North American Car, Truck, Utility of Year Awards announced

Hyundai, Ford F-150, Mustang Mach-E take home the prizes
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra was named winner of the 2021 North American Car of the Year award Jan. 11 by the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) automotive media jury. This is the second time the Hyundai sedan has won Car of the Year (2012). Hyundai photo

Credit: David Dewhurst

Credit: David Dewhurst

The 2021 Hyundai Elantra was named winner of the 2021 North American Car of the Year award Jan. 11 by the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) automotive media jury. This is the second time the Hyundai sedan has won Car of the Year (2012). Hyundai photo

Ford Motor Co. took two of three of the 2021 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards announced Jan. 11.

The Hyundai Elantra, Ford F-150 and Ford Mustang Mach-E were picked to receive the awards for car, truck and utility vehicle, respectively.

Ford cheered the news, noting it’s the first time since 2014 the same brand has won multiple North American vehicle of the year awards.

“This recognition for Mustang Mach-E and F-150 is validation not only for our brand, but also for our Ford team, which continues to innovate and deliver on its commitment to creating must-have products and services,” Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of the Americas and International Markets Group. “The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards are among the most prestigious in the industry and such an honor serves as a capstone achievement for years of hard work for the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 teams.”

Ford bested Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in the truck category, where the Ram 1500 TRX and Jeep Gladiator Mojave were finalists, as well as in the utility category, where it faced the Land Rover Defender and Genesis GV80.

Hyundai beat out the Nissan Sentra and Genesis G80 to take the car award.

The announcement, in partnership with the North American International Auto Show, was done virtually rather than at Detroit’s TCF Center because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issues

U.S. and Canadian auto journalists picked the winners from a field of nine finalists and 27 semifinalists.

This marks the 28th year for the highly regarded auto awards.

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