Electric vehicles and hybrids dominate semifinalist list for North American vehicle honors
Electric vehicles make up a full 50% of the semifinalists for 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year, announced Wednesday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
In addition to being 13 of the 26 finalists, electric vehicles are two of the three finalists for Truck of the Year, indicating the shift to electric power has taken root in the pickup segment that includes everything from family vehicles to commercial vehicles for electricians, carpenters and and lawn services.
Eight of the 13 semifinalists for Utility Vehicle of the Year are EVs. Four more offer hybrid versions, reinforcing the dominance electrified powertrains have in the auto market.
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Just three of the 10 semifinalists for Car of the Year are fully electric, while two offer hybrid models. Hybrids combine gasoline engines and electric power. Sales of traditional cars have slipped to less than a third of new vehicle sales, a trend that’s led automakers to put less emphasis on developing new coupes, sedans and convertibles.
No U.S.-based automaker introduced a vehicle eligible for the car award this year.
Among the 26 semifinalists:
Five are built by U.S.-based automakers: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Lordstown and Rivian
10 come from Japanese-based brands: Acura, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota
Five are built by Korean brands: Genesis, Hyundai and Kia
Five are from German companies: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz
One, the Volvo C40 Recharge, is built by a Swedish brand owned by a Chinese automaker.
Here are the semifinalists by category for 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year:
North American Car of the Year
Acura Integra
BMW i4 eDrive 40
Genesis G80 EV
Genesis G90
Mercedes-Benz C Class
Mercedes-Benz EQE
Nissan Z
Subaru WRX
Toyota Crown
Toyota GR Corolla
North American Truck of the Year
Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
Ford F-150 Lightning
Lordstown Endurance
North American Utility Vehicle of the Year
Audi Q4 e-tron
BMW iX xDrive 50
Cadillac Lyriq
Genesis GV60
Honda CR-V
Honda HR-V
Kia EV6
Kia Sportage
Lexus RX
Mazda CX-50
Nissan Ariya
Rivian R1S
Volvo C40 Recharge
The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards are presented by a jury of 50 automotive journalists. They evaluate every new vehicle introduced for sale each year. Vehicles not yet available but expected to be on sale before the end of this year are eligible.
The winners will be announced Jan. 11 in Detroit.
Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan is a NACTOY juror.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EVs, hybrids dominate semifinalists for vehicle of year honors