DETROIT – The Dodge Charger won the 2026 North American Car of the Year award, while the Ford Maverick Lobo took the crown for the truck honors, and the Hyundai Palisade won the utility award.
The awards were announced Wednesday morning during an Automotive Press Association event at the start of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
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Automakers prize the awards, which are decided by a group of journalists from the U.S. and Canada who evaluate factors such as vehicle innovation, design, performance, driver satisfaction and more in their decisions.
The honors are considered a key gauge for how media perceive automakers' new and redesigned vehicles, and buyers often use them in selecting vehicles for purchase.
In addition to the winning Dodge Charger midsize car, car finalists included the Honda Prelude hybrid sports coupe and the Nissan Sentra compact car.
The truck finalists this year included the Ram 1500 Hemi alongside the Ram 2500.
The remaining utility finalists were the Lucid Gravity luxury electric vehicle and Nissan Leaf small electric crossover SUV.
This year’s finalists represented a mix of internal combustion engine, hybrid and electric vehicles.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.