The candidates for the 2010 North American car and Truck of the Year was recently released and as with any awards categories, this one includes a steady dose of expectant favorites, underdogs, and the proverbial dark horses.

All in all, 37 vehicles have been nominated for the two categories. The country with the most nominations is Japan with 12 – which includes a rare Suzuki entry with the Kizashi. Japan is followed by two regions fielding 11 cars each: the US and Europe. Rounding out the field is Korea with three entries with the Hyundai Genesis, the Kia Forte and the Kia Soul.

Noticeably absent from being nominated in the two categories is Chrysler, despite having a slew of cars and trucks in its roster.

Both Hyundai and Ford figure to defend their titles as Car and Truck of the Year after winning the two awards last year with the 2009 Hyundai Genesis and the 2009 Ford F-150, respectively. While the 2010 Genesis remains in the hunt for a back-to-back showing, the F-150 conspicuously was left among the entries for the Truck of the Year, meaning that it’s up to the Ford Transit Connect to defend Ford’s title.

Continued with list of nominees for the 2010 North America Car of the Year after the jump.

Continued

The basis for the eligibility, at least as far as the jurors are concerned, requires that the particular vehicle should either be ‘all-new’ or has ‘substantially changed’ from its previous model. With the nominations having been released, the jurors are still expected to trim down the list until it reaches a winner, which will then be decided in January 2010.

The battle is on to be the next Car and Truck of the Year and judging by the entries on the list, it’s looking like both Hyundai and Ford are facing some very stiff competition from other manufacturers bent on dethroning them.

The list of cars nominated for the 2010 North America Car of the Year are:

Audi S4

BMW Z4

BMW 335d

BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

Buick Lacrosse

Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon,Chevrolet Camaro

Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid

Ford Mustang/GT500

Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO

Honda Insight

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Kia Forte

Kia Soul

Lexus HS 250h

Lotus Evora

Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3

Mercedes E-Class

Nissan Cube

Nissan 370Z

Porsche Panamera

Subaru Legacy

Suzuki Kizashi

Toyota Prius

Volkswagen Golf/Golf TDI


Meanwhile, the nominations for the 2010 Truck of the Year include:

Acura ZDX

BMW X5 xDrive35d

Cadillac SRX

Chevrolet Equinox

Ford Transit Connect

GMC Terrain

Honda Crosstour (The Crosstour is still the prototype name of the car

and the official unveiling of its name will happen at the awards show)

Land Rover LR4

Lincoln MKT

Subaru Outback

Toyota 4Runner

Volvo XC60


|