Connect with us

Detroit, MI

Winners: 2026 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

Published

on

Winners: 2026 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year


Detroit — The envelope, please. . .

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards unveiled the 2026 model year winners Wednesday to open the Detroit Auto Show.

Winner of Car of Year went to the Dodge Charger. Truck of the Year honors went to the Ford Maverick Lobo. And the Hyundai Palisade took home the Utility of the Year crown.

The awards were presented on stage at the soaring Atrium space in Huntington Place Convention Center.

Advertisement

Fifty jurors (including the author of this article) from U.S. and Canadian media outlets selected the finalists after testing 30 nominees across all categories, 19 of them SUVs. Of the nine finalists, two were electric with an average price of $46,248 across the three categories. The $96.5k Gravity was the most expensive nominee, the $23.4k Sentra the cheapest.

In the car category, the Charger and Prelude marked the return of sexy, legendary badges. Detroit’s sentimental favorite was the $51,990 Charger Sixpack (so named for its inline-6 cylinder engine), reborn for ‘26 after the previous, V8-powered generation exited the market in 2023 dogged by federal emissions regulations. The gas-powered Charger shares a stable with the electric Charger Daytona EV. Dressed in a throwback, 1960s coke-bottle wardrobe, the hatchback Charger Sixpack boasts a more refined chassis and interior over predecessors.

For the first time since 2001, Prelude is back with a different mission. As its badge implies, the sporty, $43,195 coupe is a prelude to Honda’s future. The Japanese automaker is leaning into gas-electric hybrids and hatchback Prelude is a Civic-based, hybrid halo as the brand moves to full electrification next decade.

The $23,645 compact Sentra sedan is an affordable option at a time when the average price for a new vehicle is over 50 grand. With twin, hoodless digital screens and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, Sentra has premium looks for its budget price.

Ram had two nominees for the Truck Wars with its refreshed, light-duty 1500 and heavy-duty 2500 pickups.

Advertisement

Like sister Stellantis brand Dodge, Ram had spiked its best-selling Hemi V-8 to assuage regulators in 2025. The V-8 (officially the eTorque V-8) is back by popular demand. Ram has stamped every V-8 model’s fender with the “Symbol of Protest” protest badge featuring a ram’s head atop a Hemi engine. The Heavy Duty never lost its V-8 or diesel engines (spared by separate federal emissions rules) and brings Ram’s interior refinement to big trucks.

The $37,625 Lobo added a street performance trim to the Maverick’s popular XL, XLT, Lariat and Tremor lineup. The trucklet is a sports car with a bed with its lowered chassis, stiffer springs, and drift-happy, torque-vectoring, rear twin-clutch.

The SUV category was a horse race between the three-row Hyundai Palisade, wee Nissan Leaf EV and sci-fi Gravity.

The latter is Lucid’s first SUV after the elegant Air sedan. At half the price of the six-figure Gravity, the Hyundai comes with major upgrades for 2026 including head-turning style, a hoodless, digital display and an XRT Pro off-road trim complete with all-terrain tires.

Advertisement

The Nissan Leaf went from nerd to swan with its stylin’ 2026 model. Still affordably priced at $29,990, the Nissan is the only EV available for under $30k.

Awarded by a geographically diverse, independent jury of automotive journalists (not a single publication), NACTOY is recognized as one of the industry’s most prestigious baubles. Vehicles are judged as benchmarks for their segments based on factors including innovation, design, handling, user experience and value.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.



Source link

Advertisement

Detroit, MI

Puppy rescued after getting stuck on chimney in Detroit

Published

on

Puppy rescued after getting stuck on chimney in Detroit




Puppy rescued after getting stuck on chimney in Detroit – CBS Detroit

Advertisement













Advertisement




























Advertisement

Advertisement

Watch CBS News


A puppy was rescued from the top of a chimney in an abandoned Detroit home after a neighbor called for help.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick accuses prosecutors of

Published

on

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick accuses prosecutors of


In a continued fight over the restitution owed to the city of Detroit, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick accuses federal prosecutors of “bullying” in their attempt to collect money following his 2013 conviction.

Federal authorities attempted to seize $13,167 from a Comerica Bank account after it was discovered this year. According to federal authorities, the account was listed in the name of Pathfinder Consulting LLC under Kilpatrick’s name.

In response, Kilpatrick filed a motion to object to a garnishment order on April 1, claiming that he does not own or manage the account and that his wife, LaTicia Kilpatrick, is the rightful holder. Kilpatrick claims that despite telling prosecutors that he did not own the account, authorities still put a hold on it.

