{"id":29773,"date":"2022-09-18T13:26:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-18T17:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29773"},"modified":"2022-09-18T13:26:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-18T17:26:50","slug":"car-truck-and-suv-of-the-year-semifinalists-announced-at-detroit-auto-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/car-truck-and-suv-of-the-year-semifinalists-announced-at-detroit-auto-show","title":{"rendered":"Car, Truck and SUV of the Year semifinalists announced at Detroit auto show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detroit<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Let the games begin.<\/p>\n

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year opened the 2022 Detroit auto show by announcing the semifinalists for the 2023 model year in three categories. The contenders were whittled from a record eligibility list of 48 entrants \u2014 20 of them electric, 31 of them SUVs, and five startups, reflecting trends in the industry.<\/p>\n

The Ford F-150 Lightning EV will be an early favorite for Truck of the Year, but otherwise domestic nameplates are few in the car and SUV categories.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Lightning is one of the flood of EVs coming to market as governments are forcing electrification (California, America\u2019s biggest market, has announced a ban on gas car sales by 2035) and manufacturers are rushing to test the market for customer acceptance. The opportunity has also encouraged a bushel of startups to market \u2014 and two startup models, Rivian R1S and Lordstown Endurance, made the semifinalists’ list.<\/p>\n

But traditional badges also populate the list as consumer favorites like the Honda CR-V and Lexus RX come to market with major upgrades thanks to the electronics revolution sweeping the industry.<\/p>\n

“The semifinalist list indicates the enormous diversity available to consumers today,\u201d said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg, who announced the contenders from the Detroit Auto Show floor Wednesday. \u201cThere are a surprising number of sedans to choose from despite the trend to SUVs, while EVs have their work cut out for them given the challenges of charging and the rising cost of electricity. As for early favorites, I wouldn\u2019t bet against the Lightning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judged by 50 independent journalists (including the author of this article), NACTOY is one of the industry\u2019s most prestigious awards.<\/p>\n

SUVs now make up over 7\u00a0of every 10 new cars sold in the US, and automakers are focusing on the largest segment \u2014 compact utes \u2014 with EV offerings.<\/p>\n

Two of those new models \u2014 the Rivian and Cadillac Lyriq \u2014 will be early favorites for SUV of the year. Rivian is an all-electric brand and Cadillac promises to be all-EVs by 2030, with bling-tastic Lyriq as its first battery-powered offering. Other EV favorites include the peppy, radically-styled Genesis GV60 and Kia EV6 \u2014 both built on the Hyundai Group\u2019s first electric skateboard platform.<\/p>\n

Popular gas models like the Honda CR-V, Honda HR-V\u00a0and Mazda CX-50 are sure to give them a run. Surprisingly absent from the list are the first EVs from Subaru and Toyota \u2014 the Solterra and bZ4X. Startup EV automaker Fisker\u2019s Ocean also notably did not make the final cut.<\/p>\n

The Lightning \u2014 Ford\u2019s first EV from its best-selling F-series pickup line \u2014 likely has the truck trophy in the bag thanks to its impressive torque and huge frunk. Competitors include the Chevy Silverado ZR2 and Lordstown Endurance \u2014\u00a0the latter an EV pickup from an Ohio-based startup that has struggled to bring its product to market.<\/p>\n

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Domestic automakers have all but abandoned the car market, but the category promises a close run for best 2023 model.<\/p>\n

EVs also are plentiful here, including the BMW i4 eDrive 40i and Mercedes EQE. But a couple of sporty, nostalgic nameplates \u2014 the Acura Integra and Nissan Z \u2014 have early buzz as their fan bases have\u00a0embraced the models’\u00a0updated looks and modern engines.<\/p>\n

If Toyota (America\u2019s No. 2 best-selling brand) was shut out in the SUV category, it looks strong in the sedan pool with two all-new gas-powered models: the luxurious Crown and wee hellion\u00a0GR Corolla.<\/p>\n

To be eligible for the prize, vehicles must be all or substantially new and available for purchase before the end of the 2023 calendar year. NACTOY jurors will gather in October for a comprehensive test of the semifinalists. A final trio are then announced in each category at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, with the winners unveiled Jan. 11 at a special ceremony in Detroit.<\/p>\n

The winners for the\u00a02022 model year were Honda Civic as Car of the Year, Ford Maverick as Truck of the Year\u00a0and Ford Bronco for Utility of the Year.<\/p>\n

2023 semifinalists<\/em><\/p>\n

Car of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acura Integra<\/p>\n

BMW i4 eDrive 40i<\/p>\n

Genesis G80<\/p>\n

Genesis G90<\/p>\n

Mercedes C Class<\/p>\n

Mercedes EQE<\/p>\n

Nissan Z<\/p>\n

Subaru WRX<\/p>\n

Toyota Crown<\/p>\n

Toyota GR Corolla<\/p>\n

Truck of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2<\/p>\n

Ford F-150 Lightning<\/p>\n

Lordstown Endurance<\/p>\n

Utility Vehicle of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audi Q4 e-tron<\/p>\n

BMW iX xDrive M50i<\/p>\n

Cadillac Lyriq<\/p>\n

Genesis GV60<\/p>\n

Honda CR-V<\/p>\n

Honda HR-V<\/p>\n

Kia EV6<\/p>\n

Kia Sportage<\/p>\n

Lexus RX<\/p>\n

Mazda CX-50<\/p>\n

Nissan Ariya<\/p>\n

Rivian R1S<\/p>\n

Volvo C40 Recharge<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Detroit\u00a0\u2014 Let the games begin. The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year opened the 2022 Detroit auto show by announcing the semifinalists for the 2023 model year in three categories. The contenders were whittled from a record eligibility list of 48 entrants \u2014 20 of them electric, 31 of them SUVs, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29773"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29774,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29773\/revisions\/29774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}