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2019 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year finalists announced

A wide variety of vehicles from automakers like Honda, Chevrolet, Jaguar, Ram and Volvo will vie for the coveted awards.

North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year

The 2019 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards have their finalists. The annual NACTOY awards, which are determined by a jury of 54 journalists from print, online, radio and television publications, narrowed down their choices to a trio of new vehicles in each of the three categories from a longer list of semifinalists. 

As presented this morning at the LA Auto Show, the 2019 finalists are:

Car of the Year:

Utility Vehicle of the Year:

Truck of the Year:

2019 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year finalists

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The jurors from the nonprofit professional association will commence further evaluations of the finalists and hold a final round of voting. The winners will be announced at the North American International Auto Show (aka the Detroit Auto Show) in January.

This year's field of semifinalists included 14 cars, 12 utility vehicles and three trucks. Because the latter category only featured three semifinalists, there was no need for the jury to vote during this round. 

This is the awards' 26th year. Outlets represented by the jury include publications like Car and Driver, MotorWeek, Cars.com, The Toronto Star, and yes, Roadshow by CNET. Full disclosure: I am a longtime juror.

Chris Paukert Former executive editor / Cars
Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.
Chris Paukert
Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.

Article updated on November 28, 2018 at 12:55 PM PST

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Chris Paukert
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Chris Paukert Former executive editor / Cars
Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.
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