2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

The finalists for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards were announced today. All in all, 14 passenger cars and 11 trucks and SUVs have been nominated for the respective awards. Among the finalists for the Car of the Year award is the Hyundai Genesis -the first ever Korean model to make it to the finals, the Nissan GT-R, the Audi A4, the Dodge Challenger, the Jaguar XF and the Pontiac G8. Finalists for the 2009 North American Truck of the Year award include the Dodge Ram, the BMW X6 and the Subaru Forester.

In order to be eligible for the awards, the vehicles must be "all-new" or "substantially changed" from the previous year model. From now and the opening of Detroit Show, 50 journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites, will vote ranking the finalists with the winners set to be announced at the show's first press conference on Sunday, Jan. 11.

2009 North American Car of the Year nominees

• Audi A4
• BMW 1 Series
• Cadillac CTS-V
• Dodge Challenger
• Ford Flex
• Honda Fit
• Hyundai Genesis
• Jaguar XF
• Lincoln MKS
• Mazda 6
• Nissan GT-R
• Pontiac G8
• Toyota Venza
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI

2009 North American Truck of the Year nominees

• BMW X6
• Chevrolet Traverse
• Dodge Ram
• Ford F-150
• Honda Pilot
• Infiniti FX35/50
• Kia Borrego
• Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC
• Nissan Murano
• Subaru Forester
• Volkswagen Tiguan