DETROIT, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of 49 automotive journalists from
the United States and Canada has selected the 2004 Toyota Prius as the 2004
North American Car of the Year and the 2004 Ford F-150 as the North American
Truck of the Year.
    The awards honor vehicles that establish new benchmarks in areas including
design, innovation, safety and handling.
    Now in their tenth year, they are the only independent, international
awards in North America.
    Instead of coming from a single publication they are given by veteran
automotive journalists representing newspapers, magazines, radio and
television.  Most of those journalists have been covering the auto industry
for at least two decades.
    The winners were announced January 4th at a news conference at the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit, although the auto show is not
otherwise involved.
    The jurors considered 17 cars and 13 trucks.  The three car finalists were
the Toyota Prius, Mazda RX-8 and Cadillac XLR.  The three truck finalists were
the Nissan Titan, the Ford F-150 and the Cadillac SRX.
    The jurors voted early in December, sending their ballots to Richard
Gabrys, the vice chairman of the accounting firm of Deloitte.  Gabrys counted
the ballots but kept the winners secret until the news conference, when the
sealed envelopes containing the names of the winners were opened by Tony Swan,
the executive editor of Car and Driver magazine and a juror.
    The Prius received 298 points, compared to 167 for the RX-8 and 113 for
the XLR.
    The Ford F-150 received 317 points, compared to 249 for the Titan and 198
for the SRX.
    A fact sheet follows, along with this year's eligible vehicles and a list
of previous winners.

    FACT SHEET

    NAME - The awards are the "North American Car of the Year" and "North
American Truck of the Year," not "Car of the Year."

    WHO GIVES THE AWARDS? - This year the awards were given by a group of 49
full-time automotive journalists from Canada and the United States.  While the
awards are announced at the North American International Auto Show, the show
does not give the awards.

    HOW ARE THE AWARDS CHOSEN? - The awards are designed to recognize the most
outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors including innovation,
design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

    ELIGIBILITY - Vehicles must be new or "substantially changed" from the
previous model.

    HOW DO THE JURORS VOTE? - Jurors are given 25 points to divide among cars
and trucks.  However, no more than 10 points may be given to a single vehicle.
The ballots are counted by Deloitte.  The three finalists in each category are
released in mid-December but until the news conference in January only Richard
Gabrys, the vice chairman of Deloitte, knows the winners.

    HISTORY - The awards were started in 1993, were first given in January
1994, and were modeled after the Car of the Year in Europe.  They are
administered by a seven-person organizing committee and funded by dues paid by
the jurors.


    2004 ELIGIBLE VEHICLES

    2004 NORTH AMERICAN CAR OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

    Acura TSX
    Acura TL
    Audi A8 L
    BMW 5-Series
    Cadillac XLR
    Chevrolet Malibu
    Chrysler Crossfire
    Chrysler Pacifica
    Jaguar XJ8/XJR
    Mazda RX-8
    Nissan Maxima
    Nissan Quest
    Pontiac GTO
    Toyota Prius
    Toyota Scion xB
    Toyota Sienna
    Volkswagen Phaeton


    2004 NORTH AMERICAN TRUCK OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

    BMW X3
    Cadillac SRX
    Chevrolet Colorado
    Chevrolet SSR
    Dodge Durango
    Ford F-150
    GMC Canyon
    Infiniti FX35/45
    Lexus RX 330
    Nissan Pathfinder Armada
    Nissan Titan
    Porsche Cayenne S/Cayenne Turbo
    Volkswagen Touareg


    PAST WINNERS

    1994 North American Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz C-Class
    1994 North American Truck of the Year - Dodge Ram

    1995 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler Cirrus
    1995 North American Truck of the Year - Chevrolet Blazer

    1996 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler minivans
    1996 North American Truck of the Year - Ford F-150

    1997 North American Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz SLK
    1997 North American Truck of the Year - Ford Expedition

    1998 North American Car of the Year - Chevrolet Corvette
    1998 North American Truck of the Year - Mercedes-Benz ML320

    1999 North American Car of the Year - Volkswagen New Beetle
    1999 North American Truck of the Year - Jeep Grand Cherokee

    2000 North American Car of the Year - Ford Focus
    2000 North American Truck of the Year - Nissan Xterra

    2001 North American Car of the Year - Chrysler PT Cruiser
    2001 North American Truck of the Year - Acura MDX

    2002 North American Car of the Year - Nissan Altima
    2002 North American Truck of the Year - Chevrolet TrailBlazer

    2003 North American Car of the Year - Mini Cooper/Cooper S
    2003 North American Truck of the Year - Volvo XC90

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