Ford Sweeps North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards

If you haven't caught on yet, Ford has been enjoying some time in the spotlight lately. 2009 was a better year to Ford than it was many other manufacturers, in addition to being the first year Ford posted market share gains since 1995.

Not too shabby, and the fact that the company that has managed to survive the crisis without any governmental aid makes the feat more impressive. Perhaps most importantly, the renaissance is based on product - the most important thing.

The North American International Auto Show has been good to Ford. The MyFord touch system was released, the new Ford Focus was introduced, and yet another pair of awards has been added to Ford's marketing arsenal. It really accentuates the change.

The Ford Fusion, hybrid model in particular, took the North American International Car of the Year Award, adding to its previous Motor Trend Car of the Year win.

The other notable award is for Truck of the Year, with that going to the Transit Connect. Primarily a commercial vehicle, the Transit Connect has made waves with business for its impressive capacity and fuel economy.

The Fusion award was pretty much expected, given the finalists were the Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf.  For the truck, it was less clear, as the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Legacy were finalists. The Equinox stood the best chance in our book, but the judges thought otherwise.

It seems as if they wanted it to be a sweep for Ford, being only the third automaker to capture both in the history of the awards. Expect Ford to advertise this heavily, as the Fusion has begun making some headway in the marketplace.