Tag Archives: NACTOY

Finalists Announced for 2026 NACTOY Awards

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A strong slate. And some history, too. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Earlier today at the LA Auto Show the finalists for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards were announced.

They are:

  • Car of the Year finalists: Dodge Charger, Honda Prelude, Nissan Sentra
  • Truck of the Year finalists: Ford Maverick Lobo, Ram 1500 Hemi, Ram 2500
  • Utility Vehicle of the Year finalists: Hyundai Palisade, Lucid Gravity, Nissan Leaf

If nothing else, the list is varied.

A few things:

Since the awards have been presented in 1994, this is the first time Dodge has been on it for a car. It has repeatedly been on it for trucks. In fact, it took the first Truck trophy in ’94.

Last year the Honda Civic Hybrid took Car. The Prelude is a hybrid, much of it based on the Honda Civic Hybrid. The non-hybrid Civic was Car in 2022. The Honda Accord in 2018. Honda Ridgeline for Truck in 2017. Honda Civic in 2016. Honda Civic and Honda Ridgeline in 2006. Honda has plenty of practice.

The Sentra was a finalist in 2021. It didn’t win. The Hyundai Elantra did. Nissan has won in Car: the Altima in 2002.

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The Maverick was the winner of Truck in 2022.

The Ram 1500 won in 2019 and in 2013. And as mentioned above, the first NACTOY Truck in ’94.

The Ram Heavy Duty, which is what a 2500 is, was a finalist in 2020 along with the Ford Ranger and the Jeep Gladiator. The Gladiator won.

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This is the second appearance of the Hyundai Palisade; the first was in 2020. Hyundai has been a finalist many times—’25 for the Santa Fe; ’24 for the Ioniq 6 and Kona; ’21 for the Elantra (which won); ’22 for the Santa Cruz and the Ioniq 5; ’20 for the Sonata; ’19 for the Kona, which won; ’15 for the Genesis (which was still a Hyundai back then); ’12 for the Elantra (which won); ’11 for the Sonata; and ’09 for the Genesis (which won).

This is the second appearance of Lucid as a finalist. The Lucid Air was a finalist in 2022.

This is the second appearance of the Nissan Leaf as a finalist. It first appeared in 2011.

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Winners will be announced January 14, 2026, at the Detroit Auto Show.

Disclosure: I am a NACTOY juror

NACTOY 2025 Winners

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Solid lineup selected from a solid lineup. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The winners of the 2025 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) were announced this morning at the Detroit Auto Show.

They are:

  • Car: Honda Civic Hybrid
  • Truck: Ford Ranger
  • Utility: Volkswagen ID.Buzz

The three vehicles were selected by a jury consisting of 50 journalists*, so there was a diverse number of people and associated opinions. That is, it isn’t like they all work for the same outlet, so there was no “house opinion.”

The selections are made based on metrics including innovation, design, safety, performance, and value.

Consumers can use the winners as a good rule of thumb should they be in the market for new sheet metal.

The NACTOY awards have been presented since 1994.

It is worth noting the vehicles were up against in the finalist round:

  • Car: Kia K4, Toyota Camry
  • Truck: Ram 1500, Toyota Tacoma
  • Utility: Chevrolet Equinox EV, Hyundai Santa Fe

In other words, the nine vehicles are all notable but three of the nine are even more notable.

A couple of fun facts:

  1. The Honda Civic is no stranger to NACTOY trophies. It also won in 2022. 2016 and 2006.
  2. When you think “Ford” and “truck” immediately thereafter, you’re not wrong. The Ranger win is the fifth victory in a row for Ford trucks. The Super Duty won in 2024, the F-150 Lightning in ’23, Maverick in ’22, and F-150 in ’21. The F-150 also won in 2015, 2009, 2004, 1996. The Transit Connect won in 2010.

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*Including me.

NACTOY 2025 Finalists Announced

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When you consider what they were up against, these nine vehicles all deserve respect

By Gary S. Vasilash

Earlier this fall, the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) Awards announced what it called the “Best of 2025.”

Or said another way: the semi-finalists for the awards that will be presented January 10, 2025 at the Detroit Auto Show.

