2015 Ford F150, 2015 Mustang Poised to Claim North American 'OTY' Titles

Each year, the North American Car and Truck of the Year jurors start with a long list of cars, trucks and SUVs that will be sold in the United States for the upcoming model year and from that list, they compile their short list from which the finalists will be chosen. The 2015 short list was announced yesterday and among the ten cars and twelve trucks/SUVs are the 2015 Ford F150 and the 2015 Ford Mustang – two vehicles which I believe stand a very real chance to winning their respective classes and giving Ford both of the prestigious awards for the 2015 model year.

2015 North American Car of the Year Short List
The short lists for the 2015 North American ‘of the Year’ (OTY) awards are as diverse as you would expect, with representatives from every major automotive region in the world.

In the car class, the Mustang is joined by the Chrysler 200 to represent the USA, while three cars represent Japan, three cars represent Germany and two cars represent South Korea. There is also a nice spread in car type, with the tiny and affordable Honda Fit doing battle with the mighty Ford Mustang and the high dollar Mercedes Benz C-Class. The full car short list is below, listed alphabetically with their country of origin and vehicle type for those who aren’t sure.

Acura TLX – Japan –Midsized Luxury 4-door Sedan
Audi A3 – Germany –Compact Luxury, 4-door Sedan and 2-door Convertible
Chrysler 200 – USA - Midsized 4-door Sedan
Ford Mustang – USA – Midsized Sports Car, Coupe and Convertible
Honda Fit – Japan – Subcompact Hatchback
Hyundai Genesis Sedan – South Korea –Full Sized Luxury 4-door Sedan
Hyundai Sonata – South Korea - Midsized 4-door Sedan
Mercedes-Benz C-Class – Germany –Midsized Luxury, 4-door Sedan and 2-door Coupe
Toyota Camry – Japan - Midsized 4-door Sedan
Volkswagen Golf/GTI – Compact Hatchback

2015 North American Truck of the Year Short List
Over in the Truck/Utility short list, we have slightly less diversity among countries of origin, but we see even more diversity among the types of vehicles. Joining the Ford F150 in representing the United States are the Chevrolet Tahoe, the GMC Canyon, the Chevrolet Colorado and the Lincoln MKC. From Germany, we have three SUVs while Japan offers up three SUVs and what many Americans would call a station wagon.

2015 Ford F150 Galleries:
A closer look at the trimlines of the 2015 Ford F150
The 2015 Ford F150 at the 2014 NAIAS

In total, this class is comprised of 8 SUVs, 3 pickup trucks and the 1 aforementioned wagon with the spread ranging from the Subaru Outback to the Porsche Macan, but this year’s list is clearly dominated by the smaller luxury SUVs. The full truck short list is below, listed alphabetically with their country of origin and vehicle type for those who aren’t sure.

Audi Q3 – Germany – Compact Luxury SUV
Chevrolet Colorado – USA – Midsized Pickup
Chevrolet Tahoe – USA - Full Sized SUV
Ford F-150 – USA – Full Sized Pickup
GMC Canyon – USA – Midsized Pickup
Lexus NX – Japan - Compact Luxury SUV
Lincoln MKC – USA - Compact Luxury SUV
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class – Germany - Compact Luxury SUV
Nissan Murano – Japan – Midsized SUV
Porsche Macan – Germany - Compact Luxury SUV
Subaru Outback – Japan – Midsized Station Wagon
Toyota Highlander – Japan – Midsized SUV

F150, Mustang Should Take Home the Titles
While there are some very good cars, trucks and utility vehicles in the running for the 2015 North American Car and Truck of the Year, I believe very strongly that the 2015 Ford F150 will take North American Truck of the Year and the 2015 Ford Mustang will take the 2015 North American Car of the Year title. The finalists for the two classes will be announced on December 9th and the winners will be announced next January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

With the 2015 Ford F150, we have an all-new version of the bestselling vehicle in North America and thanks to the heavy inclusion of aluminum, the 2015 F150 is promised to be better than ever. In addition to being a vastly improved version of the bestselling vehicle in the USA, the cutting edge use of new materials in the 2015 F150 could lead the way to a huge shift in the construction of vehicles in this country. The bestselling vehicle gets better and does so by setting new industry trends – how can it not win 2015 NA Truck of the Year?

2015 Ford Mustang Galleries:
A first look at the 2015 Ford Mustang RTR
Live images from the 2015 Ford Mustang Detroit Debut
A look at the similarities in styling across the 2015 Ford Mustang trimlines
The 2015 Ford Mustang in Triple Yellow

As for the 2015 Ford Mustang, it might not have the broad sales appeal of the 2015 F150, but the Mustang is one of the vehicles that defines the American auto industry. Even if it was simply a new generation Mustang, I would expect it to be a front runner for the 2015 NACOTY award, but when you consider the fact that this 2015 Mustang is designed to dominate on a global level – I see no way that it cannot win.

I have no connection with the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, but my safe money says that Ford Motor Company takes both titles with the new F150 and Mustang.