Honda Accord, Lincoln Navigator, Volvo XC60 honored at Detroit auto show

(January 15, 2018) DETROIT — The Honda Accord won the 2018 North American Car of the Year at the Detroit auto show,  the Lincoln Navigator won Truck of the Year honors and the Volvo XC60 was named top utility vehicle of the year. The awards were announced this morning.

This year’s winners were selected by a jury of 60 American and Canadian automotive journalists from a group of three finalists in each category. A vehicle must be redesigned or significantly changed to be eligible for the award.

The Honda Accord beat out the Kia Stinger and Toyota Camry. This is the first win for the Accord, which was a finalist for the industry’s highest honor in 2008 and 2013.

"Honda took a clean-sheet approach to reinventing America's most popular car, and we couldn't be prouder to receive this honor for Accord as the North American Car of the Year," said Henio Arcangeli, Jr., senior vice president of the Automobile Division and general manager of Honda Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "We're especially proud for the production associates in Ohio where Accord has been built to the highest quality standards for over 35 years."


2018 Honda Accord

The Lincoln Navigator trumped the Chevrolet Colorado and the Ford Expedition. Only three vehicles were eligible for the truck segment, and by default, all three became finalists. This is the first ever win for the Lincoln brand.

The Volvo XC60 took utility vehicle of the year, beating out the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the Honda Odyssey. This is the third year of the utility category. Prior to that crossovers, SUVs and minivans all competed in the truck category.

“We are so proud the XC60 has won this prestigious award,” said Anders Gustafsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars USA. “It is a very tough competition and we thank all the judges for recognizing the great style, technology, and engineering in the XC60. All car shoppers should take a test drive to see for themselves how great it really is.”


2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 was the first year Alfa Romeo and Kia were finalists for the awards.

Vehicles are judged on several categories including innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, value and driver satisfaction. Winners were selected in a third elimination stage.

The three finalists in each category were chosen from a list of 11 cars, 15 utilities and three trucks in November. Models on the short list were narrowed down from a list of 35 in the fall, of which 20 were crossovers or minivans.


2018 Volvo XC60

The Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A5 Sportback, BMW 5 series, Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Rio, Lexus LC 500, Porsche Panamera and Subaru Impreza were the other cars on the short list.

Other eligible utilities were the Audi Q5/SQ5, BMW X3, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Terrain, Jeep Compass, Kia Niro, Land Rover Discovery, Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue Sport, Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota C-HR, Volkswagen Atlas and Volkswagen Tiguan.