The vehicles are:

Car

• BMW 3 Series
• BMW M5
• Cadillac Celestiq
• Dodge Charger EV
• Fiat 500e
• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Kia K4
• Mercedes-AMG E-Class
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Camry

Truck

• Ford Ranger
• GMC Sierra EV
• Ram 1500
• Rivian R1T
• Toyota Tacoma

Utility

• Chevrolet Equinox EV
• Honda Prologue
• Volvo EX90
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Jeep Wagoneer S
• Lincoln Nautilus
• Porsche Macan EV
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz

So with that as prologue, this morning the finalists—three in each category–were announced at the LA Auto Show.

They are:

Car

• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Kia K4
• Toyota Camry

Truck

• Ford Ranger
• Ram 1500
• Toyota Tacoma

Utility

• Chevrolet Equinox EV
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz

The 50 automotive journalists who serve as jurors (including me) now have the challenge of trying to sort out which of the vehicles represents best in class for consumers.

For those who might be wondering how things have gone recently, here are the winners for the past five years:

2020

• Car: Chevrolet Corvette
• Truck: Jeep Gladiator
• Utility: Kia Telluride


2021

• Car: Hyundai Elantra
• Truck: Ford F-150
• Utility: Ford Mustang Mach-E

2022

• Car: Honda Civic
• Truck: Ford Maverick
• Utility: Ford Bronco

2023

• Car: Acura Integra
• Truck: Ford F-150 Lightning
• Utility: Kia EV6

2024

• Car: Toyota Prius
• Truck: Ford Super Duty
• Utility: Kia EV9

Based on that, it is clear that Ford is solid in trucks.

The Civic has gotten a trophy.

Kia is strong in utilities—but the K4 is a car.

All of which is to say that at this point it is anyone’s guess.

Which Vehicles Might Take NACTOY Trophies for 2025?

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Four North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year jurors talk about the semifinalists for the awards in a lively discussion. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Award has been around since 1994. Back then, of course, utility vehicles, by and large, weren’t what they are now, vehicles, to borrow a phrase from Alfred Sloan, for every purse and purpose. So there was no category for CUVs/SUVs at the start.

But in 2017 the decision was made to add the Utility category.

That year there were three finalists:

  • Chrysler Pacifica
  • Jaguar F-Pace
  • Mazda CX-90

Oddly, the Pacifica won. (Not that it didn’t deserve an award and it is not like minivans aren’t the most package-efficient architectures, but if were to run the elementary school test, wherein you’d show a picture of a Pacifica and a Wrangler to a 10-year-old and say, “Which is the sport utility vehicle,” odds are the Pacifica wouldn’t get the nod.)

Nowadays, the Utility category is the most-contested, by far.

The Jurors

You might be wondering just who picks the winners.

Obviously, the MotorTrend Car of the Year is selected by that publication. And there is no mistake the Car and Driver 10 Best are selected by the journalists for Car and Driver.

In the case of NACTOY, there are 50 journalists from the U.S. and Canada, a mix of people working in all types of media, from ink-on-paper to YouTube to radio.

Clearly there is an array of opinions generated by this group.

Three of the current NACTOY jurors are Henry Payne, car critic for the Detroit News (yes, he reviews trucks and utilities, too), Mark Phelan, who reviews vehicles for the Detroit Free Press, and auto writer Greg Migliore.

Oh, and I am a juror, too.

I brought the three of them together to talk about the “NACTOY Best of 2025,” a.k.a., the semifinalists, on “Autoline After Hours.”

That group of vehicles will be winnowed down to three finalists in each category. The finalists will be announced in LA on November 21, and the winners at the Detroit Auto Show on January 10, 2025.

