VW representatives Tony Cervone, Jonathan Browning and Christian Klingler, from left, wait for the Car and Truck of the Year Awards announcement.DETROIT -- The Chattanooga-made Passat lost out to the Hyundai Elantra as North American Car of the Year today.
The all-new Volkswagen Passat, designed for and built by Americans for the first time, competed against the Ford Focus and Elantra.
A jury of 50 full-time automotive journalists picked the car made by the South Korean company, and the announcement was made at the North American International Auto Show.
Last November, the Passat was chosen by Motor Trend magazine as its car of the year
See more coverage of the auto show in Tuesday's Times Free Press.