With the first half of 2009 coming to a close, preparations for the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have already begun. The initial list of contenders was released on Monday night and it features a fairly even cross section of the American, European and Japanese vehicles.
To be eligible, a vehicle must be "all new" or "substantially changed" from the previous model and be on sale to the public by early 2010 at the latest.
Notable entries on the list include the Honda CrossTour, an wagon version of the Accord that has yet to be shown publicly and the Suzuki Kizashi sedan which is expected to debut in the fall. The existence of the Toyota 4Runner on the list also indicates that a redesign is on the way by the end of this year.
Full list after the jump.
The 2010 North American Car of the Year candidates are:
Audi S4,
BMW Z4
BMW 335d
BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Buick LaCrosse
Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid
Ford Mustang/GT500
Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
Honda Insight
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Kia Forte
Kia Soul
Lexus HS 250h
Lotus Evora
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3
Mercedes E-Class
Nissan Cube
Nissan 370Z
Porsche Panamera
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Kizashi
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf/Golf TDI
The 2010 North American Truck of the year candidates are:
Acura ZDX
BMW X5 xDrive35d
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Transit Connect
GMC Terrain
Honda Crosstour (name to be officially announced/confirmed later, the organizers of the event note)
Land Rover LR4
Lincoln MKT
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Volvo XC60
estreka says:
09:24 AM, 06/24/09
So special editions of current cars are considered "all new?"
alman08 says:
10:02 AM, 06/24/09
4 Runner????
xprojected says:
10:35 AM, 06/24/09
So, basically, this is a list of all models which are new or updated for 2010. Not hard to be a first-round nominee.
brn says:
10:54 AM, 06/24/09
xprojected, more so, it's a list of cars that qualify (for this BS award). At least all qualified vehicles are options, unlike the Edmunds Readers Choice Awards.
Sorry, but I'm still upset about that.
firstwagon says:
10:55 AM, 06/24/09
Why is the Outback in the Truck of the year list?
bankerdanny says:
11:42 AM, 06/24/09
Shouldn't nominations come AFTER a vehicle has actually been released. The process seems kind oof back asswards to me.
dougtheeng says:
12:26 PM, 06/24/09
Yah I'm not sure how something not released can be nominated. Its not really a nomination then, so much as it is a list of new vehicles? Seems strange.
GT5000 says:
02:07 PM, 06/24/09
It is strange. The Honda crossover hasn't even been named yet, and it's already up for North American Car of the Year?
carswapper says:
02:27 PM, 06/24/09
Vote Mustang! As for "truck" of the year I couldnt care less since none of them are truly trucks....should be 4x4 of the year. Still cant say I would care though as none of the listed ones do a thing for me.
firstwagon says:
05:48 PM, 06/24/09
carswapper
I'm hoping the 4runner is still a truck but since it's going to be new I have my doubts.
I guess if they called it..."Overweight wagon of the year"... it wouldn't sound as good.
iwatchf1 says:
11:58 PM, 06/24/09
I wander who makes a decision which car is a car of the year?
iwatchf1 says:
11:58 PM, 06/24/09
I wander who makes a decision which car is a car of the year?
autoboy16 says:
08:32 AM, 06/25/09
My Car of the year vote is a tie.
Its the Chevy Camaro.
My truck of the year vote is for the Chevy Equinox/ GMC Terrain Twins. What other non-hybrid SUV can get 32 mpg?!?
ACK! I just voted for 3 GM Vehicles?!? Hmm, things must really be getting better at GM.
jesuswaswrong says:
12:18 PM, 06/27/09
MAZDASPEED 3!!!
Although it's been around for a few years, and will soon be recieving (quite literally) a face lift in 2010, it's still at the top of its class in terms of performance-value and sporty-practicality.
Any car manufacturer knows it's difficult for a car to be competitive for more than a couple years without making significant improvements. The Speed 3 has done well in this respect, maintaining its competitive edge for 3 years running.
iwatchf1 says:
09:51 AM, 06/28/09
I would like to see VW Golf TDI as the north american car of the year. This car is the model to all hatchbacks. It's the most driven car in the whole world. I think it deserves the first place.