The six finalists that will vie for place in the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have been announced. An international jury of auto journalists selected the Honda Fit, Saturn Aura and the Toyota Camry as finalists in the car category, while the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Edge and Mazda CX-7 were chosen as trucks.
The winners will be announced at the opening of the Detroit Auto Show in January. Honda’s Fit is the best-of-breed among the recent influx of minicars hitting the North American market and would be a worthy choice for the title, but our vote has to be the Saturn Aura. Not only has it breathed new life into Saturn’s lineup in terms of quality and dynamics, the Aura is also a sign of things to come with both General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] and Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] tapping their global resources to build cars for our market.
The Camry still sells like hotcakes, but it’s a little too safe a choice. It’s been number one and will remain so, but doesn’t really bring anything new to the mix.
In the truck category, we feel both the Edge and CX-7 will have a better chance than the Silverado. Like the Camry, the Silverado is a best-seller, but the new version doesn’t bring anything new to the mix. Not so with the Ford company crossovers. We’ve heard nothing but praise for both vehicles but out of the two, we think the Edge will, err, edge out the CX-7.
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