Official

Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque named 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year [UPDATE]

Land Rover Range Rover EvoqueAnd now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for... the Car of the Year awards to rule all Car of the Year awards... the definitive selection of the very best the industry has to offer has been decided. Well, we don't know about all that, but the votes have been tabulated and the assembled jurists (including our own Chris Paukert) have selected the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year.

The finalists were whittled down from a list of 30 candidates to include the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat (on the car side of the equation) and the BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Range Rover Evoque (on the truck side, despite them all being car-based crossovers). And after (what we hope was) careful consideration, the panelists have selected the Elantra and the Evoque as the overall winners.

The awards will undoubtedly sit proudly atop the mantles at both Hyundai and Jaguar/Land Rover's headquarters, but will surely be received with particular jubilation by Land Rover, which has won the award for the first time in this, its largest market.

UPDATE: Official press release with voting tally added after the jump.

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Hyundai Elantra, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Win North American Car and Truck of the Year


DETROIT, - The Hyundai Elantra is the 2012 North American Car of the Year and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is the 2012 North American Truck of the Year.

The winners were revealed Monday morning at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show.

The winners were chosen by a jury of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.

The awards are unique in the United States because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by a coalition of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

It is the second win for Hyundai. In 2009 the Genesis won. The Sonata was one of three finalists last year.

It was the first win for Land Rover although Land Rovers were finalists twice before.

The jurors gave the Elantra 174 points, the Passat 161 and the Focus 155.

The jurors gave the Evoque 254 points, the CR-V 142 and the X3 94.

"The Hyundai Elantra is sporty, yet sensible. Luxurious, yet affordable. Spunky, but safe. The Elantra is a series of paradoxes and every one is another argument for the latest, impressive entry in the Hyundai lineup," wrote Jayne O'Donnell, a member of the jury from USA Today.

Another juror, Alex Taylor, of Fortune magazine, wrote: "Range Rover successfully charts a new direction for the venerable SUV trailblazer with a fresh design and advanced thinking about environmental issues."

Domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year 10 times. Japanese automakers have won three times. European automakers have won four times. A Korean automaker has won twice.

Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year 12 times. Japanese automakers have won four times. European automakers have won three times.

This was the 19th year of the awards and it was the strongest showing by European automakers in 15 years with BMW, Land Rover and Volkswagen each having finalists. In 1997 Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW were the three car finalists with the winner being the Mercedes SLK.

To be eligible a vehicle must be all new or substantially changed. The jurors considered dozens of new vehicles before sending their ballots to Michelle Collins, a partner at Deloitte & Touche early in December.

On December 15th the three car and truck finalists were announced. But only Ms. Collins knew the winners until she handed over envelopes today to Tony Swan, editor-at-large at Car and Driver magazine and a member of the awards' organizing committee. Mr. Swan announced the winners.

This is the 19th year of the awards, which were inspired by the "Car of the Year" in Europe.

They are administered by an organizing committee and are funded with dues paid by the jurors. There are no paid positions. Automakers do not pay to have their vehicles considered or to use the awards in ads.

The "2011 North American Car of the Year" was the Chevrolet Volt.

Last year's "2011 North American Truck of the Year" was the Ford Explorer.

MORE INFORMATION: More information on the awards -- including names of the jurors, previous finalists and winners -- is available at: www.northamericancaroftheyear.org.

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