Hot on the heels of yesterday’s reveal of the candidate list for the Europe-based 2010 World Car of the Year awards comes the list of entrants for next year’s respective North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. Set to coincide with next year’s Detroit Auto Show in January, the awards are among the most prestigious in the industry, recognizing the vehicles that capture the votes of 50 top automotive journalists.

This year's candidates, announced late on Monday, have once again proven controversial. Chrysler-branded vehicles are surprisingly absent from the list, while the rest of the field is almost equally divided among Japanese, European and American brands. Some oddities include Suzuki’s upcoming midsize sedan based on the Kizashi concept, a vehicle that is yet to even be confirmed for sale.

In total there are 37 vehicles up for judging, with 12 offerings from Japan, 11 offerings from Europe, 11 offerings from the U.S. and three offerings from Korea.

The jurors are mostly comprised of automotive journalists based in North America and will need to whittle down the list in advance of the announcement of the winners in January. To be eligible, a vehicle must be "all new" or "substantially changed" from the previous model. Last year the Hyundai Genesis took out the car award, while the Ford F-150 was picked as the top truck.

2010 North American Car of the Year candidates:
Audi S4
BMW Z4
BMW 335d
BMW 5-series GranTurismo
Buick LaCrosse
Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid
Ford Mustang/GT500
Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
Honda Insight
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Kia Forte
Kia Soul
Lexus HS 250h
Lotus Evora
Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3
Mercedes Benz E-Class
Nissan Cube
Nissan 370Z
Porsche Panamera
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Kizashi
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf/Golf TDI

2010 North American Truck of the Year candidates:
Acura ZDX
BMW X5 xDrive35d
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Transit Connect
GMC Terrain
Honda Crosstour (name to be officially announced/confirmed later)
Land Rover LR4
Lincoln MKT
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Volvo XC60