2017 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year finalists announced: Year's top models range from electric to luxury to heavy pickups

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Nov 15, 2016, 11:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Finalists for 2017 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) were announced Tuesday at Automobility L.A., the conference that precedes the Los Angeles auto show.

The finalists are:

Car of the Year

Chevrolet Bolt
Genesis G90
Volvo S90

Truck of the Year

Ford F-series Super Duty
Honda Ridgeline
Nissan Titan

Utility Vehicle of the Year

Chrysler Pacifica
Jaguar F-Pace
Mazda CX-9

The North American Car and Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards honor excellence in innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value. Initiated in 1994, they are judged about 60 professional automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who work for magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites. They are the longest-running award not associated with a specific publication, a structure that produces a diverse base of jurors.

Jurors evaluated dozens of new vehicles that went on sale this year to determine the finalists.

The award for Utility Vehicle of the Year is new for 2017, in recognition of the growing popularity of SUV-style vehicles. Passenger-oriented minivans are also eligible for Utility of the Year. Vehicles eligible for Truck of the Year include pickups of all sizes and light- and medium-duty commercial vans.

The 2017 Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the year will be announced Jan. 9 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The process of selecting the Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the year starts in June by identifying vehicles eligible for the awards. It includes three rounds of voting.

The voting for finalists and winners is tallied by Deloitte & Touche.

The finalists were announced at Automobility L.A., the conference that precedes the Los Angeles Auto show. It continues with vehicle unveilings and press conferences Wednesday and Thursday. The Los Angeles auto show is open to the public Nov. 18-27 at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

For more information, go to: www.northamericancaroftheyear.org

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SOURCE North American Car of the Year