The Chevy Malibu was named the North American Car of the Year last week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, winning the coveted honor over 50 other eligible vehicles.
The vehicle is built in Orion Township, whose General Motors plant serves as a ‘flex plant? for the Malibu, with main production taking place in Kansas City.
After jurors narrowed the list to 15 cars, they chose the Malibu over the likes of the Cadillac CTS and the Honda Accord.
To be considered for the award, vehicles must either be new or substantially changed from the previous model, as is the case for the Malibu.
A group of 46 independent jurors from the industry agreed that the mid-size sedan was tops. The Mazda CX-9 won Truck of the Year honors from the panel.
GM swept the two awards last year with the Saturn Aura and Chevy Silverado.
Just days after this year’s announcement, the auto maker announced plans to offer about two-thirds of their hourly factory workers, roughly 46,000 employees, buy-out packages. Officials did not rule out that GM could end up closing plants, though they would not speculate further.
Industry insiders have noted, however, that the Orion plant appears safe.
Stay with The Review for more details as they become available.