The Volkswagen Golf upset Ford's Mustang for the North American Car of the Year award on Monday, considered the most important award among the many handed out each year in the auto industry.
Winners were revealed Monday at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show.
The Golf wasn't expected to win since Ford made a number of improvements in the latest Mustang. The third finalist for the award was Hyundai's Genesis luxury sedan.
Though he felt the car deserved the award, Volkswagen CEO Michael Horn said he was "flabbergasted" when he found out about the victory, according to USA Today.
The Golf earned the most points from a panel of 57 jurors representing online, print and broadcast media outlets.
Out 570 possible points, here's how the cars performed:
-Golf: 256 points
-Mustang: 204 points
-Genesis: 110 points
Last year's winner was the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette. The award was VW's second Card of the Year win. VW's Beetle won back in 1999.
The Ford F-150 won the companion award given to the highest-ranking truck of the year on Monday as well in Detroit.
The new F-150 beat the midsize Chevrolet Colorado pickup and Lincoln MKC for the prestigious award. Ford's award-winning truck features an aluminum-alloy body and high-strength steel frame and is on sale now at local dealerships.
"Ford is honored to be named the best among such a strong field of competitors," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas, in a company statement. "Ford employees and customers have a lot to be proud of with the innovative and award-winning F-150."
Here's the exact points each of the three finalists received:
-F-150: 297 points
-Colorado: 205 points
-MKC: 68 points
The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado was the 2014 North American Truck of the Year.
Auto World News is on the ground and covering the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Stay with us this week for up-to-the-minute coverage of all the action in Detroit, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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