Ioniq 5, Santa Cruz, and GV70 Selected as Finalists for 'North American Car of the Year'
Half of the Finalists Are Hyundai Motor Company "Feeling the Changed Status"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] Hyundai Motor Company's Ioniq 5 and Santa Cruz, along with Genesis GV70, have been selected as finalists for the '2022 North American Car of the Year (NACTOY)'.
The North American Car of the Year selection committee announced on the 18th that Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV70 were chosen as finalists in the Utility category, while Hyundai's Santa Cruz was selected as a finalist in the Truck category.
With this, Hyundai Motor Group has achieved the feat of having three models as finalists for two consecutive years, following the 2021 North American Car of the Year finalists Avante, G80, and GV80. This accounts for half of the North American Car of the Year finalists, demonstrating the changed brand status in the U.S., the world's largest automotive market, according to the company.
The Ioniq 5 is the first Hyundai electric vehicle model to be selected as a finalist for North American Car of the Year, confirming the local competitiveness of electric vehicles based on the E-GMP platform. The GV70 also showed its strength by being nominated last month as MotorTrend's SUV of the Year in the U.S. and becoming a finalist for North American Car of the Year. The Santa Cruz added significance by becoming the first Korean vehicle to be named a finalist in the Truck category in the U.S., the home of pickup trucks.
Meanwhile, the 2022 North American Car of the Year passenger car finalists include Honda Civic, Lucid Air, and Volkswagen Golf MkⅧ; the Utility category finalists include Ioniq 5, GV70, and Ford Bronco; and the Truck category finalists include Santa Cruz, Ford Maverick, and Rivian R1T.
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With Ioniq 5, GV70, and Santa Cruz as finalists, Hyundai Motor Group is challenging for its seventh North American Car of the Year award and its fourth consecutive year since Hyundai Genesis Sedan in 2009, Hyundai Avante (MD) in 2012, Hyundai Kona and Genesis G70 in 2019, Kia Telluride in 2020, and Hyundai Avante (CN7) in 2021. The final results are scheduled to be announced in January next year.
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