Car, Truck of the Year named at Detroit auto show

Car of the Year - Elantra (Top) and Truck of the Year - Evoque

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra was proclaimed the winner of the coveted "North American Car of The Year" award at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, U.S.A. on Monday, January 9, 2012.

The Elantra beat out the two other finalists, the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Passat, to win the award given by a panel of independent automotive journalists representing magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.

Edging out the BMW X3 and the Honda CR-V, the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque was also named the "North American Truck of the Year" during the ceremony.

The following also made the cut before the Top 3 finalists for both awards were chosen:

Car --- Audi A6, Audi A7, Buick Verano, Chevrolet Sonic Chrysler 300/SRT-8, Fiat 500, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Rio/Rio 5, Scion iQ, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius V, and VW Beetle.

Truck --- Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Mini Countryman, Nissan Quest, and Saab 9-4X.

Last year, the "North American Car of the Year" award went to the Chevrolet Volt while the Ford Explorer took home the "North American Truck of the Year" award.

This year marks the 19th consecutive time the awards have been given.