Of all myriad car and truck awards out now, the North American is still considered the most prestigious. It is picked by about 50 top auto journalists and will be named at the big auto show in Detroit next month.
The Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat are the finalists for the 2012 North American Car of the Year.
For North American Truck of the Year, the finalists are the BMW X3, the Honda CR-V and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
All the vehicles, both the car and corssovers, are compacts except the Passat, a midsize sedan.
