(May 2, 2012) FORT WORTH, Texas — The Nissan GT-R sports car was named 2012 Car of Texas and the Chrysler Town & Country minivan was named Family Car of Texas at the Texas Auto Writers Spring Challenge here Monday.

Performance figured heavily in the Car of Texas category. The legendary GT-R, making its second appearance at a TAWA event, packs 545 horsepower. The second-place finisher, the Hyundai Equus, has 429 horsepower for 2012. Subaru’s BRZ, a brand new rear-wheel-drive sports car co-developed with Toyota, came in third.

2013 Nissan GT-R

In the family category, the Ford Taurus and the Nissan Quest finished second and third respectively behind the Town & Country.

The all-new Dodge Dart compact sedan made a big splash winning in three categories. It was named Compact Car of Texas, and won the best value award and best new feature honor.

Other winners included the Chevrolet Volt, Green Car of Texas; Ford Mustang GT, performance coupe of Texas; Cadillac SRX AWD, Mid-Size Luxury Vehicle of Texas; and the Ford Taurus SHO police package, Performance Sedan of Texas.