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A mixed bag
Page 46
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Voting will shortly commence for the 2010 International Truck of the Year, and IToY UK jury member CM takes you through the runners and riders.
Words: Brian Weatherley
First off, 2009
• is not going to go down as a vintage year for new truck launches. But then that's hardly surprising considering we're still in the middle of the worst recession in living memory.
As a result, many would-be debutantes have been quietly pushed back into the wings for next year. Yet despite that, there are still four clear contenders for the 2010 International Truck of the Year (IToY) title. albeit representing a very mixed bag.
Before going through the runners and riders, it's worth explaining how the most prestigious award in truck manufacturing is given—and who gets to decide upon it.
First, a bit of history. The very first 'Truck of the Year' award was very much an all-British affair, having been created in 1977 by TRUCK editor Pat Kennett. who was keen to recognise innovation and engineering excellence among the vehicle manufacturers that would be appreciated and approved by operators and drivers alike.Thus, from that early goal, the very first recipient of `Truck of the Year' was the Seddon Atkinson 200 Series,
A keen Europhile long before it became popular. Kennett quickly drew together a group of like-minded transport magazine editors and journalists from 13 other European countries, and from those early discussions, the IToY jury and award was created.
Today, the IToY jury represents 21 countries, including many in Eastern Europe that have recently been the powerhouse markets for Europe's truck-makers. Every year, each jury member casts 12 votes for the trucks on the IToY shortlist, with no more than seven available for any one entry. However, a judge is not obliged to use all their points...
Moreover, for a truck to make it onto the IToY shortlist, it must have been available (rolling off the production line) at least three months before the beginning of the [following] year of election.
Last, but by no means least, all the IToY jury member votes are collated by an independent referee, and there's no conferring among the judges or Eurovision-style block voting.
So, having got that hit out of the way, the shortlisted entries, in no particular order, battling for the coveted 2010 IToY accolade are... •