Ram 1500, Hyundai Kona, Genesis G70 are North American vehicles of year

Jamie L. LaReau
Detroit Free Press

It was a big day for Hyundai Monday as it won two of the three 2019 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the year awards at the Detroit Auto Show.

The car of the year award went to Hyundai's luxury brand, Genesis G70; the utility of the year went to Hyundai Kona, and truck of the Year is the Ram 1500.

William Lee, CEO of Hyundai North America, said he is "honored and delighted" with the awards. He said the Kona is "timeless and comfortable" and offers more than 450 miles of range. 

"Every employee in our company played a part in this award," said Lee.

For Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, the award was "very unexpected," said Manfred Fitzgerald, head of the Genesis brand, who also commended Honda and Volvo.

The Genesis G70 won the North American Car of the Year at the start of the North American International Auto Show media previews at Cobo Center in Detroit on Monday, January, 14, 2019.

"This is very meaningful to us being only in our third year as a brand. You cannot imagine how much this means to us as a brand," said Fitzgerald. "This is definitely a motivation for us for the future. I promise there is much, much more to come."

Reid Bigland, head of Ram brand, said leaders at Fiat Chrysler knew the pickup was special and sales are reflecting it. In December, Ram 1500 sales rose 40 percent so, "It's great that consumers are seeing in this Ram what the judges have seen."

The annual vehicle of the year awards consist of 54 jurors considering more than 60 vehicles then casting secret ballots to pick the three best, said Lauren Fix, president of the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the year Awards.

Car nominees

Genesis G70 luxury sport sedan

The Genesis G70 won the North American Car of the Year at the start of the North American International Auto Show media previews at Cobo Center in Detroit on Monday, January, 14, 2019.

Prices: $34,900-$50,250

Hyundai’s luxury brand takes on sport sedans such as the BMW 3-series and Audi A4, but packs a value. The 365-hp twin-turbo V6 with all-wheel-drive is top pick, with prices starting at $45,750. Its German competitors cost thousands more, with less room and fewer standard features.

The 252-horsepower 2.0-liter, rear-drive base G70 lowers the price of entry for a good sport sedan, essentially the same as a loaded midsize sedan.

Volvo S/V60 luxury sport sedan and station wagon

Price range: $35,800-$55,400

Score one for style, value and lots of cool features on Volvo's new luxury-sport sedan (the S) and V (wagon) 60. Conveniently, the two use the same architecture and technology as Volvo’s bigger XC90, which was 2016 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. 

The car has a sleek exterior and a modern interior that is open, with simple controls and low-gloss natural wood. The cars come in front- or all-wheel-drive, two different plug-in hybrid models and safety systems can recognize and brake automatically for bicyclists, pedestrians and large animals.

Car of the Year finalist--Volvo S60

More:Volvo S/V60: My pick for North American Car of the Year

Honda Insight hybrid sedan

Prices: $22,830-$28,090

The sleek compact Insight has all the features customers like about Honda sedans with the fuel efficiency of a hybrid, meant to rival the Toyota Prius. It's roomy and comfortable inside and the most efficient Insight scored 55 mpg in the city, 49 on the highway and 52 combined in EPA tests. Standard features include front collision alert and autonomous emergency braking; lane departure warning and assist; and adaptive cruise control.

Car of the Year finalist--2019 Honda Insight

Truck nominees

Ram 1500

The Ram 1500 won the North American Truck of the Year at the start of the North American International Auto Show media previews at Cobo Center in Detroit on Monday, January, 14, 2019.

Price range: $31,795-$56,895

The surprise of the year may be the Ram pickup and how it's overshadowed the all-new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles loaded the 1500 with features to raise the level of technology, comfort and style that buyers can expect from a pickup.

The Ram brings mild-hybrid fuel-economy technology to America’s bestselling class of vehicles thanks to a 48-volt motor-generator and a lithium-ion battery hidden in the rear wall of its spacious cab. Ram deserves credit for migrating the technology from high-price, low-volume luxury models to affordable, high-volume vehicles.

Truck of the Year finalist--2019 Ram 1500 Limited

More:Ram 1500: My vote for North American Truck of the Year

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Price range: $28,300-$56,600

The all-new 2019 Silverado has eight distinct models, the broadest product line in the history of GM’s bestselling vehicle. The pickups are loaded with technology and more interior storage space than the outgoing model. Every model benefits from advances like a bed that’s tailored to hold more cargo, 3.9 inches of extra wheelbase and clever materials use to trim weight up to 450 pounds.

A new cylinder deactivation system accomplishes what generations of engineers thought was impossible: shutting off anything from one to all eight cylinders in a V8 to save fuel.

Truck of the Year finalist--2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT

GMC Sierra 1500

Price range: $29,600-$58,300

The Sierra light-duty pickup is the Silverado up a notch, offering an incredible MultiPro tailgate along with more standard features, and the wildly popular Denali top-of-the-line model. No other pickup has the unique tailgate. The Sierra’s optional MultiPro offers six different functions and positions. This year an optional carbon-fiber bed becomes available.

2019 GMC Sierra AT4

Utility nominees

Hyundai Kona subcompact SUV

The Hyundai Kona won the North American Sport Utility of the Year during the start of the North American International Auto Show media previews at Cobo Center in Detroit on Monday, January, 14, 2019.

Price range: $19,990-$34,650

The Hyundai Kona is a cute subcompact that comes in a gasoline-powered version or an affordable electric. The EV has an EPA-rated range of 258 miles and a charging time of 9 hours, 24 minutes at 240 volts. Free Press Auto Critic Mark Phelan said that’s better than some pricier vehicles. The Kona EV’s base price is $34,650 — $28,950 after tax credits.

The gasoline-powered Kona starts at $19,990 and comes with standard touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, forward collision alert, braking assist, lane-keeping assist and drowsy-driver alert. The Kona has plenty of room, eye-catching optional two-tone paint and backup camera.

2019 Hyundai Kona EV

More:Hyundai Kona: My vote for North American Utility Vehicle of the Year

Jaguar I-Pace

Price range: $69,500-$89,500

This is the auto industry's most direct challenge to Tesla to date. Jaguar’s first all-electric production vehicle blends classic style, luxury and comfort with a zero-emissions drivetrain. The I-Pace’s styling is sleek and new, but true to Jag’s heritage with a luxuriously trimmed interior. It can accelerate to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. 

The EPA rates the electric SUV’s range at 234 miles, with a charging time of 13 hours at 240 volts.

Utility of the Year finalist--2019 Jaguar I-Pace, European model

Acura RDX

Price range: $37,300-$47,400

This is Acura’s bestselling model and it just got better with a bigger interior and a bang-up turbocharged engine. This is the third generation of the compact luxury SUV and it's the first to be engineered and designed in America.

The RDX has a 10-speed automatic transmission and optional all-wheel drive. It has a 272-horsepower 2.0-liter engine. Passenger and cargo space both increased from the old model, and the new interior is more upscale and modern. The SUV also offers a full-color 10.5-inch head-up display and 16-channel 710-watt ELS audio system.

Utility of the Year finalist--2019 Acura RDX

More:My picks for North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

More:Fiat Chrysler to unveil new Ram Heavy Duty pickup at Detroit auto show

NACTOY awards are judged by approximately 50 professional automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who work for independent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and industry websites. They are administered by an organizing committee and are funded with dues paid by the jurors.

Voting for finalists and winners is tallied by Deloitte & Touche.

Contact Jamie LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com or 313-222-2149