Car and Truck of the Year finalists

Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The covers were lifted off the six finalists for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards at Cobo Center today and the finalists include three vehicles from Detroit's automakers and three from foreign carmakers.

The car finalists are:

• Ford Flex. The boxy crossover is Ford's entrance in the 7- and 8-passenger SUV replacement segment.

• Hyundai Genesis. This sedan is Hyundai's entrance into the luxury car market and also is the first Korean-made vehicle to be an award finalist.

• Volkswagen Jetta TDI, a diesel-powered compact that can hit more than 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

The truck finalists are:

• Ford F-150. The truck that has been a top seller for more than 30 years was completely redesigned.

• Dodge Ram. Like its competitor from Ford, it too was overhauled this year.

• Mercedes ML320 Bluetec, a luxury diesel SUV.

A panel of U.S. and Canadian automotive journalists selected the six finalists -- three cars and three trucks -- and a winner from each category will be announced in January at the North American International Auto Show.

Also, Nissan and its luxury brand, Infiniti, will display vehicles at the Detroit show, despite the Japanese automaker's late November announcement that it would not attend the event. Instead, local dealers will staff and manage the displays, according to information handed out this morning at the Economic Club of Detroit's luncheon in advance of the finalist announcement.

As The Detroit News reported in early December, a group of 10 Metro Detroit Nissan and Infiniti dealers were forming a partnership to ensure the company will have a presence at the show.

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