Of all the car awards that are given out every year, perhaps the most prestigious is the "North American Car of the Year" award. It's given out every year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit by panel of 50 independent judges. They consider a wide range of criteria and candidates, each of which look to exemplify what a solidly-made vehicle should be. What's more impressive, however, is that there are actually no specific categories to this award. Rather, there is only a segment for the best car and the best truck (which also includes SUVs and crossovers).

Why is Preston Hyundai in Boardman, OH, getting into the details of the awards? Because this year, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra took home the top honor by being named the 2012 "North American Car of the Year."

"Elantra speaks to the success of our recipe of bold design and great fuel economy," said John Krafcik, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor America. "In a year with some truly breakthrough competitors, we are honored that the jury recognizes Elantra's far-reaching impact on the industry."¹

Other vehicles contending for the award include the Passat and Focus. But in the end, neither vehicle could match up to the South Korean automaker's compact offering. It does, after all, offer those who drive it an impressive 33 mpg combined (29 mpg city/40 mpg highway), the iconic Hyundai fluidic sculpture design, and a plethora of leading-edge technologies that are defining the industry today.

In other words, there's no better compact car on the road than the Hyundai Elantra. It has contended with the best of each segment and won, and now Preston Hyundai invites you to take it for a test drive today.

Source: ¹http://hyundainews.com/us/en-us/Media/PressRelease.aspx?mediaid=34993&title=hyundai-elantra-named-2012-north-american-car-of-the-year