Why the Hyundai Elantra is 2012 Car of the Year
The Hyundai Elantra was chosen as car of the year for North America for a reason, and it is time to find out who decided this and why. The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) was the second venue where the Elantra has been chosen as the car of the year. The 24th annual NAIAS show hosted 5,000 journalists from 55 countries for the 2012 event.
According to the show's website, "...the NAIAS is the only auto show in the United States to earn an annual distinguished sanction of the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, the Paris-based alliance of automotive trade associations and manufacturers from around the world."
With this prestigious background, the NAIAS steps away from the very large pack of auto shows that will go on in 2012. But, with more and more car shows and more "cars of the year", it helps to know why the Hyunda Elantra has beat out all of the competition at two shows so far this year.
The North American Car of the Year organizationsays that the judges are 50 automotive journalists who are Canadian and U.S. writers. Most of the judges are seasoned veterans who have covered the auto industry for decades.
The jury voting is made public, and to show that there is no undue outside influence, the organization states that there are no outside subsidies to cover the operating expenses, which are paid for from membership dues.
According toThe Washington Post/Bloomberg, the Hyunda Elantra was chosen over two other finalists: Ford Motor Co.’s Focus and Volkswagen AG’s Passat. The Elantra got 174 points from the judges. This is 13 more than the Volkswagen Passat, which took second place. The Ford Focus was in third place after being awarded only 155 points. This is the second time in two months that the Focus was beaten by the Elantra, which also led at the AutoBest 2012 awards.
The member of the Jury from USA Today said that,
"“The Hyundai Elantra is sporty, yet sensible. Luxurious, yet affordable. Spunky, but safe. The Elantra is a series of paradoxes and every one is another argument for the latest, impressive entry in the Hyundai lineup.”
One of the judging points is that qualifying vehicles must sell at least 5,000 units within the year. According toThe San Jose Mercury News, the North American CEO of Hyundai, John Krafcik confirms that the company is selling as many cars as it makes, and is considering expanding it's production capacity at its Montgomery, Alabama plant. 186,000 Elantras were sold last year, which was close to a 41 percent increase over 2010 sales.
USA Todayreports that Over 200,000 Elantras have been sold since the car was introduced and that the car gets 40 MPG in highway driving.SFGatesaid that the car retails for $16,445, gets an estimated 33 mpg.
Edmunds.comhas reviews by average consumers who bought the 2012 Elantra. The overall rating by 33 contributors is 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
The NAIAS competition requires that domestic North American Vehicles must compete with imported vehicles, and the most important standards for judging are:
Value for the dollar
Innovation
Handling
Performance
Safety
Driver Satisfaction
Qualifying vehicle makes and models must be "substantially changed" from the year before.
Qualifying vehicles must have "reasonably foreseeable annual sales in North America" soon after the auto show.
The Qualifying sales numbers are set at 5,000 for cars and 2,000 for trucks.
The North American Auto Show judging process:
The judging process begins with a large list of autos and trucks, and proceeds to narrow the field down to three finalists in each category. The process begins in September and is concluded in early January.
The jurors go over a huge field of autos, then narrow the candidates down to 10 cars and 10 trucks. There may be more if the jurors have not driven all of the cars, which gives the benefit of the doubt. The finalists are called "the short list", which must be finished in September.
In December, the three car finalists and three truck finalists are announced.
The jurors take a final vote in early January, but the winner is not announced until the first day of the car show.
The awards are announced at the show, but the show does not give the awards.
In summary, the Hyundai Elantra will be the car to beat this year, since there will be many more car shows, much more judging and a lot more sales that lie ahead.
