GM sweeps auto show's truck, car awards

updated 1:28 p.m. ET Jan. 7, 2007

DETROIT - General Motors Corp. swept the 2007 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards Sunday, with top honors going to the new Aura produced by its Saturn division and the redesigned Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

The Aura beat out the other two finalists for the car award, the Honda Fit and the Toyota Camry. The Silverado bested the Ford Edge and the Mazda CX-7.

The sweep represents the first time in the award's 14-year history that a single U.S. automaker has won both awards. Last year, Japan's Honda Motors won both the car and truck title, the first time any carmaker had taken both spots.

The winners were chosen by a jury of 49 auto writers in the United States and Canada. The results were announced at the North American International Auto Show here.

The recognition represents the latest sign of a possible turnaround at GM, which just a year ago faced daunting threats of bankruptcy, sliding market share, soaring costs and sharp outside pressure from a big-money shareholder.

GM management silenced some critics by cutting more than 34,000 jobs and unveiling plans to close 12 plants and reduce recurring costs by $9 billion. But many pointed out that delivering sustained profitability would require a strong product line as well as aggressive cost-cutting.

Although GM still sells twice as many cars in the U.S. market as Toyota Motor Corp., it is on track to be overtaken by Toyota for the global top spot in terms of production in 2007. Quality and innovation have been seen as areas where GM has lagged Toyota.

But GM is banking on a different image this year. It has several new car models hitting showrooms in 2007, including the Chevrolet Malibu, the Cadillac CTS and the Saturn Astra.

It also has well-reviewed crossovers — car-based utility vehicles that are smaller than its traditional SUVs — such as the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave. The new Saturn Vue and Aura will also hit showrooms.

Angus Mackenzie, the editor of Motor Trend magazine, said the redesigned Malibu was "proof that GM design is back from the dead."

MORE FROM DETROIT AUTO SHOW 2007

Detroit Auto Show 2007 Section Front

As commutes worsen, drivers seek solutions Big SUVs, trucks looking scarce in Detroit Saturn’s new Aura breaks with tradition Readers weigh in on the Big Three Ford, Airstream celebrate wanderlust Automakers get creative with concepts Q&A: GM’s Lutz charges up on the Volt Chinese presence felt at auto show Automakers aim for image makeovers New midsize sedans target Camry Detroit Auto Show 2007 Section Front   Add Detroit Auto Show 2007 headlines to your news reader: