Chrysler 300: Best Car 2005

Chrysler 300 Best Car 2005
Chrysler's boldly styled 300 sedan and the hybrid version of Ford's Escape sport utility vehicle Sunday were named North America's top car and truck for 2005.

It was the second consecutive year that a mass-produced hybrid -- vehicles that switch between a gasoline or diesel engine and an electric motor to boost fuel efficiency -- won the award, which is announced each year at the start of the North American International Auto Show.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius claimed the top car honor last year and Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 pickup won in the truck category.

The car and truck awards have been given out annually since 1994 by a group of about 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.

Ford's Escape hybrid, which the company put on sale last fall, is the world's first full-hybrid SUV. In accepting the award for Ford, Mary Ann Wright, an executive on the team that developed the vehicle, called it the "truck of the century."

The 300, which went on sale in April, has been a big and much-needed hit in the vehicle lineup of DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler division.

Featuring a low-sloping roof and giant egg-crate grille, the 300 won more than a dozen prestigious car awards for Chrysler last year and has been credited with reinventing the full-sized, American-style sedan.

"I get goose bumps when I