North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year contenders released

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 11, 2022

Offerings for the prestigious, 2023 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards look like a sprawling, cruise line buffet.

The 47 entrants — tying a record set in 2019 — announced Thursday reflect historic trends in the industry as international manufacturers, startups and a torrent of electric vehicles vie for the attention of the world’s richest consumer market. Electronic advancements, government regulations and battery technologies are changing the market amid unprecedented gas prices and supply-chain challenges.

The 2023 Toyota bZ4X is one of 19 EVs that are eligible for the 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards.

Only eight entrants are from U.S. brands, five are from startups, 19 are electric vehicles, and 31 are SUVs. Seventeen of the entries are all-new or substantially-modified badges.

“This high number of eligible vehicles highlights the wide range of choices consumers have among new vehicles driven primarily by increased offerings of EVs, continued popularity of SUVs, and arrivals of new automakers,” said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg, who heads a jury pool of 50 independent journalists from the U.S. and Canada, including the author of this article. “We look forward to evaluating this diverse list to determine this year’s winners.”

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer L is one of eight eligible vehicles from domestic manufacturers.

While only eight entrants are from North American brands, many foreign badges are assembled in the United States, including the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Toyota Sequoia. Of the American badges — Cadillac Lyriq, Fisker Ocean, Rivian R1S, Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, Ford F-150 Lightning, Jeep Wagoneer (long wheelbase), Jeep Grand Wagoneer (long wheelbase) and Lordstown Endurance — three are electric startups.

Together with the VF 8 and VF 9 models from Vietnam’s VinFast brand, these rookies hope to replicate the success of Tesla, which has dominated the emerging EV market since its introduction of the Model S sedan a decade ago.

The Cadillac Lyriq, the GM luxury brand's first all-electric model, is a strong contender for Utility Vehicle of the Year.

SUVs dominate the NACTOY list, as nearly 7 of 10 vehicles sold in the U.S. are of the sport ute variety. Early favorites include the all-new 2023 Cadillac Lyriq — the first EV from Caddy as the brand goes all-electric by the end of this decade — as well as remakes from popular, mainstream models like the Ohio-made Honda CR-V and Georgia-assembled Kia Sportage.

Seeking to make EVs mainstream, manufacturers have flooded the segment with electric entries, including notables like the Audi Q4 e-tron, Fisker Ocean, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya, Rivian R1S, Subaru Solterra, and Toyota bZ4X.

The 2022 Kia EV6 offers range of up to 310 miles on a single charge.

“Once again the SUV category has the most eligible vehicles, but this list of confirmed vehicles demonstrates that automakers continue to believe in the future of the car category,” said NACTOY Secretary Nicole Wakelin.

Yet, none of those 13 car entries will come from U.S. makers, as they have nearly abandoned sedans. Standouts for Car of the Year include the Acura Integra — revived after a 17-year hiatus — BMW i4 eDrive 40i, Genesis G80, Mercedes EQE, Nissan Z, Subaru WRX, and dramatic Maserati MC20 mid-engine supercar.

The Nissan Z

After showcasing a new breed of unibody-based trucks in 2022 — the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz and Rivian R1T were finalists — the category is back to all, ladder-frame bruisers for 2023. The twist? Two of the three are battery-powered.

The Ford F-150 Lightning should be a shoo-in for Truck of the Year over the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 and Lordstown Endurance EV.

As the first electric pickup from a mass-market automaker, the Ford F-150 Lightning is a good bet to win the North American Truck of the Year award for 2023.

Drawing its jury from independent writers and broadcast journalists — rather than a single publication — the unique NACTOY awards are among the industry’s most coveted.

To be eligible for the prize, vehicles must be all or substantially new and available for purchase before the end of the ‘23 calendar year. NACTOY jurors will narrow the list with a preliminary vote in September as they test vehicles across the continent, then winnow the field to semifinalists in each category after a comprehensive October comparison program. A final three are then announced in each category in November and winners unveiled next January.

The winners for the 2022 model year were Honda Civic as Car of the Year, Ford Maverick as Truck of the Year, and Ford Bronco for Utility.

List of eligible 2023 entrants:

Car of the Year

Acura Integra

BMW i4 eDrive 40i

BMW i4 M50i

Genesis G80

Genesis G90

Maserati MC20

Mercedes C Class

Mercedes EQE

Nissan Z

Porsche Cayman GT4 RS

Porsche 911 GTS

Subaru WRX

Toyota GR Corolla

Truck of the Year

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2

Ford F-150 Lightning

Lordstown Endurance

Utility Vehicle of the Year

Audi Q4 e-tron

BMW iX xDrive M50i

Cadillac Lyriq

Fisker Ocean

Genesis GV60

Honda CR-V

Honda HR-V

Honda Pilot

Kia Sportage

Kia Niro

Kia EV6

Jeep Wagoneer (long wheelbase)

Jeep Grand Wagoneer (long wheelbase)

Land Rover Range Rover

Land Rover Range Rover SV

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Land Rover Defender 130

Lexus LX600

Lexus RX

Mazda CX-50

Nissan Ariya

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT

Rivian R1S

Subaru Solterra

Toyota Sequoia

Toyota bZ4X

Toyota Corolla Cross

Vinfast VF 8

Vinfast VF 9

Volvo C40 Recharge

Additional Utility vehicle TBA

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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