The Vehicles

The vehicles in question at the moment are:

Cars

  • BMW 3 Series
  • BMW M5
  • Cadillac Celestiq
  • Dodge Charger EV
  • Fiat 500e
  • Honda Civic Hybrid
  • Kia K4
  • Mercedes-AMG E Class
  • Porsche Panamera
  • Toyota Camry

Trucks

  • Ford Ranger
  • GMC Sierra EV
  • Ram 1500
  • Rivian R1T
  • Toyota Tacoma

Utilities

  • Chevrolet Equinox EV
  • Honda Prologue*
  • Volvo EX90
  • Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
  • Hyundai Santa Fe
  • Jeep Wagoneer S
  • Lincoln Nautilus
  • Porsche Macan EV
  • Toyota Land Cruiser
  • VW ID. Buzz

So if you’re thinking about getting a new vehicle, you might want to watch the show.

If you’re interested in a lively discussion of the offerings made by the auto industry, you certainly want to watch it.

And you can see it here.

By the way: Henry Payne goes out on the proverbial limb and names the vehicles that he thinks will win the awards. While you could simply slide that fast-forward dot on YouTube and bring it toward the end of the show to see Henry’s predictions, you’ll want to watch the whole thing to see his reasoning to get to those conclusions.

2024 NACTOY Winners Examined

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By Gary S. Vasilash

This morning the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards were announced.

And with no further ado. . .

  • North American Car of the Year: Toyota Prius & Prius Prime
  • North American Truck of the Year: Ford Super Duty
  • North American Utility Vehicle of the Year: Kia EV9
Kia EV9: 2024 NACTOY Utility of the Year. In 2023 Kia also took that NACTOY category with the EV6. Seems that company really has it going on with electric utes. (Image: Kia)

To look at this a more closely:

The Car category also included the Hyundai IONIQ 6 EV and the Honda Accord. Several people whom I’ve talked with (full disclosure: I am one of the 50 jurors for the awards) thought it would more likely be the Accord than the Prius.

While all three are excellent cars, the transformation of the Prius from something that was somewhat awkward to an object of desire (with really good gas mileage) undoubtedly pushed it over the top.

In trucks, the Ford Super Duty was up against the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup and the Chevrolet Silverado EV. The NACTOY awards are consumer-centric, not commercial-centric. Which led me to wonder about the Super Duty being a finalist. Then two things happened:

  1. I talked with Detroit Free Press car reviewer Mark Phelan (also a juror) who pointed out that plenty of people buy Super Duty trucks as daily drivers
  2. I spent time behind the wheel of a Super Duty and discovered that in terms of the tech and the amenities it gave nothing up compared with cars or utilities

That the Silverado EV didn’t take the trophy probably surprised some people at GM HQ because this is their Ultium-based offering in the full-size truck segment and it betters the specs of the Ford F-150 Lightning, the EV pickup that won the NACTOY award in 2023. Perhaps the $74,800 price for a work truck kept Chevy from winning.

And in utilities, the finalists that the Kia EV9 faced were the Genesis Electrified GV70 and the Hyundai Kona/Kona EV. In mid-November when the finalists were announced the Kona wasn’t on the list and the Volvo EX30, a small electric crossover, was. But Volvo had to pull the vehicle from consideration because it wasn’t going to have vehicles in-market before the end of 2023.

Two things about the utility situation:

  1. Kia also won the category last year with the EV6
  2. As Genesis is a sibling company with Hyundai and Kia, it is clear that the three companies have remarkable capabilities in the utility space—including the electric utility space

And that second point raises another consideration:

The traditional domestics had the Truck category. But nothing in the other two categories.

Is that a model for long-term success?

The 2023 NACTOY Finalists

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By Gary S. Vasilash*

The finalists for the 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards were announced today in Los Angeles at the LA Auto Show.

A full third of the finalists are no surprise:

  • Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
  • Ford F-150 Lightning
  • Lordstown Endurance

That’s because those trucks were in the semifinalist category, too, and as there are groups of three. . .

As for the cars, there is something of an interesting divergence.

There are the Acura Integra, the Genesis G80 EV and the Nissan Z.

The Integra and the Z are both sporty cars from brands that are, comparatively speaking, well established.

Genesis is a comparatively new marque. And not only is the G80 EV an (obviously) electric vehicle while both the others have internal combustion under their hoods, it is more of a stately, stylish sedan, not something that would likely end up as a screensaver on the gear of pre-licensed teens.

And then there are the utilities.

