'Short list' of 23 vehicles announced for Car, Truck of Year

(September 25, 2014) The North American Car and Truck of the Year judges have released their "short list" of 23 finalists for the upcoming 2015 awards. The list includes three Fords, and two Hyundai and two Toyota vehicles.

The Ford Mustang made the final list for Car of the Year and the Ford F-150 and Edge made the finals for Truck of the Year. The Hyundai Sonata and Genesis made the list as did the Toyota Highlander and Camry.

To be eligible for consideration, a vehicle has to be either completely new or "substantially changed from the previous model and must go on sale shortly after the announcement of the award, which is early in January". Also, vehicles have to have moderately good distribution: cars should have projected North American sales of around 5,000 units per year at minimum, and trucks should meet a 2,000-unit threshold.

Jurors haven't driven some of the cars and trucks because some vehicles haven't gone into production yet. They were put on the short list before testing because the models demand attention due to their sales, technical innovation, history or importance to the industry.

The 2015 Ford F-150 pickup is a perfect example. It's been America's best-selling vehicle for decades, and the 2015 model that goes on sale later this year is the fist pickup with a lightweight aluminum body.

The three finalists in each category will be announced Dec. 9. That sets off another round of evaluations before the vote on the winners, which will be revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show Jan. 12.