The year 2023 is almost over as I write this and in a few days the winners of the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Commercial Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards will be announced. Several months ago, I had the honor of being invited to join the jury of 50 journalists from Canada, the United States and Mexico and since then I have voted for the finalists and now for the winners. At this point, only the Deloitte team that collected our votes knows who the winners are. , but let’s take a look at the nine finalists.
The first contenders are the contenders for Car of the Year.
Honda Accord
This year, Honda launched the eleventh-generation Accord and it’s a very different model from the model that arrived in 1976. It’s still available as a four-door sedan, but like most vehicles, it has grown dramatically and is now classified as a giant sedan. Like the 10th-generation styling it replaced, the Accord has a fastback profile that has the utmost rigor among most sedans still on sale in this market.
It’s got a sleek design that like the Civic that arrived last year is a bit more subdued than the prior generation. It’s not bad, just not quite as interesting to look at. The new Accord is the first Honda to feature a new infotainment system based on Android Automotive with Google Automotive Services built in including Maps, Assistant and the Play store.
As has been the case since 1976, all Accords have front-wheel drive and there is a choice of two 4-cylinder powertrains. The base configuration is an edition of the 1. 5-liter turbocharged engine that comes with the 2016 Civic, while the option is a 2. 0-liter naturally aspirated hybrid. Only the LX and EX trims get the 1. 5-liter engine, the other 4 variants are all hybrids, and for the first time this year, no manual transmission is offered.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
The Ioniq 6 is one of 3 cars nominated this year, all of which use Hyundai Motor Group’s e-GMP electric propulsion architecture. This midsize sedan is based on the same hardware as the Kia EV6 that won last year’s advertising vehicle award and is also shared with the Kia EV9 and Genesis GV70 Electrified, which are finalists this year. Like the Ioniq Five and EV6, the Ioniq 6 has a 77. 4 kWh battery and the rear-drive edition takes advantage of the incredibly weak chassis to achieve an EPA-rated 361 miles of range with the single-rear-drive motor. and 18-inch wheels.
The design is somewhat polarizing, but it allows the Ioniq 6 to glide through the air with minimal drag, the sloping rear end limits the trunk area a bit. The single-engine edition is pretty quick, but the all-wheel-drive variants offer 320 horsepower for plenty of power to get going.
Toyota Prius/Prius Premier
Now in its fifth generation, the original hybrid is back, and for the first time, it features a design that can even be considered attractive and even sporty. Although the sleek new chassis sacrifices a bit of passenger space compared to Beyond Egg-Shaped Generations, it’s a sacrifice that’s worth it. Toyota now offers hybrid features across nearly its entire lineup and those who want extra space are spoilt for choice, right down to the big Tundra and Sequoia.
2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE
The newest generation of Toyota’s hybrid formula is tougher and more effective than before, reaching up to 57 mpg and even the all-wheel-drive style averages 49 mpg. The new Prius is going a long way to being usable as a starting point. In fact, an electric vehicle with up to forty-five miles of electric range, enough to satisfy approximately 80% of the driver’s daily desires without using fuel at all.
Then we have the Truck of the Year candidates.
Chevrolet Colorado
Almost the entire midsize truck segment has been redesigned in the last 2 years with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma both having a strong chance at being on this list next year. But they aren’t really available yet so we have the Colorado representing this time. Unlike most new models, the Colorado hasn’t really grown overall and that’s fine. It’s got about the same footprint although the wheelbase has been extended a couple of inches which should help with approach angles when going off road.
2024 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss
While there are plenty of other trim levels, Chevrolet has simplified the offerings a bit, with only the Crew Cab variant now available, from the entry-level paint truck to the full-fledged Bison ZR2 off-road beast. All Colorados are now forced to use the turbocharged 2. 7-liter four-cylinder engine that serves as the base engine of the full-size Silverado, two other power grades come with 237 or 310 horsepower. All Colorados have a giant 11. 3-inch touchscreen with an Android Automotive infotainment system.