All electric vehicles:

  • Cadillac LYRIQ
  • Genesis GV60
  • Kia EV6

The Cadillac and the Genesis are both in the luxury category, while the Kia is a mass-market vehicle.

The LYRIQ is Cadillac’s first major step toward becoming an all-electric company. The GV60 is the first purpose-built EV for the Genesis brand (e.g., there is a non-EV G80). And in the case of Kia, it is no stranger to EVs, as it has had both the Niro and Soul with that powertrain option for a few years.

Every year the NACTOY judges have some challenging choices. This year I’d say they are particularly demanding.

One thing is certain, however: an electric powertrain will certainly be under the hood of one of the winners, and it is completely possible it could run the table.

*I am a NACTOY juror, so I don’t want to make any specific predictions beyond that EV one.

On the 2023 NACTOY Semifinalists

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Since 1994 the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards have been presented by a group of journalists, all of whom work for a variety of outlets, print, digital, television, audio. They determine what are the most important vehicles introduced during a given year, vehicles that are deemed to be ones that consumers ought to pay attention to when they are in the market.

Last week at the North American International Detroit Auto Show the semifinalists for the 2023 awards were announced.

They are:

Car:

  • Acura Integra
  • BMW i4 eDrive40: Sedan
  • Genesis G80 EV
  • Genesis G90
  • Mercedes-Benz C Class
  • Mercedes-Benz EQE
  • Nissan Z
  • Subaru WRX
  • Toyota Crown
  • Toyota GR Corolla

Truck:

  • Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
  • Ford F-150 Lightning
  • Lordstown Endurance

Utility vehicle:

  • Audi Q4 e-tron
  • BMW iX xDrive50
  • Cadillac Lyriq
  • Genesis GV60
  • Honda CR-V
  • Honda HR-V
  • Kia EV6
  • Kia Sportage
  • Lexus RX
  • Mazda CX-50
  • Nissan Ariya
  • Rivian R1S
  • Volvo C40 Recharge

On this edition of “Autoline After Hours” “Autoline’s” John McElroy, Jill Ciminillo of “Pickup Truck + SUV Talk,” Bengt Halvorson of Green Car Reports and I—all NACTOY jurors—talk about the nominees, most of which all or some of us have had first-hand experience with. (The others we will when we drive them next month during a comparison drive.)

And you can see it all here.

How the 2023 Nissan Z Came to Be

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By Gary S. Vasilash

The new 2023 Nissan Z—just “Z,” no more numerics—is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that produces 400 hp. Just the sort of thing to make the two-seater perform quickly. Compared with the last-generation model—the 370Z (obviously with the numerics)—there are increases in both torsional stiffness and body rigidity. That means that the vehicle has the sort of substance required to make it capable of being tossed through turns without a sensation that it is as sound as a plate of overcooked pasta.

2023 Nissan Z: A 400-hp sports car starting at <$40 K (Image: Nissan)

On the inside the car has an interior that is fresh and not at all fussy. As is the case of the exterior, there is a slight sense of throw-back, although it is difficult to put your finger on what makes it so. There is a six-speed manual transmission, which is something that was more common in cars of days gone by, but that’s not it. And given that there is a standard 8-inch infotainment display (there is a 9.0-inch unit with navigation available), that’s certainly not what gives this slight sense of days of retro. There is also a nine-speed automatic, which is certainly au courant.

Before the $1,025 destination charge, the Sport trim (there is the Performance trim above that) has a base MSRP of $39,990, which is a nice thing for Nissan to be able to boast about: A bona-fide sports car for under $40,000.

To get insights on how this vehicle was developed, on this edition of “Autoline After Hours” we talk with Melissa Lacko, an engineer with Nissan Research & Development in Stanfield, Arizona, who worked on the development of the vehicle.

She talks about various aspects of how the Z came to be, ranging from the interactions with the team in Japan to the time she and her colleagues drove to Bemidji, Minnesota for cold-weather testing—and the temp was below -20º, which is really something for an Arizona native to experience.

Lacko talks with “Autoline’s” John McElroy, freelance writer and NACTOY president Gary Witzenburg, and me.

