The prizewinners at the Detroit Auto Show

12 January 2009

''North American Car of the Year'' and ''North American Truck of the Year'' (NACTOY) honors (www.northamericancaroftheyear.org) have been awarded since 1994 using a process patterned after the ''Car of the Year'' that for decades has been the most prestigious auto award in Europe. The jury is composed of no more than 50 auto writers and broadcasters from across the US and Canada, most of whom have covered the industry and its products for decades. Each juror pays annual dues to cover expenses and is forbidden from doing any work that is paid for by a vehicle manufacturer or its advertising agency.

Jurors drive, analyze and evaluate candidate vehicles on a variety of criteria including design, technology, innovation, ride handling, performance, safety, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. Their goal is to select the one car and one truck that best establish new benchmarks in their respective classes. To be eligible, candidate vehicles must be all new or substantially changed from the previous model and be available for sale no later than early January.

The process begins each year with a ''long list'' of every qualifying car and truck. A mid-September initial vote narrows that to pair of ''short lists'' of 10-15 semi-finalists in each category. A second round of voting in early December, using ballots sent directly to the Detroit office of the distinguished accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, chooses three car and three truck finalists, which are announced at the mid-December Detroit Economic Club Luncheon.

A third vote in early January - with the ballots again sent directly to Deloitte & Touche for tabulation -determines the two winners, which are unveiled at the first Sunday morning press conference of the North American International Automobile Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. And while the awards are announced at the NAIAS, the show and its staff have no involvement with them.

The winners this year:

1. Car of the Year - Hyundai Genesis
2. Truck of the Year - Ford F-150