General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Volt was named North American Car of the Year as the largest U.S. auto show began in Detroit. The don’t-call-it-an-extended-range EV essentially sweep 2010′s consumer automotive awards, earning the top spot as Motor Trend’s 2011 Car of the Year, Green Car Journal’s 2011 Green Car of the Year, Automobile’s 2011 Automobile of the Year, and placing among the top ten in both Car and Driver’s and Ward’s AutoWorld’s 10 best of the year. The wins by a plug-in car in GM’s Volt and an SUV touted for its efficiency in the Ford Explorer reflect the auto industry’s investment in the notion that fuel economy will increasingly affect consumers’ purchase decisions, Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at Edmunds.com, said in an interview. “We have to go there, but the sales aren’t there yet. Battery Power 
 
 The Volt runs for about 40 miles (64 kilometers) on an electric charge before a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery and extends the range to more than 350 miles, according to Detroit-based GM.
– If the desire to go green wasn’t enough to convince you to buy a Chevrolet Volt, maybe this will: The $41,000 plug-in hybrid was named North American Car of the Year at the country's largest auto show. The Volt beat out Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and Hyundai's Sonata sedan to snag the top honor at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It's the latest in a long line of awards for the car, including Motor Trend Car of the Year, CrunchGear notes—but not everyone is impressed. Bloomberg reports that Ford's Explorer grabbed Truck of the Year.