford F-150 and the Cadillac SRX.
The jurors voted early in December, sending their ballots to Richard Gabrys, the vice chairman of the accounting firm of Deloitte. Gabrys counted the ballots but kept the winners secret until the news conference, when the sealed envelopes containing the names of the winners were opened by Tony Swan, the executive editor of Car and Driver magazine and a juror.
The Prius received 298 points, compared to 167 for the RX-8 and 113 for the XLR.
The Ford F-150 received 317 points, compared to 249 for the Titan and 198 for the SRX.
A fact sheet follows, along with this year's eligible vehicles and a list of previous winners.
FACT SHEET
NAME - The awards are the "North American Car of the Year" and "North American Truck of the Year," not "Car of the Year."
WHO GIVES THE AWARDS? - This year the awards were given by a group of 49 full-time automotive journalists from Canada and the United States. While the awards are announced at the North American International Auto Show, the show does not give the awards.
HOW ARE THE AWARDS CHOSEN? - 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.
ELIGIBILITY - Vehicles must be new or "substantially changed" from the previous model.
HOW DO THE JURORS VOTE? - Jurors are given 25 points to divide among cars and trucks. However, no more than 10 points may be given to a single vehicle. The ballots are counted by Deloitte. The three finalists in each category are released in mid-December but until the news conference in January only Richard Gabrys, the vice chairman of Deloitte, knows the winners.
HISTORY - The awards were started in 1993, were first given in January 1994, and were modeled after the Car of the Year in Europe. They are administered by a seven-person organizing committee and funded by dues paid by the jurors.
2004 ELIGIBLE VEHICLES 2004 NORTH AMERICAN CAR OF THE YEAR NOMINEES Acura TSX 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 2004 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 PAST WINNERS 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 2001 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler PT Cruiser 2001 North American Truck of the Year - Acura MDX 2002 North American Car of the Year - Nissan Altima 2002 North American Truck of the Year - Chevrolet TrailBlazer 2003 North American Car of the Year - Mini Cooper/Cooper S 2003 North American Truck of the Year - Volvo XC90