This article originally appeared in issue 13 February 2012 Forbes magazine.

The coronation of go right in accordance with the Ford script. In the of the North American International Auto Show Detroit 2,400 journalists in hushed as the video screen size truck trailers are flooding their vision. Big sound shakes the Joe Louis Arena: two household names, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, dominated the Middle decades of the last car business. “Then,” said the voice, “something had changed.” Sales and market share they ran flat in 2008. When the recession hit, they fall. “What you may not realize is that the Camry and accord has never been found. Camry sales fell 31% ­ between 2007 and 2010. Approval fell 28%. Both slid further after the earthquake 2011 in Japan

This message is presumably aggressive, arguably pompous: Ford just redefined middle-market cars. The rest of the area, including General Motors ‘ redesigned Chevrolet Malibu and the popular Hyundai Sonata, should pack it in. “I think we are going forward with some quiet confidence”, President Ford, Mark fields, said later that night filet mignon dinner with reporters at the Detroit Grand Athletic Club. Aggressive? Nahum “We’re just putting a few facts.”

Hyundai Elantra is the car of the year, while a range Rover Evoque named truck of the year the Detroit auto show. But the car winners in not always see an increase in sales.

An abbreviation for The North American car and truck of the Year award does not roll off the tongue like ‘ Oscar ‘. And hardly a household name.

For annual award winners of the Academy Awards, bragging rights does not guarantee increased sales.

The winner of this year, it was announced Monday as Detroit’s annual auto show opened to the media, is the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.

Sleek and sculptural Elantra starts at $ 16,445. Get a compact car at about 33 mpg (2 kpl). Evoque, a small SUV, the corner that starts at $ 43,995, get an estimate of 18 miles per gallon (7.6 kpl) in city driving and 25 mpg (11 kpl) on the highway.