Finalists for the 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards were just announced at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show, with the Chevy Silverado ZR2 making the cut as a finalist in the North American Truck of the Year category.
For those readers who may be unaware, the annual NACTOY Awards recognize outstanding new vehicles in three categories, including North American Car of the Year, North American Truck of the Year, and North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. Vehicles are selected as benchmarks in their respective segments based on a variety of different factors, including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value.
Award-winners are determined via three rounds of voting by an eclectic panel of 50 jurors pulled from a variety of different automotive outlets, including representatives from print, web, radio, and broadcast media. The original pool of 47 eligible vehicles was narrowed down to 26 semi-finalists, with recent second-round voting narrowing the field further to nine finalists.
In the North American Truck of the Year category, the Chevy Silverado ZR2 will now face off against the Ford F-150 Lightning and Lordstown Endurance for top honors. Final voting will take place between December 30th, 2022, and January 5th, 2023, with award winners announced during a special event in Detroit on January 11th, 2023.
Notably, this year’s NACTOY finalists included a record-breaking six all-electric vehicles. During the recent NACTOY test-drive and evaluation event in October, over two dozen jurors participated in an informal poll that provided insights into electrification and ongoing production issues. Key takeaways from the poll results included predictions that EVs will make up 50 percent of new vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035, with jurors pointing to public charging limitations, EV misinformation, and vehicle cost as the primary roadblocks to EV adoption. Jurors also predicted that the average new car price will continue to increase, resulting in more buyers holding onto their vehicles longer, while supply chain and production issues are expected to be mostly resolved by 2024.
As a reminder, the Chevy Silverado ZR2 features the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 L87 engine and is rated at 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Under the body panels is the GM T1 platform.
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Comments
This is a forgone conclusion.
As much as I would like the Chevy Silverado ZR2 to win, the Ford F-150 Lightning will probably get the nod. Here are my reasons:
1. In this present climate, it is right thing to do.
2. EVs are climbing in popularity, due to the current cost of gasoline.
3. The reputation of the judges are at stake and to appeal to current masses and the media they will pick an EV
I do applaud the Chevy Silverado ZR2 for reaching this far and fending off other truck offerings, including some EVs but the Ford Lightning I think will win it. The Silverado ZR2 has a lot to offer, with both off-road and on road capability and the technology it provides but my speculation is the Silverado will not win.
Single Cab…..Single cab……Single Cab……..Is anyone listening?????????