“The only reason that this account was frozen and made a part of the garnishment process is because the federal authorities doctored and deformed the court order to have movant’s name on it, Kwame Kilpatrick, and the Pathfinder Consulting Firm bank account number,” read the motion. “They knowingly misguided the court and Comerica Bank with their order for these funds. They intentionally misled the court by not putting LaTicia Kilptrick on the order because they absolutely knew that it was not my account.”

Advertisement

CBS News Detroit reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for comment Thursday night and is awaiting a response.

This comes more than a month after Kilpatrick agreed to pay the $823,649 in restitution following his 2013 conviction on racketeering, bribery, extortion and other charges. Records show Kilpatrick agreed that any pension benefits and other forms of income would be garnished.

Kilpatrick was also approved for a payment plan. 

In his latest motion, Kilpatrick claimed that prosecutors wanted to pull funds from the account and asked him to speak to his wife about it. Kilpatrick claims that the freezing of the Comerica account, his inability to access his “financial resources” and documents being leaked resulted in him having to remove his children from school and losing out on speaking engagements.

“I have constantly maintained that I am not involved in the management, executive decision-making, nor any banking issues concerning her business or financial affairs,” Kilpatrick wrote.

Advertisement

He later wrote, “LaTicia is not under any federal court jurisdiction, has never committed a crime, nor is she currently involved in any matter with any state or federal court … This bullying at best, but much more akin to extortion.”

Kilpatrick also claims that prosecutors violated a stipulated agreement regarding the restitution he owed. He says a percentage of his retirement check was agreed to go toward the outstanding balance, and prosecutors would unfreeze the account where the check was being deposited. However, he claims prosecutors failed to submit information to the court so the account could be released.

“Instead of honoring the court ordered stipulated agreement, the United States Attorney took two whole months of retirement funds and left the account with a ZERO balance. Which is not only count to the court order, but much more wicked in its intent, immorally leaving [Kilpatrick’s] family without any of their own money, and maliciously executed,” Kilpatrick wrote.

In the midst of a restitution battle, records show that Kilpatrick is at risk of losing a home in Novi over more than $50,000 in unpaid property taxes. Records show that taxes were not paid in 2024 and 2025.

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

After Deep Dive, Detroit Lions Learned What Went Wrong With Offense

Published

on

After Deep Dive, Detroit Lions Learned What Went Wrong With Offense


The Detroit Lions offense failed to meet expectations at certain points throughout the 2025 NFL season.

Advertisement

With center Frank Ragnow abruptly retiring, the team’s offensive line struggled to gel, resulting in the run game being inconsistent and quarterback Jared Goff being pressured far more often than he or the coaching staff would like.

Advertisement

Speaking with Fox 2 Detroit at the annual league meetings, head coach Dan Campbell shared what he learned following a deep dive of last year’s film.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Advertisement

“I think a lot of it, our efficiency was not good,” said Campbell. “We’ve heard that word a lot, that’s with the run game. In critical moments, what we’ve done a really good job of for four years prior to last year, was when we needed to run the ball, when we needed it in criticals, to set up the rest of the game, it was there for us, we found a way. We were not able to do that.”

With both tight ends suffering injuries, the ability to block effectively was clearly noticeable. Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright are a significant reason the Lions’ offense had success the past couple of seasons.

Removing them both from the offense had a detrimental impact on the ability to rush the football and to extend drives.

Far too often, Detroit’s third-down conversion percentages were not at the rate needed to keep drives extended. In the end, the struggles of the offense put the defense in disadvantageous positions as well.

Advertisement

“Look, there’s multiple reasons. It falls on my shoulders, some of it was the offensive line, some of it was losing Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright,” said Campbell. “That had a significant blow too, now. All of those things. That’s why we go through the cut-ups. You check yourself, but also, from a personnel standpoint, where can we get a little bit better and help our guys.” 

Advertisement

While Campbell did not mention the issues with John Morton, Detroit’s offense was not the same with the experienced coach at the helm.

Explosive plays were a struggle and Goff was forced to toss the football quite quickly. His average air yards per pass was down compared to 2024.

Detroit made the decision to part ways with Morton and hired Drew Petzing to lead the offense in 2026. Campbell indicated he has been impressed very early on with what the former Cardinals coordinator has brought to the table.

For more comprehensive Detroit Lions coverage and NFL insider analysis, follow us on X, @detroitpodcast, head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, subscribe to the Detroit Lions On SI Lone Wolves YouTube Channel

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending