The Chevrolet Volt, with its range extending petrol-electric powertrain, is, as expected, North American Car of the Year and Ford’s Explorer ‘truck’ of the year.
It was a far less controversial decision than the choice of Nissan Leaf as European Car of the Year. Leaf was on the shortlist for the North American award alongside the conventional but highly acclaimed Hyundai Sonata.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Tom Stephens, GM’s vice chairman of product development, said: “When we announced this car several years ago at this show, there was a lot of scepticism among all the press.
“To be here today and have the honour of being named North American Car of the year, I think says it all.”
The media here is full of praise for the Volt which was launched last month and Chevrolet says it has sold more than 320 so far and expects to sell 25,000 in a full year.
Starting price is around US$41,000 (GBP26,500) before a $7,500 federal tax credit. The Volt travels between 25-50 miles on an electric charge before a petrol-powered generator switches on to produce more electricity. It will be sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Ampera.
The North American COTY is judged by a jury of 49 motoring journalists from Canada and the US.
The North American Truck of the Year is the Ford Explorer, which beat the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. It was Ford’s third consecutive year to win Truck of the Year.
