DETROIT AUTO SHOW 2010

Yesterday’s Chevrolet press conference at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show was a pretty muted affair.The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze was also there, but it had appeared as several shows last year, including last month’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

This is the second year in a row that Ford (F, Fortune 500) has won Truck of the Year. The F-150 pick-up was last year’s recipient. The Hyundai Genesis won car of the year last year.

Nissan figures it can establish a lead in electric vehicles with its Leaf EV, which goes on sale in December. Tavares said Nissan has already had 35,000 people express interest in the car. That is a good indicator that they can sell the car successfully, he said. But Nissan will have a better idea once they start taking deposits this spring.

The last time one automaker took home both awards was in 2007 when General Motors won with the Saturn Aura sedan and the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up.

GM could have swept the awards again this year. The Buick LaCrosse sedan and Chevrolet Equinox SUV were among the three finalists for each award.

The other finalists were the Volkswagen Golf for Car of the Year and the Subaru Outback, a wagon-like crossover SUV, for Truck of the Year.