DETROIT - It was a big morning at the North American International Auto Show as the press preview days kicked off with the selection of the North American Car of the Year and Truck/Utility of the Year.
The 2016 Honda Civic was named the North American Car of the Year while the 2016 Volvo XC 90 was selected as the Truck/Utility of the Year.
Civic bested the Chevrolet Malibu and the Mazda MX-5 Miata, and the XC90 edged out the Nissan Titan XD and Honda Pilot. Chevy was a particularly strong contender, with 2 additional cars on the pre-finalist short list of 10.
It was the first time in the 23-year history of the awards program that a brand had three representatives on the short list, and General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra was standing close by in case the big honour came her company's way.
Instead the Civic became a two-time winner.
"What a great competitive set to be in with Malibu and Miata. All great cars," said John Mendel, executive vice-president of Honda's U.S. operations. The Civic also garnered the award in 2006. Still, he pointed out the victory lap will be brief, as the award is "added pressure" to the development team already working on the next-generation Civic.
The announcements came Monday morning at the Cobo Center in Detroit. A panel of about 55 independent automotive journalists selected the winners.
With files from The Canadian Press.