Chevrolet Silverado EV
Chevrolet’s second runner-up this year is the Silverado EV. Unlike the F-150 Lightning that won this award last year, the Silverado is built from the ground up as an electric vehicle and offers a much larger 210 kWh battery and a range of 450 miles. diversity that provides more than two hundred miles of diversity, even towing a 10,000-lb. trailer.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV W/T4 preview
At the moment, Chevrolet still only offers the Painted Pickup Edition to fleets, but there will soon be mass-market variants with features like four-wheel guidance for greater maneuverability. The specially designed frame will also bring back the center door that first made the impression twenty years ago on the Avalanche pickup truck. With the folded center door and multi-directional tailgate, the Silverado will be able to accommodate shipments up to 11 feet long.
Ford Super Duty
The Ford Super Duty family includes a wide variety of pickup trucks, from the F-250 Standard Cab, Long Bed, to the F-550 Mid-Duty Chassis Cab, equipped with ambulance bodies, towing equipment or bucket lifts used by application painters. There’s also an incredible diversity of trim levels, from entry-level XL trucks to the sumptuous King Ranch, Platinum and Limited series.
First of the 2024 Ford Super Duty
While the design is scalable, the new Super Duty trucks incorporate many new technologies, adding 5G connectivity and new motive force assist features such as remote cameras and radar sensors that can be attached to giant trailers to force blind-spot monitors and emergency assistance. The infotainment formula also adds the ability for installers to have controls for devices on the touchscreen without having to wire and install more switches. The existing 7. 3-litre petrol and 6. 7-litre diesel V8s have been updated with more punch and power and a new entry-level engine. A level 6. 8-litre petrol V8 has been added to the range.
The finalists for this year’s advertising vehicles are all from Hyundai Motor Group, with all brands represented and all available with electric propulsion.
Hyundai Kona
The second-generation Konas have gotten bigger, as usual; In this case, the extra length served to make the rear seat more usable for adults. The original was definitely tight in the rear. The style has evolved quite a bit, taking on a more chiseled look similar to the larger Tucson and wasting some of the cuteness of the original.
2024 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD
Like the first Kona, this one will be available with a choice of four-cylinder or electric petrol engines. Two petrol engines will be offered, a naturally aspirated 2. 0-litre with 147bhp or a turbocharged 1. 6-litre with 190bhp. The top-performing Kona N hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s likely to appear in a year or two. On the electric side, the Kona maintains the maximum of the first-gen hardware, adding a 201-horsepower, 65-kWh motor, diversity has been slightly higher at 261 miles, and charging speed has been increased to 100 kW. There’s also a less expensive SE version with a 49 kWh battery and a diversity of 197 miles starting at less than $34,000.
Kia EV9
The EV9 is the largest vehicle built to date on the HMG e-GMP platform and launches a new EV segment, three-row SUV with a more common, though still expensive, price tag. The Rivian R1S 3-row and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUVs are now available at much higher prices than the Kia. The EV9 ranges from $55,000 to about $75,000 for an all-wheel-drive-loaded GT-Line.
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line
The base style with a popular diversity battery and rear-wheel drive has a range of around 230 miles, while the rear-wheel-drive extended diversity variants are expected to reach around 304 miles. Like Hyundai Motor Group’s other e-GMP styles, the EV9 has a very fast charging capability (if you find a working tester) that can fill the battery from 10 to 80 percent in about 24 minutes. The EV9 is longer than the gas-powered Telluride, with seating for up to seven other people and plenty of shipping space in the rear.
GV70 Electrified Genesis
The GV70 EV is found in the existing GV70 midsize luxury SUV, but the gasoline powertrain has been replaced by the dual-motor e-GMP configuration found in the smaller GV60s, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6 and Kia EV6. With 320 hp, it’s 240 kW fast charging capability will allow you to reach 80% speed in about 18 minutes, which will be convenient since the heaviest luxury model only has a range of 236 miles.
2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified
Like all Genesis models, the GV70 looks more premium than many competitors at a more attractive price point. With a starting price of $66,450, it outperforms the German competition while offering a wide diversity of features, adding on-highway driving assistance with lane centering and a head-up display.
The 2024 winners will be announced on January 4, 2024 at 11 a. m. m. EST and the presentation will be broadcast on Youtube.