IS350jet

Maybe miracles do happen. First, the comeback kid Tim Tebow and the misfit Denver Broncos take down Big Ben Roethlisberger and the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in an overtime thriller last night that has many football experts scratching their heads this morning. Then today, the Hyundai Elantra beats the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Passat to become the 2012 North American Car of the Year, leaving many auto experts here in Detroit stunned.
"So, um, wow -- we are very surprised and humbled. It's an amazing honor," said visibly surprised John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, who accepted the award at the kicked off ceremony for the press preview days of the North American International Auto Show here in Detroit.
Krafcik was stunned not because the Elantra isn't worthy machine, but instead because it faced such stiff competition. "The Focus is an amazing car, and the Passat is incredible," he said. "We're just surprised and humbled to have the respect of the 50 automotive journalists," speaking of the independent panel of journalists that gives the awards each year.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...cid=autos_2237

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

honestly surprised new camry didn't win.

finalists were:

Audi A6
Audi A7
Buick Verano
Chevrolet Sonic
Chrysler 300/SRT-8
Fiat 500
Ford Focus
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Rio/ Kia Rio5
Scion iQ
Subaru Impreza
Toyota Camry
Toyota Prius V
VW Beetle
VW Passat

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

and for trucks...

BMW X3
Honda CR-V
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
MINI Countryman
Nissan Quest
Saab 9-4X

(Saab? Really??)

mmarshall

If you define the award as the vehicle most-improved over its predecessors (assuming it's not an all-new design), I'd give it to the new Chrysler 300. For an all-new vehcle, I'd (probably) give it to the Buick Verano.


They need to reconsider what they list in the "Truck" category. Several of these vehicles are actually AWD cars or car-based crossovers.

ArmyofOne

I was gonna say, there isnt a single truck on the list. Must be one of those, "if its not a car its a truck" lists

FrankReynoldsCPA

^^this.

Anything that is not a pick-up, in my book, is not a truck.

Well, I guess medium duties and class 8's would be real trucks, but we're talking passenger vehicles here.

mmarshall

How about truck-based, body-on-frame SUVs? A number of SUVs (mostly full-sized) are still built that way, though most of the small and medium-sized ones have since converted to unibody (or were that way from the start). The Nissan Pathfinder, however, a mid-size SUV, is one of those rare exceptions that started out unibody and actually converted to body-on-frame. Now, the upcoming new Pathfinder seems ready to convert BACK to unibody. Go figure.

FrankReynoldsCPA

It's still kind of iffy for me, even though they are body on frame....I still somewhat define them by their intended use. Even large SUVs were mainly intended to be large people haulers, with a little offroading as well. There's just something about a pickup truck, where you have that bed that you can haul stuff in.