{"id":30085,"date":"2022-11-17T14:09:09","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T18:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30085"},"modified":"2022-11-17T14:09:09","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T18:09:09","slug":"car-truck-suv-of-the-year-evs-dominate-finalist-nominations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/car-truck-suv-of-the-year-evs-dominate-finalist-nominations","title":{"rendered":"Car, Truck, SUV of the Year: EVs dominate finalist nominations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 There\u2019s electricity in the air.<\/p>\n

Electric vehicles dominated the nine nominees for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year announced Thursday. The finalists were announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which is showcasing EVs as the state’s government vows to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Winners will be announced n January in Detroit.<\/p>\n

All three nominees for SUV of the year are battery-powered: the Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis GV60 and Kia EV6. Two of three trucks nominees, the Ford F-150 Lightning and Lordstown Endurance, are electric, while in the car category, the electric Genesis G80 EV will try to beat out two gas-powered performance icons: the Nissan Z and Acura Integra.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur finalists represent a diverse cross-section of the model year\u2019s best new vehicles, ranging from sports cars to powerful pickups to three electric utility vehicles \u2014 the first time all three finalists in a category are battery-electric,\u201d said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg.<\/p>\n

Lacking in that diverse rainbow is affordability. In keeping with skyrocketing auto prices, there is not a single nominee under $30,000 \u2014 and only one under $40,000, the Acura Integra \u2014 unlike years past that saw entry-level nominees like the $22k Nissan Sentra and Ford Maverick.<\/p>\n

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At $41,015, the Z will be the favorite for Car of the Year as it brings a blend of style and fun not seen since the fast-back coupe first turned heads as the Datsun 240Z in the early 1970s. The Acura has received muted reviews from enthusiasts with high expectations for the Integra\u2019s return after the badge was shelved in 2006. But with a stylish interior to match its aggressive exterior and utilitarian hatchback design, the $31,895 Integra is the affordable choice. Notably, the Integra beat out the well-reviewed, $36,995 Toyota GR Corolla, a bandy-legged pit bull that squeezes 300 horsepower out of just three cylinders.<\/p>\n

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The lovely, $81k GV80 EV also scored an upset by not only beating out its gas-powered, $50k G80 twin \u2014 but also the stylish Mercedes EQE, the first electric E-Class.<\/p>\n

The awards will be handed out by 50 journalists (including the author of this article) from print, online, radio and broadcast media across the U.S. and Canada, making NACTOY the industry\u2019s most coveted independent award not judged by a single publication. Jurors test cars all year \u2014 40% of the 47 eligible 2023 models were electric \u2014 then narrowed the field to 26 semifinalists before convening in October in Ann Arbor for a week\u2019s test.<\/p>\n

Stiff stickers are a theme this year as the average sales price hovers near $50,000. The three nominees for best SUV are above that, reflecting the $58k average price of EVs in the market today.<\/p>\n

\"2023<\/p>\n
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The $62,990 Cadillac Lyriq is the frontrunner as a well-executed first volley in the vaunted Detroit brand\u2019s move to an all-electric future by decade\u2019s end. Lyriq\u2019s tailored interior and blingtastic grille are a return to the brand\u2019s showy roots. It will get a stiff challenge from the Korean pair, which are built on the same skateboard battery platform.<\/p>\n

Though a mainstream brand, the $50k Kia dresses above its social class, showing off similar luxury features to the Caddy, including a floating-island console and broad dash screen. The $60k Genesis one-ups its sibling with an array of electronic party tricks, including self-park and a Tesla-like summon feature. All three EVs will wow out of a stoplight.<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n
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Interestingly, the pricey EVs beat out more affordable mainstream options: the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-50. These internal combustion vehicles are popular with a public that has been skeptical of EVs with only 5% of buyers this year going electric \u2014 most of them Tesla buyers. The three ICE cars, like the EV nominees, are also showpieces for the electronics revolution that has swept the industry.<\/p>\n

The Sportage, for example, features a stylish dash screen and Level 2 drive-assist capabilities to rival Lyriq in hands-free lane-entering and vehicle follow.<\/p>\n

But jurors this year \u2014 tasked with evaluating vehicles based on automotive innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience and value \u2014 appeared to put an emphasis on automotive innovation and user experience as EVs mature in the marketplace.<\/p>\n

A juror poll at the October test predicted EVs will make up 10% of new vehicle sales by 2027, 25% of new vehicle sales by 2030, and 50% of new vehicle sales by 2035 as charging infrastructure grows and battery costs decline.<\/p>\n

\"Made<\/p>\n
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For Truck of the Year, the F150 Lightning appears a shoo-in, given its relative affordability ($54,000) next to other EV pickups like the $110k GMC Hummer and $70k Rivian R1T (a finalist in 2022). Like Rivian, Lordstown is a startup truck maker, but its Endurance is only offered in the commercial market. Nominee Chevy Silverado ZR2 is the best all-around vehicle of the three, with long-range towing ability and impressive off-road abilities thanks to state-of-the-art Multimatic shocks.<\/p>\n

The selection of nine finalists is the next-to-last step in the year-long, NACTOY evaluation process. Final voting will take place in early January and 2023 NACTOY Car, Truck and Utility of the Year winners will be announced at a special event in Detroit on January 11, 2023.<\/p>\n

For more information about NACTOY and its history:\u00a0http:\/\/northamericancaroftheyear.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2023 NACTOY finalists<\/h2>\n

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

– Acura Integra- Genesis G80 EV- Nissan Z<\/p>\n

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

– Chevrolet Silverado ZR2- Ford F-150 Lightning- Lordstown Endurance<\/p>\n

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

– Cadillac Lyriq- Genesis GV60- Kia EV6<\/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":"

Los Angeles\u00a0\u2014 There\u2019s electricity in the air. Electric vehicles dominated the nine nominees for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year announced Thursday. The finalists were announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which is showcasing EVs as the state’s government vows to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. […]<\/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\/30085"}],"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=30085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30086,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30085\/revisions\/30086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}