What is it? Fifty-seven automotive journalists (including Yours Truly) from Canada and the United States vote every year on the car — and truck/utility — of the year. The winners are pronounced every year as the first presentation at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show.
Who won? Volkswagen’s Golf is the 2015 NACOTY cars of the year and, big surprise, Ford’s F-150 was the truck of the year. Congratulations must also go to the Ford Mustang and the Hyundai Genesis as runners-up in the car category and the Chevrolet Colorado and Lincoln MKC in the truck segment.
2015 Ford F-150.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Should you care? Darn right. The awards — now in their 22nd year — are unique in the U.S. because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by an independent group of automotive journalists who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.
Is it rigged in favour of the domestic manufacturers? Absolutely not. In its 22 years, North American manufacturers have won 12 times, Eureopeans five times, Japanese three times and Hyundai twice. On the truck side, there’s a bit more North American dominance, unsurprising considering the importance of pickups to the domestics. Nonetheless, a European “truck” has won four times and a Japanese version three times.
Click here for full coverage of the 2015 Detroit auto show
