2015 Car & Truck/Utility of the Year finalists unveiled. Can Chevy win big again?

The jurors of the North American Car & Truck/Utility Of The Year (NACTOY) Award have revealed the shortlist of finalists. Last year's Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray; the Truck/Utility of the Year was the Chevrolet Silverado.

As the 2015 Detroit Auto Show draws nearer, the jurors of the North American Car & Truck/Utility Of The Year (NACTOY) Award hone their field from the long list to the short—and prepare to hand out of the trophies. Our own editorial director Marty Padgett is among those jurors, and will also be announcing the winners at the show this year.

As with every year, the NACTOY award process for 2015 has been a long and careful one, with multiple drives of each car, input from each of the 50 jurors, and many votes to narrow the field from each new car to hit the street to the ones that deserve the most attention and honor—and finally, to the winners, to be announced Monday, January 12.

Last year's Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray; the Truck/Utility of the Year was the Chevrolet Silverado. American carmakers have won 12 of the 21 times the award has been given; of the remaining 9 awards, four went to European brands, three to Japanese brands, and two went to Korea's Hyundai.

This year’s finalists are:
2015 North American Car of the Year:

Ford Mustang
Hyundai Genesis
Volkswagen Golf

2015 North American Truck/Utility of the Year:

Chevrolet Colorado
Ford F-150
Lincoln MKC
The “short list” of nominees was released back in October:
2015 North American Car of the Year Short List
Acura TLX
Audi A3
Chrysler 200
Ford Mustang
Honda Fit
Hyundai Genesis sedan
Hyundai Sonata
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Toyota Camry
Volkswagen Golf/GTI
2015 North American Truck/Utility of the Year Short List
Audi Q3
Chevrolet Colorado
Chevrolet Tahoe
Ford F-150
GMC Canyon
Lexus NX
Lincoln MKC
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Nissan Murano
Porsche Macan
Subaru Outback
Toyota Highlander

Some of the notable absences from the finalists lists include: the new Audi Q3, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Porsche Macan, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Audi A3.