The North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards are among the most prestigious in the industry, recognizing the vehicles that capture the votes of 50 top automotive journalists. This year's finalists, announced today at the Cobo Center in Detroit, are split about like the U.S. car industry - half domestic, half import.

Detroit's three finalists include the Ford Flex in the car category and the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram in the pickup truck division. The remaining contenders in the car ranks are Hyundai's Genesis sedan and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The only non-U.S. entry in the truck awards list is the Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec diesel.

The finalists in each category were announced back in September, and these six finalists were chosen from the ranks of those 14 cars and 12 trucks. The winners of the overall awards in each category will be announced during the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month.