The auto industry's biggest prize, a win at the 2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year (NACTOY), is now within reach for nine finalists announced at the Automobility LA conference on Wednesday. The finalists, three in each category, were heralded as the most worthy from a list of 30 semifinalists and will get their shot to win on January 9 at the North American International Auto Show.
The list of NACTOY finalists was decided by 50 leading automotive reporters, according to Fox News. Only new or significantly redesigned models qualified for the industry prize.
Car of the Year will be a battle between the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the 2017 Genesis G90 and the Volvo S90. Chevrolet's Bolt EV broke barriers this year as the first long-range electric vehicle to be mass-produced, while the G90 is the luxury vehicle that dared to take on other well-known premium cars like the Lexus LS and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, reported CNET.
Speaking of luxury sedans, Volvo's S90 also holds its own. Stylish Scandinavian finishes and innovative safety features elevate the Swedish brand's flagship car to a serious NACTOY contender.
Competing for Truck of the Year meanwhile are the 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty, 2017 Honda Ridgeline and 2017 Nissan Titan. Rounding out the three NACTOY categories is Utility of the Year, which pits the 2017 Chrysler Pacfica, 2017 Jaguar F-Pace and 2017 Maza CX-9 against one another.
The NACTOY awards are considered the greatest honors in the industry because of the collaborative effort that goes into the screening and selection of winners. The vote doesn't come down to a single publication, but a group of veteran auto journalists who work in leading magazines, radio shows and websites like Car and Driver, MotorWeek, The Toronto Star and road and Track.
The NACTOY winners will be revealed before the January 12 honors at a press conference the Monday before, January 9, at the Detroit Auto Show. Longtime juror Chris Paukert said that determining factors usually come down to "innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value within a given vehicle's class."
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