2024 vehicle of the year candidates announced: EVs, SUVs and trucks, trucks, trucks

Posted by Talbot Payne on July 28, 2023

Detroit — And they are off! A total of 52 competitors took the green flag Thursday as the 30th annual North American Car, Truck, and Vehicle of the Year announced its list of eligible vehicles.

The diverse field included 17 new nameplates, 14 entries from Detroit Three brands, two from startup automakers, 16 electric vehicles and seven hybrids. Consistent with Americans’ lust for all things ute, SUVs boast the most nominees with 29, but all eyes will be on the seven truck entries.

The all-new 2024 GMC Canyon lineup includes the AT4X AEV Edition.The all-new 2024 GMC Canyon lineup includes the AT4X AEV Edition.

The top dogs in the red-hot midsize segment — Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger and sales-leader Toyota Tacoma — have all-new trucks for the 2024 model year and the competition will be fierce. Tesla’s long-awaited, radically-designed Cybertruck is also on the list, but — if history is any guide — jurors won’t have a chance to evaluate it since Tesla rarely offers test vehicles.

NACTOY is the industry’s most prestigious, independent award and was launched at the 1994 North American International Auto Show. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class won for best car and the Dodge Ram took home the best truck trophy (the SUV category wasn’t added until 2017 as the industry transformed to high-riding hatchbacks).

“These awards are special because they represent a cross section of views from 50 top automotive journalists, each of whom look at vehicles from their own personal perspective,” said NACTOY president Jeff Gilbert, who announced eligible vehicles at a Detroit auto show kick-off event downtown. “We leverage our own unique processes to come to a consensus that honors the best all new or totally redesigned vehicles in a model year.”

Car sales have been on the wane in the last decade — SUV sales are now over 70% of the non-truck market — but they remain key to foreign automaker market strategies, and there are 16 competitors for ‘24.

The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the first hybrid, all-wheel-drive super car from Corvette.The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the first hybrid, all-wheel-drive super car from Corvette.

The Chevy Corvette E-Ray — the first electrified offering from the storied badge — will be one of the favorites. Expect it to face stiff competition from its fellow muscle car, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang, the ugly duckling-turned-swan Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord, manufactured three hours south of Detroit in Ohio.

In a sign of how brands are realigning, Toyota — once maker of vanilla appliances — will have as many performance entries as Porsche. The Japanese automaker will offer up performance versions of its GR Corolla, GR Supra and GR86 (GR is short for Gazoo Racing), while Porsche will field the 911 GT3 RS, 718 and 911 Dakar.

Toyota’s SUV field is more conventional and includes the Grand Highlander (a three-row version of the top-selling Highlander), Sequoia and Land Cruiser. The Motor City is well-represented in the SUV category, which is where Detroit-based automakers have concentrated their business along with trucks.

Expect the jury to give long looks to the affordable, roomy, high-tech Chevy Trax, Buick Envista and Dodge Hornet, which are bucking the trend away from sub-$35,000 models. Alfa Romeo is rebooting with the Tonale — its first electrified entry in the subcompact SUV segment. Leading the EV field, Chevrolet has high hopes for its tandem of mainstream entries: the Blazer EV and Equinox EV. Startups Fisker (the Ocean) and Vietnam’s’ Vinfast (the VF8 and VF9) also hope to make a splash.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T is the brand's first plugin hybrid with a starting price of $41k.The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T is the brand's first plugin hybrid with a starting price of $41k.

In addition to utility, the SUV segment includes hip entries like the Jeep Wrangler, remade for 2024; Kia’s first battery-only three-row SUV, the EV9; and the sports car of three-row SUVs, the Mazda CX-90.

The last decade has seen an explosion of truck challengers to the Toyota Tacoma, the perennial sales king of midsizers. This year, Tacoma finally responded with an all-new pickup that includes muscular styling and powerful hybrid model — the segment’s first.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is all-new as the Japanese automaker seeks to fend off fresh competition from Chevy, GMC and Ford.The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is all-new as the Japanese automaker seeks to fend off fresh competition from Chevy, GMC and Ford.

The Taco arrived just in time because the competition is upping its game as well with fresh, high-tech entries from Chevy, GMC and Ford. The three Detroit brands are buttressing their claim to the truck award with high-performance mud-kickers like the Colorado ZR2, Canyon AT4X and Ranger Raptor.

NACTOY jurors test, poke and evaluate vehicles all year and will announce their “Best of 2024” nominees (aka the semifinalists) Sept. 13 at the Detroit auto show. The field will be winnowed to a finalist list at the Nov. 16 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the winners will be crowned at Pontiac’s M1 Concourse on Jan. 4, 2024. For more information, visit http://northamericancaroftheyear.org.

NACTOY, in partnership with the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, also marked its 30th year with a $40,000 donation distributed to four charities: Tunnels to Towers Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pope Francis Center to care for the homeless, and Metro Detroit animal shelter Friends for Animals

NACTOY eligible vehicles

Car of the Year

BMW 5 Series

BMW i5

Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

Ford Mustang

Honda Accord

Hyundai Ioniq 6

Maserati GranTurismo Coupe

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Porsche 911 Dakar

Porsche Unnamed 718

Subaru Impreza

Toyota Crown

Toyota Prius/Prius Prime

Toyota GR Corolla

Toyota GR Supra

Toyota GR86

Truck of the Year

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Ford Ranger

Ford Super Duty

GMC Canyon

Chevrolet Colorado

Tesla Cybertruck

Toyota Tacoma

Utility of the Year

Alfa Romeo Tonale

Audi Q8 E-Tron

Buick Envista

Cadillac XT4

Chevrolet Trax

Chevrolet Blazer EV

Chevrolet Equinox EV

Dodge Hornet

Fisker Ocean

Genesis Electrified GV70

GMC Hummer EV SUV

Honda Pilot

Hyundai Kona

Kia EV9

Jeep Wrangler

Lexus RZ

Lexus TX

Maserati Grecale

Mazda CX90

Mazda CX70

Mercedes EQE SUV

Mercedes GLC

Subaru Crosstrek

Toyota Grand Highlander

Toyota Sequoia

Toyota Land Cruiser

Vinfast VF8

Vinfast VF9

Volvo EX30

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

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