<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Announced in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra is this year&amp;#039;s North American Car of the Year. The North American Truck of the Year is the Land Rover Evoque. This is the second such win for Korean automaker Hyundai. Its Genesis took top honors in 2009; its Sonata was a finalist in 2010. It&amp;#039;s the first win for British-based (and Indian Tata-owned) Land Rover.   Hyundai Elantra   In 2012 voting by a jury of 50 North American automotive journalists, the compact Hyundai beat the Ford Focus, a compact competitor, and Volkwagen Passat, a midsize sedan. This latest Elantra has already accounted for almost 200,000 in Hyundai sales, up 41 percent compared with its previous version&amp;#039;s numbers.        2012 Hyundai Elantra    The California-styled Elantra is certainly sporty in appearance. Its 1.8-liter engine teams with manual or automatic, either choice, a 6-speed, driving the front wheels. An Active Eco system modifies automatic transmission and throttle behavior for enhanced fuel economy (albeit at the tradeoff of performance). Official EPA figures are 29 City/40 Hwy, yielding a combined 33 mpg overall. Elantra prices start just beyond $16K and peak at perhaps $22K.        2012 Hyundai Elantra    A personal observation (full disclosure: I&amp;#039;m not among the 50 jurists): As much as I admire the Elantra&amp;#039;s swoopiness\u2014and Hyundai&amp;#039;s evolving reputation, now up there with the very best\u2014my pick would have been the VW Passat. This new upsized version puts immense pressure on the segment long dominated by Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.   Land Rover Evoque   The Land Rover Evoque, winner of Truck of the Year honors, is this prestigious marque&amp;#039;s entry into an expanding market of small SUV/crossovers. Think of it as a stylish upmarket LR2, Land Rover&amp;#039;s more utilitarian sibling already residing in this category.        2012 Land Rover Evoque    The Evoque&amp;#039;s 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, 6-speed automatic and all-wheel drive combine to give EPA numbers of 19 City/28 Hwy, resulting in a combined 22 mpg overall. Like other Range Rovers, the Evoque is capable of off-roading far exceeding its likely excursions onto the edge of school yards and soccer fields. The Evoque comes in 3- and 5-door variants; pricing $44K-$53K        2012 Land Rover Evoque    In competition with the BMW X3 and Honda CR-V for 2012 honors, the Evoque&amp;#039;s win signals an evolving preference for SUV/crossover high style (even at a tradeoff of utility); note its swoopy roof line compromising rear head room. Also, it&amp;#039;s noteworthy that no traditional pickups were in this year&amp;#039;s Truck voting; this, because none qualified as sufficiently new. That the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado continue to outsell everything else\u2014cars included\u2014is an interesting commentary of what folks all around the country actually buy.   My pick of the three Truck finalists? The fourth-generation Honda CR-V, but just edging the other two. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/detroit-auto-show/news/a17889/hyundai-elantra-land-rover-evoque-take-north-american-cartruck-honors/?src=global_footer>