2024 North American Car, Truck, And Utility Vehicle Of The Year Candidates Announced

2024 North American Car, Truck, And Utility Vehicle Of The Year Candidates Announced

Eight EVs, ten American vehicles, and three sports cars made the cut.

The North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards organization has announced its “Best for 2024” vehicles at the Detroit Motor Show. A total of 25 cars, spread across three categories, have made the cut and will duke it out for top honors.

Initially, the list comprised 52 vehicles, but the judges have whittled this down to 25. In October, NACTOY jurors will evaluate each of the 25 candidates, score them, and cast their votes for the top three finalists in the respective categories.

“The value of these awards is in the expertise and diverse perspectives of our jurors,” remarked NACTOY president Jeff Gilbert. “We all evaluate vehicles in a different way. In the end, we come to a consensus. The vehicles on this list are worthy of further evaluation, and we look forward to spending more time driving them, learning more about them, and comparing them with the competition,” he added.

2024 Car of the Year Candidates:

This year’s candidates for the Car of the Year award range from executive sedans to high-performance sports cars. The BMW 5 Series and i5 have been selected as candidates, with the latter being one of two EVs in this category. The other is the Ioniq 6, an electric sedan with polarizing styling but impressive performance and range.

Speaking of sedans, the quirky Toyota Crown is flying the flag for Toyota, while the new Accord is Honda’s sole entrant in this category. Toyota’s handsome new Prius and the GR Corolla are also candidates. The hot hatch isn’t the only performance car in this segment, though, with the new Ford Mustang and electrified Corvette E-Ray making the cut.

Launched late last year, the new Subaru Impreza also has a chance of stealing the crown. Of the ten candidates, five hail from Japan, two from America and Germany, respectively, and one from Korea.

2024 Truck of the Year Candidates:

It’s a battle between Ford and General Motors this year, with all five candidates hailing from the two American brands. From the GM stable, we have the Silverado EV, the compact Colorado, and its GMC-badged twin, the Canyon. Representing the Blue Oval is the new Ranger and the Super Duty series.

Statistically, GM stands a greater chance of victory within this category. The Colorado and Canyon are both competent trucks, but the new Ranger is equally impressive. The Super Duty trucks may win jurors over with its new V8 engine and impressive technology. One of the most talked about trucks of the past year, the new Silverado EV, is the sole electric offering in this category, but will its steep starting price knock it out of contention?

We’ll have to wait and see.

2024 Utility Vehicle of the Year Candidates:

The Utility Vehicle category has ten candidates for the 2024 award, and they’re all impressive. Half of the field are fully-electric vehicles and range from premium compacts like the Volvo EX30 to the three-row Kia EV9. GM’s latest electric crossovers, the Blazer EV and Equinox EV, are both in the running.

Interestingly, the Dodge Hornet made the cut but not its Italian cousin, the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Other strong contenders include the Honda Pilot, Mazda CX90, and Toyota Highlander.

Honda and Ford have dominated the NACTOY awards for the last two years. The 2023 winners were the Acura Integra, Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Kia EV6. In 2022, the Honda Civic, Ford Maverick, and Ford Bronco walked away with top honors.

The 2024 finalists will be revealed in Los Angeles on November 16, with the winners announced at a special event in Detroit on January 4, 2024.