Second time automaker captures car of the year honors in 4 years
Detroit automakers got shut out of honors at their hometown’s auto show Monday as the Hyundai Elantra and the Range Rover Evoque won North American car and truck of the year awards.
The win by Hyundai is the second time it captures car of the year honors at the show in four years. Its luxury Genesis won the award in 2009.
It also marked another sign of the growing competitive threat that the Korean automaker poses to Detroit. Hyundai Motor’s two brands, Hyundai and Kia, captured nearly 9% of the U.S. market in 2011, nearly double the share it had five years ago.
“Sporty yet sensible. Luxurious, yet affordable. Spunky, but safe,” said Jayne O’Donnell of USA Today, one of the judges. “The Elantra is a series of paradoxes and every one is another argument for the latest impressive entry in the Hyundai lineup.”
The Hyundai beat out the Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Passat for the honors.
