![\"636195502126426025-2017-0109-ctj-NACTOY-awards072.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/45af30c66a601674a8940cbcd1fafc5102aa3247\/c=0-103-2832-3879&r=537&c=0-0-534-712\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/01\/09\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636195502126426025-2017-0109-ctj-NACTOY-awards072.jpg\")
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The envelopes,\u00a0please. The winners for North American Car, Utility Vehicle and Truck of the Year are, respectively, the Chevy Bolt EV, Chrysler Pacifica\u00a0and Honda Ridgeline.<\/p>\n
The trio was announced this morning on the Cobo Center Atrium Stage before a packed house of auto executives and journalists to kick off press preview days at the Detroit auto show. The 23rd annual NACTOY award is one of the post prestigious in the auto industry.<\/p>\n
The Chevy Bolt is<\/a>\u00a0the first electric vehicle under $40,000 to travel more than 200 miles on a single charge. The Bolt has dominated the auto awards season, taking Motor Trend Car of the Year and being named to Car and Driver’s Top Ten list. With its large 60 kWh of battery (the same size as a base Tesla Model S) in the floor of the vehicle, the Bolt EV gains interior room as well as a low center of gravity. The result is clever packaging that makes the Bolt EV both roomy for a compact car, yet still nimble in the corners.<\/p>\n “We set out to make, not only a great electric vehicle, but a great car,” said Bolt EV Chief Engineer Pam Fletcher, accepting the award.<\/p>\n Added Mark Reuss, GM\u2019s head of global product development:\u00a0\u201cGeneral Motors is committed to leading in mass-produced, attainable high-value and exciting vehicles. This is\u2026our springboard into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Other car nominees were\u00a0the Genesis G90, the\u00a0<\/a>flagship for Hyundai\u2019s new Genesis luxury line, and the Volvo S90, which hoped to follow in the footsteps of its sibling XC90 which won\u00a02016 truck of the year.<\/a><\/p>\n The utility prize made its NACTOY debut this year. The Pacifica, which reinvented the minivan with its sleek, multi-functional features, was the popular choice for the award. In addition to the V-6-powered van, Pacifica debuted the first-ever hybrid-electric minivan with a range of\u00a0up to 30 miles on battery power alone.<\/p>\n “This is the perfect family car,” said Chrysler boss Tim Kuniskis, as he took the NACTOY trophy designed by ex-GM design chief Ed Welburn.<\/p>\n Other utes in the running were\u00a0Jaguar\u2019s F-Pace, which turned heads with the British marque\u2019s first entry in the SUV space, and Mazda\u2019s three-row CX-9 SUV, one of the prettiest utility in the land.<\/p>\n In the Big Three’s Detroit backyard any truck winner other than a F-series, Silverado, or RAM is a surprise. But the\u00a0mid-size Honda Ridgeline is\u00a0unique in the midsize truck class with its\u00a0unibody chassis structure.<\/p>\n “The Ridgeline is re-imagining\u00a0the pickup truck,” said John Mendel, Honda executive vice president\u00a0for North America, to cheers from his Honda team.<\/p>\n The car-like structure gives the Ridgeline the best road manners in class.\u00a0Truck finalists included the 2017 F-250 Super Duty, the latest, largest version of the F-series\u2019 revolutionary, all-aluminum body construction. The Nissan Titan\u00a0 followed\u00a0big brother XD<\/a>\u00a0 \u2014 a finalist for 2016 truck \u2014\u00a0in trying to put a dent in Detroit Three dominance of the trucking arena.<\/p>\n