Next month, January 11th to be exact, the awards for the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year will be handed out in the Detroit Auto Show. But already ahead of the ceremony, the finalists for the said ceremony are now announced.

For the car category, the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf will be fighting it out for the award. Meanwhile, for the truck category, the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback are all vying for the title.

Last year, the North American Car of the Year award was given to Hyundai Genesis and the Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.

Forty-nine North American automotive journalists deliberated on which cars will get the awards. The awards are to give recognition to the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors that include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.