Photo: Ford
For this year’s edition of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards, the jurors had to dismiss 38 out of 47 eligible vehicles. The nine finalists were chosen based on design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value.
The North American Car of the Year finalists are the 2023 model year Acura Integra, the Genesis Electrified G80, and the Nissan Z twin-turbo sports car. There’s no denying we’re dealing with a two-horse race here because the Genesis simply doesn’t cut the mustard due to 282 miles (454 kilometers) of range and a higher price tag than the Mercedes-Benz EQE.
Regarding utility vehicles, the competition is much closer. NACTOY chose the Kia EV6, the Genesis GV60 that features the very same platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Cadillac Lyriq. Given that both the GV60 and Lyriq play the luxury game rather well, this may be a two-horse race as well. Be that as it may, the Kia stands out above both rivals with the help of a performance trim level with 576 horsepower on deck.
The final three entries are the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Lordstown Endurance. The latter is clearly out of the running because it leaves much to be desired. The Lordstown mirage also includes a bunch of fake pre-orders and way too many production delays.
As for the Silverado ZR2, the off-road truck doesn’t hold a candle to the big boys, such as the Ford F-150 Raptor, the V8-engined Raptor R, and Ram 1500 TRX. It’s just too little and too late for the Detroit-based automaker, which targets the F-150 Lightning with the new Silverado EV.
“Our nine finalists represent a diverse cross-section of this year’s best new vehicles, ranging from sports cars to powerful pickups to three electric utility vehicles – which is the first time in our history that all three finalists in a specific category are BEV,” said NACTOY prez Gary Witzenburg.
Regarding utility vehicles, the competition is much closer. NACTOY chose the Kia EV6, the Genesis GV60 that features the very same platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Cadillac Lyriq. Given that both the GV60 and Lyriq play the luxury game rather well, this may be a two-horse race as well. Be that as it may, the Kia stands out above both rivals with the help of a performance trim level with 576 horsepower on deck.
The final three entries are the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Lordstown Endurance. The latter is clearly out of the running because it leaves much to be desired. The Lordstown mirage also includes a bunch of fake pre-orders and way too many production delays.
As for the Silverado ZR2, the off-road truck doesn’t hold a candle to the big boys, such as the Ford F-150 Raptor, the V8-engined Raptor R, and Ram 1500 TRX. It’s just too little and too late for the Detroit-based automaker, which targets the F-150 Lightning with the new Silverado EV.
“Our nine finalists represent a diverse cross-section of this year’s best new vehicles, ranging from sports cars to powerful pickups to three electric utility vehicles – which is the first time in our history that all three finalists in a specific category are BEV,” said NACTOY prez Gary Witzenburg.
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