The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards today announced a list of 46 models eligible for the 2020 awards that illustrates the intense competition and ongoing innovation among automakers across all three vehicle categories.
This year’s eligibility list includes 19 cars, 22 utilities and five trucks that are being brought to market by 23 different automotive brands. The models up for consideration range from cars with mass market appeal to luxury vehicles and all-new pickup nameplates.
“The competition is wide open across all three categories this year, with both premium and mainstream brands duking it out in the car and utility classes and an unusually high number of trucks,” said NACTOY Secretary/Treasurer Kirk Bell.
To be eligible, vehicles must be all-new or substantially new and must be available at dealerships before the end of the year.
“With all this talk of consumers abandoning cars in favor of SUVs and crossovers, someone appears to have forgotten to tell the product planners,” said NACTOY Vice President Chris Paukert. “This year’s eligibility list for Car of the Year includes nearly 20 candidates, from affordable everyday models like the Mazda3 and Hyundai Sonata to sports cars like the BMW Z4 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. It’s a diverse bunch.”
Chosen by a panel of 50 respected jurors from print, online, radio and broadcast media across the U.S. and Canada – rather than a single publication or media outlet – the awards are among the most prestigious and unique in the industry.
“The importance of the awards to consumers and manufacturers is more than just sales. It’s a battle of design, technology, safety, connectivity and more to offer the best of each brand to consumers,” said NACTOY President Lauren Fix. “This year’s large selection of cars, utilities and trucks will challenge our independent jury of experienced veterans to evaluate each vehicle and choose the best in each category.”
Jurors will select up to 12 models in each category in September and then will conduct additional driving evaluations during a comparison drive from Oct. 8-10 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Three finalists in each category will be announced at the LA Auto Show in November.
Here is the full 2020 NACTOY eligibility list:
Car of the Year
- BMW 3 Series
- BMW Z4
- BMW 7 Series / Alpina B7
- BMW 8 Series
- Cadillac CT5
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
- Hyundai Sonata
- Kia Soul
- Mazda3
- Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
- Nissan Versa
- Polestar 1
- Porsche 911
- Subaru Legacy
- Toyota Supra
- Volkswagen Arteon
Utility of the Year
- Audi E-Tron
- Audi Q3
- BMW X6
- BMW X7
- Cadillac XT6
- Chevrolet Blazer
- Ford Explorer
- Ford Escape
- Honda Passport
- Kia Telluride
- Hyundai Palisade
- Lexus UX
- Lincoln Aviator
- Lincoln Corsair
- Mercedes-AMG GLC-Class
- Mercedes GLE-Class
- Mercedes GLS-Class
- Mercedes GLB-Class
- Mercedes EQC-Class
- Range Rover Evoque
- Subaru Outback
- Volvo V60 Cross Country
Truck of the Year
- Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty
- Ford Ranger
- GMC Sierra Heavy Duty
- Jeep Gladiator
- Ram Heavy Duty