Commentary: Legacy Manufacturers Sweep 2022 NACTOY
This year’s NACTOY could be seen as a vote against the EV. Rather, a vote against the start-ups in the automotive industry.
This year’s NACTOY could be seen as a vote against the EV. Rather, a vote against the start-ups in the automotive industry.
It all began with a single man. He got married, had a business partner – who became part of the family. The rest reads like a script from Dallas or Dynasty.
To be honest, I felt that Volkswagen knew what they were doing by bringing the long-wheelbase model to our market.
The year.was unlike any other year. Yet it was like any other year. Which is the best way to describe 2021 in a nutshell.
For the latter set of manufacturers and brands – good for you. That is why you stay in business.
This is not about a physical swap of a car for an SUV. Rather this is a question of whether the new Taos has the soul of a Volkswagen.
You can imagine how many contenders were for each year. Selecting one was tough, but I also did not want to repeat myself year-after-year with the same vehicle or brand. That was how the last list was set up.
The choices are also getting broader. New vehicles are coming from both established manufacturers and start-ups alike. It is a dizzying array of new products, enticed by tax breaks and incentives to get a home charger installed in your garage.
Two years ago, I worked with the then-new Volkswagen Arteon. It made such an impression upon me that it landed on the My Favorites list for that year. I even said that "[w]hile a Volkswagen fan may just get a GTI, Golf R, and Jetta GLI and call it a day, I’d spend the extra money on an Arteon."
Some will look at it from the lens of the global headlines. Headlines not worth repeating for the sake of keeping us in good spirits. Some will look at the overall challenge of navigating a year full of curve balls and emotional rollercoasters.