Dodge Charger, Ford Maverick Lobo And Hyundai Palisade Win North American Car Of The Year Awards
Perhaps they should call it the North American and South Korea Car Of The Year Awards.
The Dodge Charger, Ford Maverick Lobo and Hyundai Palisade were named Car, Truck and SUV of they year by the North American Car of the Year Awards jury.
The annual accolade celebrates vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of where they are made, and is voted on by a panel of journalists from the bordering nations.
This year’s Car of the Year finalists were the Honda Prelude from Japan, the Nissan Sentra from Mexico and the Dodge Charger, which is assembled in Canada.
The new turbocharged inline-six-cylinder Charger is distinct from the electric Charger Daytona that uses the same body. U.S. Charger deliveries began in December. Voters praised the full-size, all-wheel-drive hatchback’s performance and utility.
The Mexican-made Ford Maverick Lobo is a new performance version of the compact pickup that was technically launched for the 2025 model year, but allowed to compete for the 2026 award. It won out over the Michigan-built V8-powered Ram 1500 Hemi and Mexican-made Ram 2500 HD.
The SUV finalists were the electric Nissan Leaf, which had its assembly moved from Tennessee to Japan for the latest generation, the Arizona-built Lucid Gravity and the Hyundai Palisade, which is imported from Korea and was named the winner on the basis of its “perfect blend of value, technology and efficiency.”
If you happen to be interested in what the best American-made models are, be sure to check out American Cars And Racing’s US-Built Car Of The Year Awards, which are released in conjunction with the July 4th holiday. Vehicles from any brand qualify as long as they are assembled in the USA.
Click here to see the 2025 US-Built Car Of The Year Award winners.