Here are the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year winners

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 4, 2024

The North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards kicked off the 2024 award season at M1 Concourse club Thursday with the Toyota Prius, Ford Super Duty pickup truck and Kia EV9 taking home trophies.

The NACTOY awards are one of the auto industry’s most prestigious, with an independent jury of 50 journalists from North America judging the results. “The jury looks for vehicles that raised the standard in their segment and are destined to be new benchmark,” said Jack Nerad, vice president of NACTOY.

The Toyota Prius is the North American Car of the Year award winner.

The Toyota Prius is the North American Car of the Year award winner. Henry Payne Detroit News

The Toyota Prius and Honda Accord — both previous NACTOY winners — went neck-and-neck for Car of the Year with the handsome, redesigned Prius pulling it out. The Prius was a pioneer in hybrids 25 years ago, and the Accord has followed suit by offering a hybrid powertrain as well. The third finalist was the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 6.

“We are excited about the future of hybridization,” said Scott Neiheisel, Toyota general manager for Midwest operations, in accepting the award. Toyota has pushed back on the trend toward battery-only cars as customers continue to prefer gas and gas-hybrid drivetrains.

The Ford Super Duty is the North American Truck of the Year.The Ford Super Duty is the North American Truck of the Year. Ford Motor Co.

In a demonstration of why the F-series is America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford Super Duty beat out the Chevy Silverado EV and Chevy Colorado for Truck of the Year. Though the turbo-4 cylinder Chevy Colorado mid-size truck was the most affordable competitor, the Ford F-250 Super Duty wowed with its customer-friendly high tech.

“The Ford Super Duty is intended to be ultimate Built Ford Tough vehicle,” said Andrew Kernahan, Super Duty chief program engineer, in accepting the NACTOY bauble.

Detroit brands dominated the truck category but were shut out of the car and SUV nominees. The finalists track industry trends as five of the nine were all-electric and two gas-electric hybrids. Governments led by California are ratcheting up fines on automakers beginning in 2026 to produce only EVs by 2035.

The Kia EV9 is the winner of the North American Utility of the Year Award.The Kia EV9 is the winner of the North American Utility of the Year Award. Henry Payne The Detroit News

Toward that end, three electric SUVs headlined the utility nominees with the luxurious Genesis Electrified GV 70, three-row Kia EV9 and Hyundai Kona EV/gas the finalists. The Kia EV9 won the award, marking the third year in a row the Korean brand has taken the SUV of the Year honor. The Kia Telluride and EV6 won the past two years.

“The EV9 is part of our leap to becoming a sustainable utility provider,” said Kia Chief Operating Officer of North America Steven Center in celebrating the award.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, NACTOY has honored automakers who have made substantial innovations in design, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value.

NACTOY finalists

Car of the YearToyota Prius/Prius Prime(other finalists: Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq 6

Truck of the YearFord Super Duty(other finalists: Chevy Silverado EV, Chevy Colorado)Utility of the YearKia EV9(other finalists: Genesis Electrified GV 70, Hyundai Kona/Kona EV)

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

Comments are closed.