Awards Presented At North American International Auto Show In Detroit

Land Rover announced on January 9 that the all-new 2012 Range Rover Evoque has been named the 2012 North American Truck of the Year. The announcement was made at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2012 Range Rover Evoque was selected over two other finalists, the BMW X3 and the Honda CR-V, based on the following categories: value for the dollar, innovation, handling, performance, safety, and driver satisfaction.

The Range Rover Evoque was reviewed by a coalition of fifty automotive journalists, from the United States and Canada, representing all media platforms. Every year, the jurors of the North American Truck of the Year convene to determine worthy vehicle contenders and limit the eligible vehicles to approximately ten cars and ten trucks. Based on a points system, the jurors rate the vehicles and send their ballots to Deloitte & Touche's office in Detroit where the selection process is narrowed down to three cars and three trucks with the most points. Once the three finalists are announced, the jurors vote again on the finalists.

The Range Rover Evoque is available in two versions: a coupe and a five-door, with starting prices of $44,995 and $43,995, respectively. Every Range Rover Evoque destined for the United States will be equipped with all-wheel-drive and will feature a 240-horsepower, turbocharged, direct fuel injected, four-cylinder engine coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Range Rover Evoque achieves 28 MPG EPA estimated highway and 18 MPG EPA estimated city.

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra was named 2012 North American Car of the Year. The award marks Hyundai's second win. The Hyundai Genesis was named North American Car of the Year in 2009. The jurors considered more than 50 new vehicles, before selecting the top three cars and top three trucks. The Volkswagen Passat and Ford Focus were the other car finalists.

This is the 19th year of the awards, which were inspired by the prestigious European "Car of the Year." The jury is administered by an organizing committee and funded exclusively with dues paid by the jurors.

Elantra's standard fuel economy is EPA-rated at 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined, with the six-speed automatic transmission or manual transmission. These figures give Elantra a highway-only driving range of up to 500 miles. Elantra's strong EPA ratings are backed up by the highest owner satisfaction with real-world fuel economy in the compact class, according to data from J.D. Power and Associates.

Under the hood, the Elantra is powered by an all-new 1.8-liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque (145 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque for Elantra PZEV). Thanks to advanced clean engine technology, most Elantras sold in California, Oregon, and several Northeast states are certified as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) by the EPA. The PZEV Elantra is as clean as many hybrid electric vehicles. The PZEV Elantra helps Hyundai meet its environmental commitments. Outside of these "green" states, the Elantra is available as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).

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