If you want to get a sense of what enthusiasm is for one’s profession, watch this show because Lacko is clearly engaged in what is a car that can be enjoyed by automotive enthusiasts.

And you can see it here.

Remarkable Rotary Engine and Agreeable NACTOY Jurors

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Power in a small package. Jurors before casting their ballots

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Omega 1 is a highly efficient engine, one that can produce 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. Yet it weighs just 35 pounds.

While it is a combustion engine, it doesn’t have pistons. Doesn’t have crankshafts.

Rather, the output from the engine comes from a single rotating power shaft.

Yes, the configuration of the engine is predicated on rotary motion. In fact there are no moving parts besides the rotational elements.

It can be fueled with gasoline or hydrogen.

On this edition of “Autoline After Hours” we are joined by Matthew Riley, the founder, CEO of Astron Aerospace and inventor of the Omega 1 and Chris Theodore of Theodore & Associates and technical advisor to Astron.

They explain the way this engine works.

Astron Omega 1. Looks complicated. But simpler and lighter than a reciprocating engine. (Image: Astron Aerospace)

Given the name of the company, there is a focus on use in aircraft applications. For example, drone use would be certainly something that this lightweight engine would lend itself to.

But it also is conceivably applicable to automotive applications: Think of how it could be used to power a vehicle using hydrogen as fuel—there would be no need for a fuel cell to transform the hydrogen.

Then on the second half of the show “Autoline’s” John McElroy and I are joined by Matt DeLorenzo of Kelley Blue Book and Jack Nerad of “America on the Road Radio.” All four of us are jurors for the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards and will soon be voting on the winners for the 2022 awards.

The finalists are:

CAR

  • Honda Civic
  • Lucid Air
  • Volkswagen GTI/Golf R

TRUCK

  • Ford Maverick
  • Hyundai Santa Cruz
  • Rivian R1T

UTILITY

  • Ford Bronco
  • Genesis GV 70
  • Hyundai IONIQ 5

The four of us discuss which vehicles are likely to win.

The surprising part of the discussion is how much agreement there is, with little in the way of dispute.

But you be the judge by watching it here.

NACTOY Announces 2022 Finalists

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There are some very, very good vehicles out there. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Sitting on a plane this afternoon I was asked a question that many of my colleagues get from someone who finds out that we write about the auto industry:

“What kind of car should I buy?”

Once it was fairly easy to provide an answer, a specific make, a specific model.

And now, arguably, it has gotten somewhat easier.

My answer:

“Whatever kind of car you like.”

It is clear that with some outliers, the quality of cars, trucks and utes the are available on the market right now as really good. It would be hard to go wrong.

The game for all of the OEMs has been elevated.

There is not only attention being paid to quality but also value and features that consumers want.

The OEMs are providing vehicles that are not only things that people need to get to work or school or to run errands, but vehicles that people actually want to drive.

That as prologue, it is worth knowing that today the jurors of the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards announced the finalists for the 2022 awards.

The vehicles are:

Car

  • Honda Civic
  • Lucid Air
  • Volkswagen Golf R, GTI

Truck

  • Ford Maverick
  • Hyundai Santa Cruz
  • Rivian R1T

Utility

  • Ford Bronco
  • Genesis GV70
  • Hyundai IONIQ 5

These nine vehicles were winnowed by the 50 jurors from magazines, newspapers, websites, and television and radio station from a group of 23 semifinalists.

What’s interesting is that in all three categories there are electric vehicles: the Lucid Air, the Rivian R1T, and the Hyundai IONIQ 5.

There is a compact sedan (Civic) and a set of hot hatches (the Golf R and GTI).

There is a pair of trucks that have a compact footprint (Maverick and Santa Cruz), something we haven’t seen for years.

There is a utility that is designed and engineered to take on the tough trails (Bronco) and another that have high levels of refinement (GV70).

It would be hard for a consumer to go wrong right now in the market (assuming that they can actually get a vehicle due to the supply chain issues).

It would be impossible to go wrong making a selection from that list.

(Full disclosure: I am one of the 50 jurors.)