The finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have been announced, and the choices shouldn't surprise anyone. The Chevrolet Volt, the Hyundai Sonata, and the Nissan Leaf will battle for NACOTY status; truck finalists are the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Of the three cars, two are familiar faces: The Volt and Sonata were both voted to our 2011 10Best Cars list. We praised the Volt's performance as a viable electric car, and were impressed by the nonhybrid Sonata's strong powertrain and impressive value. As to the trucks, in our most recent comparison test of four SUVs, Jeep's new Grand Cherokee earned first place. The Durango is based on the same platform as the Jeep (which is in turn based on the upcoming Mercedes-Benz M-class's) and the Explorer and Durango are both three-row American SUVs that have made the switch to unibody architecture for 2011.
The initial list comprised 41 vehicles, which was whittled down to shortlists of 14 cars and 14 trucks, by a panel of 49 automotive journalists that includes our own Eddie Alterman and Tony Swan. They'll vote again to select the winners, which will be announced at the Detroit auto show on January 10. To be eligible for the awards, a vehicle must be all-new or "substantially changed" for 2011. Last year, the Blue Oval took both awards with the Ford Fusion hybrid and Transit Connect.
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