2007 Detroit Auto Show - GM Sweeps North American Car & Truck of the Year Awards - VIDEO ENHANCED
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DETROIT - January 7, 2007: The Saturn Aura is the 2007 North American Car of the Year, while the Chevrolet Silverado is the 2007 North American Truck of the Year, it was announced today.
The awards are unique in North America because, instead of being given by a single media outlet, the winners are chosen by 49 automotive journalists who represent newspapers, magazines, television shows and web sites in Canada and the United States.
The winners of the awards -- first given in 1994 -- were revealed at a news conference at the world-class North American International Auto Show in Detroit. However, the show does not give the awards.
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. To be eligible vehicles must be new.
Although dozens of new 2007 vehicles were eligible, the jurors whittled the field down to 12 cars and 15 trucks on which they voted.
The jurors voted early in December by sending their ballots directly to Steve Laughman, a partner at Deloitte & Touche in Detroit. Laughman kept the winners secret until today's news conference when he handed over the sealed envelopes.
The Saturn Aura got 205 points; the Honda Fit got 176 and the Toyota Camry 89 points.
The Chevrolet Silverado got 243 points; the Mazda CX-7 got 135 and the Ford Edge got 92.
Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Honda Civic while the North American Truck of the Year was the Honda Ridgeline.
In the last 14 years, domestic automakers have won the North American Car of the Year seven times. Japanese automakers have won three times and European automakers have won four times.
Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year nine times. Japanese automakers have won three times and European automakers have won twice.
The jurors represent outlets such as the Toronto Star, Car and Driver magazine, AutoWeek, The Chicago Tribune, MotorWeek, USA Today, Autoline Detroit, Edmunds.com, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Road & Track magazine, the San Jose Mercury News, Edmunds.com, Consumer Guide, the Boston Globe, Automotive News, Popular Mechanics and Fortune.
Here are the vehicles on which the jurors voted:
2007 North American Car of the Year
Chrysler Sebring
Dodge Caliber
Honda Fit
Hyundai Elantra
Infiniti G35
Jaguar XK/XKR
Lexus LS 460
Mercedes-Benz S-class
Nissan Altima
Nissan Versa
Saturn Aura
Toyota Camry
2007 North American Truck of the Year
Acura MDX
Acura RDX
Audi Q7
BMW X5
Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
Chevrolet Silverado
Dodge Nitro
Ford Edge
GMC Acadia
Honda CR-V
Hyundai Santa Fe
Jeep Wrangler
Mazda CX-7
Saturn Vue Green Line
Toyota FJ Cruiser
A list of previous finalists and winners follows.
For 2006 the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Honda Civic, Ford Fusion and Pontiac Solstice. The winner was the Honda Civic.
For 2006 the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Honda Ridgeline, the Nissan Xterra and the Ford Explorer. The winner was the Honda Ridgeline.
For 2005, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chevrolet Corvette, the Chrysler 300/300C and the Ford Mustang. The winner was the Chrysler 300/300C.
For 2005, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford Freestyle, the Land Rover LR3 and the Ford Escape Hybrid. The winner was the Ford Escape Hybrid.
For 2004, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Toyota Prius, the Mazda RX-8 and the Cadillac XLR. The winner was the Toyota Prius.
For 2004, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the Nissan Titan and the Cadillac SRX. The winner was the Ford F- 150.
For 2003, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Infiniti G35 Coupe, the Nissan 350Z and the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. The winner was the Mini Cooper/Cooper S.
For 2003, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Volvo XC90, the Hummer H2 and the Honda Element and the Nissan Murano, which tied. The winner was the Volvo XC90.
For 2002, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Nissan Altima, the Ford Thunderbird and the Cadillac CTS. The winner was the Nissan Altima.
For 2002, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and the Jeep Liberty. The winner was the Chevrolet TrailBlazer.
For 2001, the finalists for North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. The winner was the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
For 2001, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Acura MDX, the Ford Escape and the Toyota Sequoia. The winner was the Acura MDX.
For 2000, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Ford Focus, the Audi TT and the Lincoln LS. The winner was the Ford Focus.
For 2000, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Nissan Xterra, the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and the Toyota Tundra. The winner was the Nissan Xterra.
For 1999, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler 300M. The winner was the Volkswagen New Beetle.
For 1999, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. The winner was the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
For 1998, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chevrolet Corvette, the Audi A6 and the Lexus GS300/400. The winner was the Chevrolet Corvette.
For 1998, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz ML 320, the Dodge Durango and the Subaru Forester. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz ML 320.
For 1997, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Jaguar XK8 and the BMW 5-Series. The winner was the Mercedes-Benz SLK.
For 1997, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford Expedition, the Dodge Dakota and the Toyota RAV 4. The winner was the Ford Expedition.
For 1996, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler minivans, Ford Taurus/ Mercury Sable and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The winner was the Chrysler minivan.
For 1996, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Ford F-150, the GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe and the Range Rover 4.0 SE. The winner was the Ford F-150.
For 1995, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Chrysler Cirrus, the Ford Contour and the Oldsmobile Aurora. The winner was the Chrysler Cirrus.
For 1995, the finalists for the North American Truck of the Year were the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Explorer and the Ford Windstar. The winner was the Chevrolet Blazer.
For 1994, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Toyota Supra. The winner was the Mercedes C-Class.
For 1994, the finalists for North American Truck of the Year were the Dodge Ram pickup, the Chevrolet S-10/GMC Sonoma and the Land Rover Defender 90. The winner was the Dodge Ram.