The press preview days for the North American International Auto Show kicked off with the naming of the North American Car of the Year and North American Truck/Utility of the Year.
The announcements were made this morning at Cobo Center in Detroit.
The winners are the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for car of the year, and the Chevrolet Silverado as the truck of the year. Both are made by General Motors.
GM made the most appearances on this year's list: Car finalists also included the Cadillac CTS, and Mazda3. Truck/utility finalists included the Acura MDX and Jeep Cherokee.
This year’s win is the first sweep for GM since 2007, when the Chevrolet Silverado and the Saturn Aura took the top two awards.
"I'm really proud of the global product development team, starting with the designers through engineering and powertrain," Mary Barra, GM’s incoming CEO told reporters at Cobo Hall. "They really worked hard and sweat the details of each and every aspect of those vehicles."
The Corvette Stingray, the seventh reinvention of the car, was GM’s answer to high-end sports cars like the Porsche 911. The car’s starting price is $51,995.
The Silverado starts at $25,965.
As CNN Money’s Chris Isidore reported, Ford was the last automaker to take home the top two spots, winning for the Ford Transit Connect and Ford Fusion Hybrid in 2010.
Forty-eight automotive journalists vote on winners from the list of finalists.
A vehicle must be all new or substantially changed for eligibility.
This is the 21st year for the awards. Organizers accept no advertising, though carmakers try to capitalize on the marketing value of the honors.
The Cadillac ATS took top car honors last year.
