DETROIT | The sixth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced during a ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame last week.
Organized by the South East Automotive Media Organization, the awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automotive industry.
A jury of more than two-dozen professional automotive journalists throughout North America selected the winners from 33 concept vehicles and 11 production preview vehicles that made a North American debut during the 2007 Auto Show season.
The concept car category was hotly contested. For 2007, 23 nominees were competing for the top honor.
First seen at the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors' Holden division in Australia shows that the retro craze is strong as ever, with the Holden EFIJY, winner of the 2007 Concept Car of the Year Award.
"This retro-styled coupe is reminiscent of the custom-bodied show cars from the late 1930s," said Automotive Writers Group jury member Bob Kroupa. "Built on a modern-day Corvette chassis with a supercharged engine pushing 600 horsepower, while also including all of today's creature comforts, makes EFIJY a real winner."
The Truck and SUV category produced a diverse range of ideas for the future of the light truck market.
This year, DaimlerChrysler makes its fourth trip to the podium in this category and the second visit for its Jeep brand, with the Jeep Trailhawk concept taking this year's award for Concept Truck of the Year.
The Specialty Concept category was established to recognize those vehicles outside the mainstream purpose or definition of a car or truck, as well as those vehicles where technology, not the package, is the key story.
Earning the top slot was the 2007 Chevrolet Volt that showcased a drivetrain and control architecture designed to work with power sources ranging from fuel cell, to plug-in hybrid, to battery-only power supply.
Category of Production Preview is for those vehicles based on a model that has already been announced or planned for production.
Emphasizing concept vehicles making the evolution from design to production stages is the Jaguar C-XF Concept -- winner of the Production Preview class for 2007.
(Editor's note: Times Auto Writer Jim Jackson has been a juror on the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Award committee since 2005.)
