Take the edge off my vote for the Internet Car and Truck of the Year

Camaro-2010 winner.  Photo: GM Media

“Where Internet Pros and the Average Joes Pick the Car and Truck of the Year”

That’s the slogan for the nationally recognized Internet Car and Truck of the Year contest, which is going on right now. And here’s something that you probably never would have guessed—I am in the “Internet Pros” category.

I know what you’re thinking, “sure, Craig, you have a nice blog, but you mostly post car show pictures and write about the Dukes of Hazzard. What do you know about picking new cars?”

And you might have a point. What do I know, indeed? Nevertheless, I was chosen to be one of the 15 automotive journalists on the jury, so perhaps I am not as big of a hack as most people think.

Um, yeah. On the other hand, it would be nice if there was a public voting component to this contest to neutralize the opinions of all of us so-called experts. Oh wait, there is! That’s where the “Average Joes” part comes into play. If you aren’t on the jury, you are an Average Joe. Congratulations.

Do you have strong opinions on what cars and trucks are the best looking; the best driving; the most significant? Well, your opinion matters during the Internet Car and Truck of the Year contest.

This competition is in its second year, and professional automotive journalists (some of them are actually very good) combine with automotive aficionados to determine which car and truck will come out on top.

After a lengthy debate and discussion, the list of semi-finalists has come down to these:

The semi-finalists for Internet Car of the Year are:

Chevrolet Cruze.  Photo: GM Media

Buick Regal
Cadillac CTS-V coupe
Chevrolet Cruze
Ford Fiesta
Ford Mustang GT
Hyundai Sonata
Infiniti M56
Volkswagen Jetta

The semi-finalists for the Internet Truck of the Year include:

Ford Super Duty. Photo: Ford Media

Cadillac SRX
Ford Super Duty
GMC Sierra 2500
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sportage
Ram 2500

Consumer voting runs now through runs through October 16, 2010, to determine the finalists, then everyone can go back and choose among those finalists between October 19 and November 13. The Internet Car and Truck of the Year will be presented in December.

To learn more, or to log your vote, click visit: http://www.internetcarandtruckoftheyear.com/.