Cadillac ATS, Ram 1500 Win NACTOY Awards

DETROIT – In one of the more predictable contests in recent years, the Cadillac ATS sports sedan and Ram pickup were named North American Car and Truck of the Year today at the North American International Auto Show here.

The two vehicles were favored in numerous independent polls taken by a variety of publications and websites.

General Motors’ Cadillac ATS beat out the highly lauded Ford Fusion and new Honda Accord in the car category, and Chrysler’s Ram 1500 pickup won over the Ford C-Max and Mazda CX-5 in the truck/utility category.

This is the first win for Cadillac and the fifth car win for General Motors. The Cadillac CTS was a finalist in 2008. This is the third truck win for Chrysler. The Dodge Ram 1500 won in 1994.

The victories seemed particularly emotional for both auto makers, in part because each went through highly controversial bankruptcies in 2009. In addition to winning over the Ford Fusion, the Cadillac ATS also beat the new BMW 3-Series in an earlier round of balloting.

The NACTOY awards have been a seesaw battle between foreign and domestic brands in recent years. Last year, the Hyundai Elantra and Range Rover Evoque shut out Detroit Three products. The year before, Detroit products ruled the day.

Domestic auto makers have won North American Car of the Year 10 times. Japanese brands have won three times and the Europeans four times. Korean auto maker Hyundai has won twice.

Domestic auto makers have won North American Truck of the Year 12 times, followed by the Japanese four times and the Europeans three.

The NACTOY awards are unique because they are chosen by 50 North American automotive journalists who work for a wide variety of publications and news organizations.

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