Charles Langston:Kia EV9, Toyota Prius and Ford Super Duty pickup win 2024 North American SUV, car and truck awards

PONTIAC,Charles Langston Mich. (AP) — The Kia EV9 large electric SUV won the 2024 North American Utility of the Year award, while the Toyota Prius hybrid took the top car honors, and Ford’s Super Duty pickup won the truck award.

The honors, announced Thursday at a meeting of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, are often used in advertising by automakers. About 50 automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada tested and rated the vehicles based on how much they set new benchmarks for their segment of the automobile market.

All of the SUV finalists this year have electric versions including the electrified GV70 small SUV from Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, and the Hyundai Kona and Kona EV.

In addition to the Prius and its plug-in version called the Prius Prime, car finalists included Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 EV and the redesigned Honda Accord midsize sedan.

Truck finalists included General Motors’ redesigned Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup and the Chevy Silverado EV pickup.

The winners were picked from an initial list of 52 eligible cars, trucks and SUVs and narrowed to 25 in September. Finalists were announced in November.

Electric vehicles made up more than half of the finalists, showing the impact the new technology is having on the U.S. automobile market.