Watch The Cadillac ATS Win North American Car Of The Year At The Detroit Auto Show

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The winner of the North American Car of the Year is official and Cadillac nabs their first win for the 2013 Cadillac ATS. The award was announced this morning at the start of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS).

A panel of 49 jurors from Canada and the United States whittled the possible North American Car of the Year winners down to a short list of finalists that included the Honda Accord and Ford Fusion. The 2013 Cadillac ATS came out on top with their first ever win.

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This is the 20th year for the award with domestic automakers winning North American Car of the Year eleven times, European automakers four and Japanese automakers three times. Korean automaker Hyundai has won the award twice.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. When not drooling over cars, Nicole writes for Wired’s GeekMom.