2015 Hyundai Sonata, Genesis Named to NACOTY Short List

2015 hyundai sonata

After already winning two North American Car of the Year titles in the past six years, Hyundai now has two finalists for the 2015 honor: the 2015 Hyundai Sonata and Genesis. Both all-new sedans were among the 10 cars recently short-listed for the prestigious prize, which will be presented in conjunction with the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

For the 2015 Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan, it's a chance to prove that the much-praised previous-generation model, which catapulted the brand to prominence with its dynamic style and strong value proposition, was no fluke. And it's certainly a case of "so far, so good," as the 2015 Hyundai Sonata has gotten off to a strong start in the marketplace; last month, for example, with the 2015 model arriving in dealerships, the brand raised Sonata volume by 24.7 percent on 21,092 deliveries.

The new 2015 Hyundai Genesis premium sedan has a lot to live up to as well, since its predecessor was the first vehicle from the brand to win the overall North American Car of the Year Award, in 2009. But it's also earned a positive reception from owners during its first months on the market, with Bob Pradzinski, vice president of national sales for Hyundai Motor America, noting that it "played a big role in helping us score a record August."

Added Dave Zuchowski, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America: “This is a tremendous recognition of two great products and an outstanding team effort. Our design group, assembly plant, service engineering and product planning teams all were critically responsible in developing and launching these vehicles, that we can now say are two of the best introduced this year. The competition is certainly tough, so we know we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Photo by Genesis

For the curious, the Hyundai Elantra also earned North American Car of the Year kudos for the brand, doing so in 2012, while the full list of this year's finalists includes:

• Acura TLX
• Audi A3
• Chrysler 200
• Ford Mustang
• Honda Fit
• Hyundai Genesis
• 2015 Hyundai Sonata
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Toyota Camry
• Volkswagen Golf/GTI