DETROIT -

Ford swept these honors last year, but Chevrolet muscled in and took one of the accolades Monday from the North American Car of the Year Organizing Committee.

Continuing the positive momentum for these domestic automakers, the committee tapped the Chevrolet Volt as the 2011 North American Car of the Year and then went with the Ford Explorer as the 2011 North American Truck of the Year

The winners were revealed Monday morning at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

While hybrid vehicles won four times in the 18 years that the awards have been given, the selection committee honored a vehicle for the first time that can move a meaningful distance on electric power alone.

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

The Volt won with 233 points, followed by the Hyundai Sonata with 163 and the Nissan LEAF with 94.

“The Volt seamlessly bridges the gulf between today’s liquid fueling infrastructure and the plugged-in electric future,” noted committee member Lindsay Brooke, of Automotive Engineering International.

GM highlighted the other honors it has already received because of the Volt, including:

—Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year.

—Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year.

—Car and Driver 10 Best for 2011.

—Ward’s AutoWorld 10 Best Engines for 2011.

—Automobile Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year.

—2010 Breakthrough Technology by Popular Mechanics.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized as the North American Car of the Year,” declared GM chief executive officer 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,” Akerson continued.

“Such recognition provides customers with credible, expert endorsement of new models,” he added. “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.”

Meanwhile, Ford is no stranger to its award.

Monday marked the second year in a row that a Ford unit was named the North American Truck of the Year. Last year the winner was the Transit Connect. It is also the seventh time a Ford has been the North American Truck of the Year, a category it has dominated. The Ford F-150 received the honor in 2004 and 2009, and the Escape Hybrid won it in 2005.

The Explorer won this time with 253 points, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee had 138 points and the Dodge Durango accumulated 99 points.

Mark Phelan, the auto critic of The Detroit Free Press, insisted the Explorer offers “class-leading fuel economy and technology and features you can’t get in luxury crossovers that cost twice as much.”

Another truck award delighted Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas

“It’s a proud moment for Ford, our employees and our customers to have Explorer named North American Truck of the Year,” Field said.

“Winning this honor for the third consecutive year confirms our One Ford plan is working to deliver vehicles people truly want and value, with industry-leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology,” he went on to say.

A year ago, Ford swept these honors as the North American Car of the Year was the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Award Background

The North American Car and Truck of the Year winners are chosen by a jury of 49 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, the committee indicated a vehicle must be all new or “substantially changed.” Committee members consider dozens of new vehicles before sending their ballots to Michelle Collins, a partner at Deloitte & Touche early in December.

On Dec.16, the three cars and truck finalists were announced. But only Collins knew the winners until she handed over envelopes Monday to Karl Brauer, of Edmunds.com, a member of the organizing committee who also announced the winners.

During the 18 years of the awards domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year 10 times. European automakers have taken the honor four times, while Japanese automakers have won three times. A Korean automaker received the accolade once.

Domestic OEMs have received North American Truck of the Year honor 12 times. Japanese manufacturers have taken it four times, while European companies earned it twice.

This year’s awards process was administered by a five-person organizing committee, which included Brooke, Phelan and Brauer, along with Tony Swan, of Car and Driver, and freelance journalist Christopher Jensen.

“The awards are unique in the United States because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by a coalition of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and websites,” committee members explained.

“The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year,” they went on to say. “These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.”