The 2018 Detroit auto show kicked off with the best of the previous year, as the 2018 North American Car & Truck/Utility of the Year winners were announced. This marked the second year that the prestigious awards had three winners instead of two, as the Truck/Utility class had been split two years ago.
The competition proved the closest in the new Utility class, where the 2018 Volvo XC60 beat out the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Honda Odyssey to take the top honors.
In the Car class, the 2018 Honda Accord beat out the Kia Stinger and the Toyota Camry.
The Truck class proved somewhat controversial this year as the NACTOY committee chose to put two SUVs, the body-on-frame Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, in the truck class against the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, the only actual truck. In the end it was the Navigator that came out on top, which together with the XC60 in the Utility class has given this year’s awards a luxury skew.
To be eligible for the awards, a vehicle had to be new or substantially changed for the current year. The vehicles also had to be popular sellers, thus ruling out many niche products like those from the exotic brands. The total field consisted of 29 vehicles, including 11 cars and 15 utilities.
The judging panel considered a variety of attributes to determine the winners, including innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value. Last year’s winners were the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chrysler Pacifica, and Honda Ridgeline.
For more from the Detroit auto show, head to our dedicated hub.
