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All year long, there are car shows and awards and lists and studies, and every automaker has the chance to shine with their prized vehicles among the industry. One of the largest awards shows is the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) Awards, held every year to crown the best Car, Utility Vehicle, and Truck of the year every year. Last year, the 2020 Kia Telluride made it to the final round of NACTOY and actually took home the gold as it were for the NACTOY Utility of the Year Award. The Kia Telluride went on to add this award to its collection and won the Triple Crown of Car Awards with MotorTrend SUV of the Year and landing on a Car and Driver 10 Best list. Even with the auto industry in a bit of shambles after the pandemic swept the world, NACTOY is back for 2021, and many of the lovely vehicles we have in stock were named as finalists this year.
Quick bit of history: the NACTOY awards are some of the most prestigious in the automotive industry. With only three categories, competition is fierce, with each vehicle competition for the title of their respective segments. With vehicles judged on innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value for the dollar, for a vehicle to win one of the category awards is huge. Every year, the NACTOY awards are headed with a jury made up of automotive journalists and professionals from print, online, radio and broadcast media platforms.
The 2021 NACTOY awards narrowed the semifinalists to 27 new vehicles, following a preliminary vote by a judging panel similar to the aforementioned group. Between October 5-8, 2020, jurors will have another chance to evaluate the vehicles that made it to the semifinal round before choosing those that will be named in the final round. There are three finalists for each category, but only one vehicle can be the winner of each. Whoever makes it to the finals will be announced in December during an event hosted by the LA Auto Show. The official winners will be announced in January 2021 during an event hosted by the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, assuming it happens in 2021.
“Many of the new models on our semifinalist list make bold statements that are intended to distinguish them within their segments…Several are all-electric, while others have groundbreaking designs or off-the-charts capabilities. It will be fascinating to see which risks pay off this year as our evaluation process continues.” - NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg
Take a look at the list of 2021 NACTOY Semifinalists. For “Car of the Year”, jurors picked the Acura TLX; Cadillac CT4/CT4-V; Genesis G80; Hyundai Elantra family (includes N Line and HEV); Kia K5; Mercedes-Benz E Class Sedan, All-Terrain, Coupe, Cabriolet; Nissan Sentra; and Polestar 2. Utility Vehicle of the Year is a little longer list, encompassing the many SUVs in the auto market, with semifinalists consisting of the Cadillac Escalade; Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban; Chevrolet Trailblazer; Ford Bronco Sport; Ford Mustang Mach E; Genesis GV80; Hyundai Santa Fe; Kia Seltos; Kia Sorento; Land Rover Defender; Mazda CX-30; Nissan Rogue; Toyota RAV4 Prime; Toyota Venza; and Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge. Then, for Truck of the Year, competing for the award are the Ford Super Duty; Ford F-150; Ram 1500 TRX; and Jeep Gladiator Mojave.
We put the vehicles you can find on NowCar in bold. Be sure to check back with us on NowCar social media to find out the winners. Check out your own award-winning car when shopping for a car online with NowCar.