2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year Long List Revealed

This year's list is as long and varied as the industry itself, with everything from inexpensive subcompacts like the Honda Fit to exotically styled, constructed and powered dream cars like the BMW i8 up for consideration. It's also a truck/utility-heavy year, with utility players like the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Colorado commingling with tiny luxury CUVs like the Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class. This is the first time we can recall the eligible nominees in the truck/utility segment outnumbering the number of qualifying cars. While we're not ready to call it a bellwether moment, it seems like both a reflection of industry trends and also an acknowledgment that companies like General Motors are renewing a lot of closely related product families this year (e.g. GM's full-size GMT K2UC/G SUVs).

A number of car companies have multiple nominees, including GM (one car, eight trucks/utilities), Ford (one car, seven trucks/utilities), BMW (five cars, one utility), Hyundai/Kia (three cars, two utilities) and Toyota (one car, three utilities).

Last year, the cut crystal awards went to the Chevy Corvette Stingray and Silverado in a rare brand sweep.

It's important to note that this long list is a preliminary roundup of new or substantially refreshed vehicles, and at this early stage in the process, the jurors, like the rest of the automotive media, haven't necessarily had a chance to see and drive everything on the list. As we've noted previously, the long list is designed to show which vehicles are eligible for consideration, and as such, it's a fluid one – some nominees may fall of the list if they aren't made available to the jury within the consideration period, and other vehicles not shown on this list may yet be added.

For 2015, the independent jury (NACTOY is not affiliated with any publication, show or automaker, and funding comes from dues paid by the jurors themselves) has been expanded by 10 slots to 60 jurors. The expansion comes in acknowledgement of the industry's growing number of important publications in print, online and broadcast journalism.

The jury has a lot of work ahead of it: this autumn, after jurors have driven the nominees, an initial round of voting will be held, and the resulting "short list" of a dozen or so vehicles will trigger a further period of assessment followed by another vote that will result in three finalists for each category. A final round of voting will commence, and the winners will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility Candidates

Cars

• Acura TLX
• Alfa Romeo 4C
• Audi A3
• BMW M3
• BMW M4
• BMW i3
• BMW i8
• Cadillac ATS Coupe & V
• Chrysler 200
• Dodge Challenger
• Dodge Charger
• Ford Mustang
• Honda Fit
• Hyundai Genesis sedan
• Hyundai Sonata
• Jaguar F-Type Coupe
• Kia K900
• Lexus RC
• Maserati Ghibli
• Mercedes-Benz B-Class electric
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe
• Mini Hardtop
• Subaru Legacy
• Subaru WRX / WRX STi
• Toyota Camry
• Toyota Yaris
• Volkswagen Golf/GTI
• Volvo V60

Trucks/Utilities

• Audi Q3
• BMW X4
• Cadillac Escalade
• Chevrolet Colorado
• Chevrolet Suburban
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Chevrolet Trax
• Ford Edge
• Ford Expedition
• Ford F-150
• Ford F-Series HD
• Ford Transit Connect
• GMC Canyon
• GMC Yukon
• GMC Yukon XL
• Jeep Renegade
• Kia Sedona
• Kia Soul EV
• Lexus NX
• Lincoln MKC
• Lincoln Navigator
• Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
• Nissan Murano
• Porsche Macan
• Ram Promaster City
• Subaru Outback
• Toyota Highlander
• Volvo XC60
• Volvo XC90