Wow is it just us or is this year is moving along at light speed? It seems like the 2022 North American Car, Truck and Utility Award winners were just announced yesterday and already it's time for a whole new slate of contenders to start their NACTOY journey.
This year, the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards says it expects a total of 47 cars, trucks and utility vehicles to be eligible for the 2023 awards. That would be a tie with 2019 for the most eligible vehicles in the history of the awards.
So where does that 47 come from? Well that's the number of this year's all-new or substantially new vehicles. NACTOY says as of June 9, automakers have confirmed plans to launch 13 all-new or substantially new cars, three trucks and 31 utility vehicles this year in North America that meet NACTOY'S eligibility requirements.
"This high number of eligible vehicles highlights the wide range of choices consumers have among new vehicles this year," said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg, "driven primarily by increased offerings of battery electric vehicles, continued popularity of the utility category and arrivals of new OEMs. We look forward to testing and evaluating this diverse list of exciting vehicles to determine this year's three NACTOY Award winners."
Entry vehicles are evaluated by a panel of 50 highly experienced and respected jurors from a variety of media - including print, online, radio and broadcast from across both the U.S. and Canada, rather than a single publication or media outlet. NACTOY calls its awards unique and among the most prestigious in the industry.
To be eligible, vehicles must be all or substantially new and available for purchase before the end of the calendar year. Determining this eligibility list is the first step in the annual award process. Jurors will narrow the list with a preliminary vote in September, then will conduct additional driving evaluations through the rest of the year, including during an October comparison drive. Semifinalists will be announced in September, finalists in November and finally the category winners in January 2022.
"Once again the SUV category has the most eligible vehicles, but this list of confirmed vehicles demonstrates that automakers continue to believe in the future of the car category," said NACTOY Secretary Nicole Wakelin. "While we only have three trucks eligible this year, these contenders come after an unusually competitive year in 2021 when eight trucks were eligible."
Here are the eligible entrants:
Car of the Year
- Acura Integra
- BMW i4 eDrive 40i
- BMW i4 M50i
- Genesis G80
- Genesis G90
- Maserati MC20
- Mercedes C Class
- Mercedes EQE
- Nissan Z
- Porsche Cayman GT4 RS
- Porsche 911 GTS
- Subaru WRX
- Toyota GR Corolla
Truck of the Year
- Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
- Ford F-150 Lightning
- Lordstown Endurance
Utility Vehicle of the Year
- Audi Q4 e-tron
- BMW iX xDrive M50i
- Cadillac Lyriq
- Fisker Ocean
- Genesis GV60
- Honda CR-V
- Honda HR-V
- Honda Pilot
- Kia Sportage
- Kia Niro
- Kia EV6
- Jeep Wagoneer LWB
- Jeep Grand Wagoneer LWB
- Land Rover Range Rover
- Land Rover Range Rover SV
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport
- Land Rover Defender 130
- Lexus LX600
- Lexus RX
- Mazda CX-50
- Nissan Ariya
- Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT
- Rivian R1S
- Subaru Solterra
- Toyota Sequoia
- Toyota bZ4X
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Vinfast VF 8
- Vinfast VF 9
- Volvo C40 Recharge
We'll get a narrowed down list in September.
Photo Credit: NACTOY.