The Chevrolet Corvette has won the North American Car of the Year Award at an event in Detroit on Monday morning, CNN reports.
According to the report, Chevrolet Corvette won the award for the North America Car of the Year while Kia Telluride was named SUV of the Year and the Jeep Gladiator won Truck of the Year.
The North America Car awards were voted on by a jury of 50 automotive journalists, who are considered to be among the most prestigious automotive honours. To be eligible, a vehicle had to be either completely new for the 2020 model year or be substantially redesigned, the report added.
The Corvette and the Telluride also both received the MotorTrend Car and SUV of the Year awards in November in Los Angeles.
The 2020 Corvette represents a major change for the famous American sports car. Ever since its introduction in 1953, every Corvette has had its engine in front under the hood, as do most other cars. The 2020 Corvette has its engine behind the seats, more or less in the centre of the car. This follows the pattern of most high-cost exotic sports cars, such as Lamborghinis, McLarens and some Ferraris.
“A mid-engine Corvette was a huge risk for Chevy’s muscle-car icon. They nailed it,” said Henry Payne, auto critic for The Detroit News and a juror for the award.
Prices for the base version of the Corvette start at about $60,000, which is far less than the $200,000 or more the cost of the similarly-designed European exotic.
“We’re really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and this award is kind of the ultimate validation for that,” said Tadge Juechter, chief engineer for the Corvette, who accepted the award for General Motors (GM).
The Corvette beat out two finalists, the Toyota Supra and Hyundai Sonata, for the award.
The award for the Telluride marks the first time a Kia has ever won a North American car SUV, Car or Truck of the Year Award. The
Telluride is Kia’s first large SUV. Critics, including MotorTrend, have lauded its luxury-like ride quality and an extensive list of available features.
The Telluride’s interior layout and design would meet luxury SUV standards, while its refined drivetrain, confident driving dynamics and advanced technology maintain the premium experience,” said Karl Brauer, executive publisher at Cox Automotive, who also voted on the award.
The other two finalists for SUV of the Year were the Hyundai Palisade and Lincoln Navigator.