Lordstown Endurance Named Semifinalist for Truck of Year Award
DETROIT – Lordstown Motor Corp.’s all-electric Endurance pickup has been named as one of three semifinalists for North American Truck of the Year.
The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards organization announced its list of semifinalists Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show.
The Chevorlet Silverado ZR2 and the Ford F-150 Lighting joined the Endurance as semifinalists in the truck category.
Limited production of the Endurance at Foxconn’s Lordstown, Ohio, plant is expected to begin this month. Commercial sales should begin during the fourth quarter, the company has said.
Jurors selected 26 vehicles to advance to the next round of the 2023 awards process. The list includes 10 cars, three trucks and 13 utility vehicles that are all new or substantially new and are or will be on sale this year. The semifinalists emerged from an initial list of 47 eligible cars, trucks and utility vehicles announced in June via the first of three NACTOY jury votes.
“This year’s group of semifinalists highlights the changes we’ve seen sweeping across the automotive industry in recent years. Most mainstream vehicles now fall into the utility category; most vehicles in the car category are focused on performance or luxury; and more electric vehicles than ever before are starting to hit the market,” said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg. “NACTOY jurors look forward to testing and evaluating these vehicles before the next vote.”
NACTOY’s awards are not decided by a single publication. Instead, 50 jurors representing print, online, radio and broadcast media across the U.S. and Canada evaluate vehicles throughout the year.
The jurors vote three times during the year to reduce the list of eligible vehicles down to semifinalists, finalists and, finally, winners.
In the North American Car of the Year category, the semifinalists are:
- AcuraIntegra
- BMW i4 eDrive40
- Genesis G80 EV
- Genesis G90
- Mercedes-Benz C Class
- Mercedes-Benz EQE
- Nissan Z
- SubaruWRX
- Toyota Crown
- Toyota GR Corolla
Semifinalists in the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year category are:
- Audi Q4 e-tron
- BMW iX xDrive50
- Cadillac Lyriq
- Genesis GV60
- Honda CR-V
- Honda HR-V
- Kia EV6
- Kia Sportage
- Lexus RX
- Mazda CX-50
- Nissan Ariya
- Rivian R1S
- Volvo C40 Recharge
The next step in the yearlong process is an annual comparison drive that will take place Oct. 17 through Oct. 20, where jurors will evaluate the semifinalist candidates before voting to select the three finalists in each group.
The finalists will be announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 16, and winners will be announced at a special event in Detroit on Jan. 11, 2023.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
