• January 11, 2010

The North American Car and Truck of the Year has been happening for 17 years at the Detroit Auto Show, and only twice has one automaker taken both car and truck honors. Ford did it this year with the Fusion Hybrid sedan and -- surprisingly -- with Transit Connect, an all-purpose van for small-business owners.

Paul Eisenstein, one of 49 jurors, wrote on his "Detroit Bureau" auto news Web site that he and his peers had to consider 29 car and 16 trucks models vying in the U.S. market.

He writes that car finalists included Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen's diesel-powered Golf TDI, and truck finalists were the Chevrolet Equinox crossover and Subaru Outback. The Hyundai Genesis sedan and the Ford F-150 won last year.

Eisenstein points out that the Fusion hybrid is the fourth hybrid to win, and that the last one was the Honda Civic, in 2006, when it also won for trucks with the Ridgeline pickup. In 2007, General Motors took both awards with Saturn Aura sedan and Chevrolet Silverado pickup.--Karl Greenberg