Once a year, a small number of journalists vote for the North American Car of the Year. Only 50 people vote. Each writes about cars or is a broadcaster who reviews cars and trucks. Some are from the United States and some from Canada. How they are chosen is unclear. Only three vehicles win: a car, a truck and a utility vehicle.

Narrowing the list of winners is like a sports playoff system. First, 47 candidates become 26 semifinalists, then nine finalists and then the three winners. The victors are announced at the end of the calendar year. (These are the ugliest cars ever.)

One of the flaws of the process is that North America is more than the United States and Canada. It also includes Mexico, parts of Central America and nations in the Caribbean. That does not seem to matter to the organization that runs the competition or the journalists who vote.

The North American Car of the Year

The car winner for 2023 is the Acura Integra. It is just an upgrade of Honda’s less expensive Civic. Acura is Honda’s luxury brand. It has not done as well as its rival, Lexus, which is Toyota’s luxury version.

One of the reviewers, Kirk Bell of Motor Authority, commented, “The Acura Integra revives a beloved name with a car worthy of the moniker. Fun to drive and economical, it’s the type of car I would look forward to driving every day.” The Integra does not get excellent grades from other car experts. Edmunds gives it a score of 7.4 out of 10. U.S. News rates it 8.8 out of 10.

The Integra is Acura’s premium sports car. It is not priced like a premium car, with a base price of only $31,500. Buyers can pick a 200 HP or 300 HP engine. It is one of the few cars in America with a manual transmission. Acura is anxious to take business from the competition. It offers $500 to anyone who owns a 2014 or newer Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota or Volkswagen. The $500 is not much for someone who has to pay over $30,000 for a new car.

It is hard to see how the Acura Integra won, but it took home the trophy nevertheless.

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