The North American Car of the Year is selected by a jury of 49 automotive journalists from Canada and the United States, representing newspapers, magazines, websites, television and radio shows.

'It’s a great honor to be recognized as the North American Car of the Year,' said GM CEO Dan Akerson. 'Since development began, we believed the Volt had the potential to transform the automotive industry. Today, the Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the prestigious North American Car of the Year award, and the first vehicle ever to receive the industry’s highest automotive, technology, and environmental recognitions.'

The North American Car of the Year is the latest in a series of major awards presented to the Volt, whch also include Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year and Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year.

'Such recognition provides customers with credible, expert endorsement of new models,' said Mr Akerson. 'This is particularly important for vehicles like the Volt that feature significant new technologies. Being named the North American Car of the Year will help convince customers that the Volt is truly a breakthrough vehicle, delivering the benefits of electric driving without the range anxiety associated with pure electric vehicles.'

This is the third time Chevrolet has won the North American Car of the Year, and the fourth time for General Motors. Most recently, the Chevrolet Malibu was the 2008 North American Car of the Year.