For many people this is the time of year for drummers drumming, pipers piping and chestnuts roasting. But if you are into cars, it is time to hear which vehicles are finalists for the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards.

With so many car-of-the-year titles being tossed around one might wonder if this particular contest is worth any more attention than those for Green Car, World Car or Family Car accolades. But if you are shopping for a vehicle or just like to keep track of what cars are generating buzz, it is worth a look.

So here they are:

North American Car of the Year finalists are the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat. On the truck side are the BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Range Rover Evoque, reported The Wall Street Journal.

If the last three don’t sound like trucks to you, it is because they aren’t if you think of a truck as something used to tow a big trailer, haul rocks or take you deep into the woods on your next hunting expedition.

But by modern auto industry standards these crossover vehicles that would have been called station wagons 30 years ago are now trucks. At this rate you may never again see another muscular, rough-and-ready large pickup truck in the final three.

Ah, but therein lies the fun. These awards typically spark emotional debate and banter that last all year – sometimes for many years.

The awards are for new vehicles or models that have been significantly redesigned. A group of 50 auto writers from the U.S. and Canada do the judging based on design, safety, fuel economy, performance and other criteria.

The 2012 winners will be announced Jan. 9, just before the opening of press days for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Last year’s winners were the Chevrolet Volt and Ford Explorer.

This year’s finalist emerged from the following fields of contenders:

Car of the Year

Audi A6 Audi A7 Buick Verano Chevrolet Sonic Chrysler 300/SRT-8 Fiat 500 Ford Focus Hyundai Accent Hyundai Elantra Hyundai Veloster Kia Rio/Rio 5 Scion iQ Subaru Impreza Toyota Camry Toyota Prius V VW Beetle VW Passat

Truck of the year

BMW X3 Honda CR-V Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Mercedes-Benz M-Class Mini Countryman Nissan Quest Saab 9-4X