2013 North American Car and Truck of The Year Finalists

Finalists for the 2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year have been narrowed down to three in each category with the winners to be announced in Detroit on January 14th. Last year the Hyundai Elantra and Range Rover Evoque were chosen.

North American Car of the Year finalists:
Cadillac ATS (winner of the Motor Press Guild Car of the Year)
Ford Fusion (2013 Green Car of the Year & KBB Best Redesigned)
Honda Accord

North American Truck/Utility of the Year finalists:
Ford C-Max
Mazda CX-5 
Ram 1500 (2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year)

Let's look at other recent significant award winners and finalists for some insight while realizing that each publication has it's own criteria for making their choices:

This year's Motor Trend Awards:
2013 Motor Trend SUV of the Year: Mercedes-Benz GL
2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Tesla Model S
2013 Truck of the Year: Ram 1500

Kelley Blue Book's Best Redesigned Vehicle: 2013 Ford Fusion
 
Automobile Magazine: 2013 Automobile of the Year: Tesla Model S

Autoweek: Best of the Best: Porsche Boxster S and Mercedes-Benz GL
2013 Best of the Best/Car finalists included: Cadillac ATS, Dodge Dart, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster S and Subaru BRZ.
2013 Best of the Best/Truck finalists included: Acura RDX, Ford Escape, Infiniti JX35, Mazda CX-5 and Mercedes-Benz GL.

Green Car Journal's 2013 Green Car of the Year®: 2013 Ford Fusion
Finalists included the 2013 Dodge Dart Aero, Ford C-MAX, Mazda CX-5 SKYACTIV and the Toyota Prius c.

The 16th Annual Strategic Vision Total Value Awards may surprise you.

GM North America President Reuss Announces Two New Cadillacs

General Motors North America President Mark Reuss announced  the launch the 2012 Cadillac XTS large luxury sedan for the Spring of 2012 and a compact luxury sports sedan codenamed ATS for the summer of 2012.

The XTS is based on the XTS Platinum Concept unveiled at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will offer an advanced front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive system.

The Cadillac codenamed ATS is a rear-wheel drive luxury sports car to compete head-to-head with the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 in the luxury market's largest segment.

Reuss also announced the eAssist light electrification feature on the 2012 Buick Regal will be a $2,000 option that delivers an estimated 25-percent improvement in fuel economy, giving Regal eAssist an EPA fuel economy rating of 36 mpg highway/25 mpg city. Regal with eAssist will start at $29,530, and Regal GS will start at $35,310; both prices include $860 in destination charges. The eAssist system is a $2,000 option on the Regal base model, mated to a 2.4L Ecotec engine. Buick will continue to offer the base model without eAssist as well as the 2.0L turbo.Regal eAssist, which goes on sale this fall,  captures energy created during braking to charge a 115V lithium-ion battery that powers a 11-kW (15 horsepower) motor-generator, augmenting a 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine. The eAssist system also allows the engine to shut down fuel delivery in certain deceleration conditions, saving additional fuel. Based on $4-per-gallon gasoline, the eAssist option on the Regal should pay for itself in about 3 1/2 years.