2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year Winners Announced

DETROIT - The Ford Fusion Hybrid has been selected as the 2010 North American Car of the Year and the Ford Transit Connect as the 2010 North American Truck of the Year.

Selected by a jury of 49 veteran automotive journalists, the awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors that include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value for the dollar.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid scored the highest of three finalists, earning 241 points; the Volkswagen Golf/TDI/GTI got 146, and the Buick LaCrosse got 103.

The Transit Connect also earned the highest score out of three finalists with 213 points; the Chevrolet Equinox scored 183 points and the Subaru Outback got 94.

To be eligible, vehicles must be "all-new" or "substantially changed" from the previous model. This year, the jury considered more than 50 vehicles and finally focused on 16 cars and 10 trucks.

Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Hyundai Genesis and the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.

Click here to see the nominees for this year's awards.

The Transit Connect has proven to be a popular model for a number of fleets this past year, including Ambius, KONE, Reddy Ice Holdings, and Mancuso Florists.