Chevrolet Volt & Ford Explorer win 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year

The Chevrolet Volt took top honors as the 2011 North American Car of the Year, while the 2011 Ford Explorer won the award for the 2011 North American Truck of the Year.  The awards were announced at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit, Michigan.   The awards are considered some of the most prestigious in the industry as the winners are chosen by a panel of 49 automotive journalists. 

The results in each category were:

2011 Car of the Year:

2011 Chevrolet Volt = 233 points

2011 Hyundai Sonata = 163 points

2011 Nissan Leaf = 94

2011 Truck of the Year:

2011 Ford Explorer = 253 points

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee = 138

2011 Dodge Durango = 99 points

To qualify for consideration, the vehicles much be completely new or substantially redesigned/changed from the prior year.