Typically the announcement of the North American Car and Truck Of The Year are often associated with the North American International Auto Show. But thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, events like these have been reshuffled with the awards ceremony taking place alongside CES for the past two years. This state of flux carried over to this year’s awards, with Ford sweeping the truck and utility award segments for 2021.
F-150 Snatches Win From Ram
While the results for all three categories were predictable, the F-150’s win over Ram and Jeep had to be the most dynamic. The F-150 had a tall order on its plate this year, with the revamped truck not only having to fend off last year’s winner the Jeep Gladiator, but also the Ram 1500 TRX. While the TRX was arguably the most potent contender of the three this time around it ultimately could not match the votes that the F-150 had from the panel of judges.
The F-150’s win here is no surprise to us with the truck making a strong first impression when we had the chance to put it through its rounds at the company’s Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan. With a revamped exterior and an interior that’s plusher and more tech filled than ever, the F-150 brings alot of tools to the segment and that’s important especially as competition in the pickup segment ramps up.
Mach-E Plugs Its Way Into Victory
In addition to the F-150 securing top honors, Ford also managed to secure the Utility of The Year Award with the all electric Mustang Mach-E utility. The Mach-E’s win here might be the most controversial due to the model not making its way into showrooms just yet (versus the status of its two challengers the Genesis GV80 and the Land Rover Defender.)
But the Mach-E is Ford’s first serious attempt at competing against Tesla’s Model Y and it aims to do so in a way that not only makes full use of its heritage, but also demonstrate the potent advantages of EV motoring. While we have not had the chance to have some time behind the wheel of the Mach-E as of yet, we hope to eventually have the chance to find out whether the Mach-E is indeed a potent combination of performance, practicality and fuel free driving.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.