DETROIT (CNNMoney) — The Cadillac ATS has won Car of the Year honors at the Detroit auto show, while the Ram 1500 pickup has captured the show's Truck of the Year award.
The awards announced Monday were another sign of the comeback that both General Motors and Chrysler Group have enjoyed since their bailout by the federal government four years ago. It was also an unexpected shutout for Ford Motor, which was nominated in both categories and expected to take home at least one award.
Awards such as these have become increasingly important for sales of the models and for the automakers. These two awards, from a panel of 50 auto critics, are among the most influential.
It was the first win for Cadillac in the 20-year history of the award, although GM has won the Car of the Year designation five times, most recently with Chevrolet Volt in 2011.
The Ram victory was the first win for Chrysler Group since 2005, when its Chrysler 300 sedan won the Car of the Year award, and the first time Chrysler has won the Truck of the Year honor since Jeep took the award in 1999.
The Ram 1500 had already won the Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors, one of the more prestigious car or truck awards. But the winner of the Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Tesla Model S, did not make the list of finalists for the auto show's honor.
Other cars that made the list of finalists were the Ford Fusion and the Honda Accord. The other trucks that made the list of finalists were the Ford C-Max and the Mazda CX-5.
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