Auto 'Oscars' don't guarantee sales
The 2012 Hyundai Elantra was named Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show yesterday. For more photos from the Detroit Auto Show, go to newsday.com/business. (Jan. 9, 2012) Credit: Getty
Winners of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, a highlight of the annual Detroit auto show, get an opportunity to strut. However, as with the Academy Awards, the bragging rights don't guarantee a sales boost.
This year's winners, announced Monday at the auto show, are the Hyundai Elantra and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. The sleek and sculpted Elantra compact car starts at $16,445 and gets an estimated 33 mpg. The Evoque, a small, angular SUV that starts at $43,995, gets an estimated 18 miles per gallon in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway.
Each of the winning vehicles' production teams hopes it has built an auto version of "Slumdog Millionaire," the 2009 film that the Oscar helped turn into a sensation, and not 2010s "The Hurt Locker," the lowest-grossing best-picture winner since accurate records have been kept.
The performances of some past auto winners offer a mixed record.
Honda's two 2006 wins -- the Civic compact and Ridge-line pickup -- resulted in higher sales in the next year. General Motors also nabbed both honors in 2007 but saw a split decision in the next 12 months: The Saturn Aura saw a big jump from the prior year, but sales of the Chevrolet Silverado fell.
Then there's the 2011 winner, the Chevrolet Volt. The car that runs on electricity for 40 miles before a backup gas engine kicks in beat the Nissan Leaf, another electric. The Leaf sold 9,674 cars last year, about 2,000 more than the Volt.
"The Volt was pretty well deserving," said Rebecca Lindland, research director for IHS Automotive. "It represents a sea change, even if the volume isn't there." Judges for the award, about 50 automotive journalists, evaluate value, innovation, handling, performance, safety, and driver satisfaction.
But a happily-ever-after finish is up to fickle consumers and a volatile industry. Lindland said it's difficult to know what compels consumers. She doubted most people would remember which vehicles won from one year to to the next.
