Η NACTOY ανακοίνωσε σήμερα από το Detroit, ότι το Hyundai Elantra και το Range Rover Evoque είναι οι νικητές του North American Car & Truck 2012.Για το Evoque ήμουν σίγουρος ότι θα κερδίσει τον τίτλο αλλά το Elantra ομολογώ ότι ήταν η ευχάριστη έκπληξη αφού άφησε πίσω του ονόματα “μεγαθήρια”.
[Πηγή: NACTOY]
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Hyundai Elantra, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Win North American Car and Truck of the Year
DETROIT, – The Hyundai Elantra is the 2012 North American Car of the Year and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is the 2012 North American Truck of the Year.
The winners were revealed Monday morning at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show.
The winners were chosen by a jury of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.
The awards are unique in the United States because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by a coalition of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.
The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
It is the second win for Hyundai. In 2009 the Genesis won. The Sonata was one of three finalists last year.
It was the first win for Land Rover although Land Rovers were finalists twice before.
The jurors gave the Elantra 174 points, the Passat 161 and the Focus 155.
The jurors gave the Evoque 254 points, the CR-V 142 and the X3 94.
“The Hyundai Elantra is sporty, yet sensible. Luxurious, yet affordable. Spunky, but safe. The Elantra is a series of paradoxes and every one is another argument for the latest, impressive entry in the Hyundai lineup,” wrote Jayne O’Donnell, a member of the jury from USA Today.
Another juror, Alex Taylor, of Fortune magazine, wrote: “Range Rover successfully charts a new direction for the venerable SUV trailblazer with a fresh design and advanced thinking about environmental issues.”
Domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year 10 times. Japanese automakers have won three times. European automakers have won four times. A Korean automaker has won twice.
Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year 12 times. Japanese automakers have won four times. European automakers have won three times.
This was the 19th year of the awards and it was the strongest showing by European automakers in 15 years with BMW, Land Rover and Volkswagen each having finalists. In 1997 Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW were the three car finalists with the winner being the Mercedes SLK.
To be eligible a vehicle must be all new or substantially changed. The jurors considered dozens of new vehicles before sending their ballots to Michelle Collins, a partner at Deloitte & Touche early in December.
On December 15th the three car and truck finalists were announced. But only Ms. Collins knew the winners until she handed over envelopes today to Tony Swan, editor-at-large at Car and Driver magazine and a member of the awards’ organizing committee. Mr. Swan announced the winners.
This is the 19th year of the awards, which were inspired by the “Car of the Year” in Europe.
They are administered by an organizing committee and are funded with dues paid by the jurors. There are no paid positions. Automakers do not pay to have their vehicles considered or to use the awards in ads.
The “2011 North American Car of the Year” was the Chevrolet Volt.
Last year’s “2011 North American Truck of the Year” was the Ford Explorer.
MORE INFORMATION: More information on the awards — including names of the jurors, previous finalists and winners — is available at: www.northamericancaroftheyear.org.
HYUNDAI ELANTRA NAMED 2012 NORTH AMERICAN CAR OF THE YEAR
Award caps record year for Hyundai Motor America and Elantra
- Bold Fluidic Sculpture design
- Best-in-class standard fuel economy on all models
- Highest owner satisfaction with real world fuel economy of all compact cars
- Mid-size interior room in a compact class footprint
- Elantra is built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
DETROIT, Jan. 9, 2012 – The 2012 Hyundai Elantra took top honors in the most exclusive award in North America when it was named 2012 North American Car of the Year today.
A jury of 50 independent North American automotive journalists evaluated each of the new cars introduced last year and chose the 2012 Hyundai Elantra as the winner. The award was announced at a news conference at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which marks Hyundai’s second win. The Hyundai Genesis was named North American Car of the Year in 2009.
“Elantra speaks to the success of our recipe of bold design and great fuel economy,” said John Krafcik, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor America. “In a year with some truly breakthrough competitors, we are honored that the jury recognizes Elantra’s far-reaching impact on the industry.”
The jurors considered more than 50 new vehicles, before selecting the top three cars and top three trucks. The Volkswagen Passat and Ford Focus were the other car finalists.
This is the 19th year of the awards, which were inspired by the prestigious European “Car of the Year.” The jury is administered by an organizing committee and funded exclusively with dues paid by the jurors. Jurors judge the cars on a number of factors including innovation, impact on the industry, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
HYUNDAI “FLUIDIC SCULPTURE” DESIGN
Elantra exemplifies Hyundai’s emotional “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles. “Fluidic Sculpture” considers the interplay of wind with rigid surfaces to create the illusion of constant motion. Elantra is an evolution of the design qualities found in Sonata.
Along Elantra’s sides are Sonata’s flowing lines, with the addition of a strong undercut feature line starting at the front door. These lines, along with muscular wheel arches and a sleek roofline, create a memorable and spacious package. Flowing lines also lead to an aerodynamic body. The drag coefficient for the Elantra is an exceptionally low 0.28 that compares favorably to the Chevrolet Volt (0.29).
Hyundai’s signature hexagonal front grille and detailed swept-back headlights give Elantra a compact athletic face. The assertive stance is complimented by 15-, 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels and athletic proportions. Available fog lights and side repeater mirrors complete the distinct design. Elantra was designed at Hyundai’s North American Design Center in Irvine, Calif.
40 MPG POWERTRAIN
Elantra’s standard fuel economy is EPA-rated at 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, amd 33 mpg combined, with the six-speed automatic transmission or manual transmission. These figures give Elantra a highway-only driving range of up to 500 miles. Elantra’s strong EPA ratings are backed up by the highest owner satisfaction with real-world fuel economy in the compact class, according to data from J.D. Power and Associates.
Under the hood, the Elantra is powered by an all-new 1.8-liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque (145 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque for Elantra PZEV). Thanks to advanced clean engine technology, most Elantras sold in California, Oregon and several Northeast states are certified as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) by the EPA. The PZEV Elantra is as clean as many hybrid electric vehicles. The PZEV Elantra helps Hyundai meet its environmental commitments. Outside of these “green” states, the Elantra is available as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).
Mark on the Market
Most importantly, Elantra is driving traffic to Hyundai showrooms. Elantra’s record 186,361 sales helped Hyundai achieve its record sales of 645,691 units in the U.S. in 2011. Hyundai Motor America posted a 20 percent increase over 2011 total sales.
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