PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The winners of the sixteenth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced this morning during a ceremony held at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s.
The awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry. More than two dozen jurors participated in a selection process that involved a total of 24 vehicles, each introduced to North America during this season’s auto shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.
The Production Preview Concept category is for those vehicle prototypes that are the basis for a model that has already been announced or planned for production. The finalists in this category included the Infiniti QX50, Jaguar I-Pace, Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Passat GT.
Marking the brand’s fourth time as a category finalist, and third time as category winner, Jaguar took the honor of 2017 Production Preview Concept of the Year with its I-Pace Concept.
The Concept Car category recognizes passenger-centric, long-range prototypes designed to measure market reaction to future features and models. The finalists in this category were the Aston Martin RB 001 Valkyrie, Cadillac Escala, Chrysler Portal, Nissan V-motion 2.0.
Earning its third time as category finalist, and marking the brand’s first visit to the awards podium, Aston Martin earned the 2017 Concept Car of the Year award with its RB 001 Valkyrie Concept.
The Concept Truck category recognizes those concepts where cargo carrying is a significant design consideration. The finalists in this category were the Genesis GV80, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota FT-4X, Volkswagen I.D. Buzz.
In a rare occurrence, this year there was a tie for the Concept Truck of the Year, between the Genesis GV80, and the Volkswagen I.D. Buzz. These awards mark the Genesis brand’s second time as a category finalist, and first time as a category winner; and for the Volkswagen brand, the ninth time as a category finalist, and fourth time as a category winner
From among the winners in the Concept Car, Concept Truck and Production Preview Concept categories, the Jaguar I-Pace posted the highest overall score to earn the top award as Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2017. This award marks the Jaguar brand’s second time taking the Most Significant award.
For more details on the Concept Awards and the selection jury, please visit https://automediaregistry.org/presskit/#NACVOTY on the web.
North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Award – Background
Founded in 2002, the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards recognize those concept vehicles that have made the strongest impact in terms of automotive design, engineering and market responsiveness. Professional automotive journalists from throughout North America, representing dozens of outlets in virtually every media segment serve as volunteer jurors to select the award winners.
The awards are given to the best Production Preview Vehicle, Concept Car, Concept Truck, and Most Significant Concept Vehicle of each auto show season. To be eligible for the awards, a concept vehicle must make its North American debut during the current model year’s auto show season.
With the exception of those vehicles in the Production Preview category, qualified nominees must represent an advanced design and/or engineering concept, rather than being a show version of a current production model. Again, with the exception of the Production Preview category, the concept vehicles must not be intended for imminent production.
The Production Preview category recognizes those vehicles based on a model that has already been planned for production. The Concept Car segment is for those vehicles primarily intended for carrying passengers. The Concept Truck segment is for those vehicles where the user-configurable cargo volume and weight capacity are among the vehicle’s primary attributes.
From among the winning vehicles in these categories, the vehicle with the highest total score is named the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year.
These awards are unique in that they are judged by a diverse panel of automotive journalists from throughout North America, and considered in the specific context of the North American market. By extending the review to the whole package – design, style, materials, technology, market viability and market responsiveness – and concentrating the focus on the market that the jurors know best, the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards provide truly valuable feedback to help shape the future of the automotive industry.
Source: International Automotive Media Registry