Things That Make You Go Hmm -- Two Electric Vehicles Nominated for Car of the Year
Two electric cars, the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, are in the running for the 2011 North American Car of the Year, a contest whose winner will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show on Jan. 10. Past choices have tended to focus on middle-of-the road sales successes, but this year is a clear departure from that pattern -- the Leaf and Volt, although finally headed for the market, are unlikely to top any sales charts, but they have environmental cred to burn, and great stories to tell.
If the Grammies always gave out awards based solely on merit instead of sales, then the top hitmakers wouldn't win every year. Would any critic argue that Lady GaGa's The Fame Monster and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (both nominated) actually are the best albums of 2010, and not just the bestselling?
The same is at least partially true of the Academy Awards, though sometimes critical successes will hit a home run against a box office smash. After all, Jeff Bridges won a Best Actor honor for Crazy Heart this year, and that was no Hollywood blockbuster.
Car of the year: Often boring and mainstream
The car awards? Well, they often go to disappointingly mainstream choices, too. Was the Saturn Aura really the "North American Car of the Year" in 2007? And the Chrysler 300 the best of 2005? Many considerations go into these awards, and sales success, sentiment (especially for Detroit cars that aren't great, but are a relative improvement over last year's models) and the need to appease advertisers and clients play a role along with the aesthetic considerations.
The Motor Trend Car of the Year award has gone to such relatively lackluster models as the Chevrolet Caprice (1991 and 1977), Renault Alliance (1983), Chrysler Cirrus (1995), Chevrolet Vega (1971), Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare (1976) and, believe it or not, the awful Chrysler K cars (1981).
But the Motor Trend winner for 2011? The Chevy Volt, which also took similar honors from Automobile Magazine this year, as well as "Green Car of the Year" from Green Car Journal. If it takes Detroit, it will be a Godfather moment -- that film, released in 1972, took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Why the Volt is sweeping other awards
The Volt is an award winner for a lot of reasons. It is, after all, a triumph of engineering and a unique entrant in the automotive field -- no other car works quite that way, though the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma comes close. But the Volt is also a triumphant success story, an affirmation of American ingenuity, and a Hollywood-type resurrection tale. GM built this car as it was going bankrupt, hoist on its own SUV petard!
In short, the Volt will be hard to resist for the 49 U.S. and Canadian automotive journalists who get to choose the North American Car of the Year. The Leaf also comes with a compelling story, representing as it does Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn's relentless drive to be first-to-market with a state-of-the-art EV. He's staked considerable personal prestige on the Leaf, which like the Volt met its first customers this week.
But these are North American journalists, and my guess is that the Volt story will be more compelling for them. Personally, I believe the Leaf is just as deserving, but the Volt's back story may be enough to push it into the winner's circle. And the Hyundai Sonata, especially its hybrid version, is also in the running -- and a personal favorite of mine. The automaker's push for a 50 mpg fleet average is game changing and laudatory.
And the winner is...
I'm not accusing the judges of having a pro-American bias -- plenty of foreign cars have won the award, including the luxury Hyundai Genesis in 2009, and the Honda Civic in 2006. It is interesting to note, however, that the Truck of the Year finalists are all American this year -â€" the Jeep Grand Cherokee (which has a lot of Mercedes in its DNA, actually), the Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango.
So let's enjoy these awards without taking them too seriously. That would be as silly as limiting your iPod to Grammy-winning songs. Speaking of which, could a song whose title is "F*** You" (by Cee Lo Green) really win as Best Song this year? Tune in Feb. 13 and find out. The Grammies are on CBS.
Related:
- The EV vs. Fuel Cell Wars Heat Up as the Cars Head for the Market
- At $41,000, Chevy Volt Isn't Cheap (But it Could Blaze Trails)