General Motors Adds Three Major Honors from TopGear.com in Its Inaugural U.S. Car Awards
Awards season in the automotive world has become an increasingly important benchmark for manufacturers striving to push boundaries in engineering, design, and performance. While the entertainment world may get the spotlight during its awards season, the auto industry follows closely behind with its own slate of accolades that celebrate the vehicles and brands that stood out most prominently over the past year. In 2026, General Motors (GM) finds itself firmly in that spotlight, securing not just one but three top honors from TopGear.com as part of the publication’s first-ever U.S. Car Awards. These new recognitions further cement GM’s widening footprint in both performance engineering and advanced electrification.
TopGear.com’s inaugural U.S. awards program made waves on its own, representing the expansion of the influential automotive media brand into a dedicated American recognition platform. Its editors evaluated a broad range of vehicles that launched or made significant market impact within the year. Standing out among fierce competition across combustion and electric segments, General Motors emerged as a clear winner, taking home major awards for two breakthrough models and an overarching manufacturer honor.
The publication crowned the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 as the U.S. Supercar of the Year, celebrating GM’s heritage of high-performance engineering and its sustained efforts to challenge global supercar titans. Alongside that win, the Cadillac LYRIQ-V was named 2026 U.S. SUV of the Year, marking a defining moment for Cadillac’s electric performance ambitions. To cap it off, the Cadillac brand also earned the prestigious title of 2026 U.S. Manufacturer of the Year, a testament to its accelerated evolution into a performance-forward, electrified, and globally recognized luxury marque.
Corvette ZR1: A Supercar Powerhouse Redefining American Performance
The eighth-generation Corvette, assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has been one of the most closely watched American vehicles of the decade. With the arrival of the new ZR1 variant, GM elevated the car from an icon of American sports performance to a legitimate global supercar contender. TopGear.com recognized this leap, evaluating the ZR1 not only on power and engineering but also on real-world track capability.
At the heart of the 2026 Corvette ZR1 lies a remarkable engineering achievement: the most powerful V8 ever assembled in the United States by an American automaker. This twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter engine produces an astonishing 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque, placing the ZR1 in rarefied air even among elite European supercars.
The model’s performance envelope is further enhanced through advanced aerodynamics. When equipped with the ZTK Performance Package and the ZR1 Carbon Fiber Aero Package, the car is capable of generating more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speed, an essential factor for stability in high-speed track conditions. Earlier in the year, the ZR1—along with its all-wheel-drive sibling, the ZR1X—made headlines at the Nürburgring by becoming the two fastest American production cars to ever lap the legendary German racetrack.
Top Gear Editor-in-Chief Jack Rix emphasized the uniqueness of the ZR1 in their testing process. “We track-tested the ZR1 against the Ford Mustang GTD and in terms of pure entertainment they were difficult to separate, but in raw lap time it’s not even close,” he said. “Lighter, much more powerful and mid-engined, the ZR1 is simply irresistible.” His comments reflected the editorial team’s view that the car delivers both emotional excitement and quantifiable performance superiority—qualities essential for earning the title of U.S. Supercar of the Year.
Cadillac LYRIQ-V: A Vision of Electric Luxury and High-Performance Utility
While the Corvette represents GM’s heritage of combustion-powered performance, the Cadillac LYRIQ-V highlights the brand’s increasingly aggressive push into electrified luxury and performance mobility. Assembled in Spring Hill, Tennessee, the LYRIQ-V is notable as the first electric vehicle to wear Cadillac’s iconic “V” performance badge. This alone marks a major cultural shift within Cadillac’s performance division, signaling a future where speed and excitement coexist with zero-emissions propulsion.
Powered by a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, the LYRIQ-V delivers 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac estimates a 0–60 mph time of just 3.3 seconds when equipped with Velocity Max mode, making it the quickest-accelerating vehicle in Cadillac’s history. As electric performance SUVs continue to proliferate across the U.S. market, TopGear.com’s recognition underscores that Cadillac has successfully engineered a model that blends performance, luxury, and refinement in a highly competitive and fast-changing landscape.
Rix praised the model’s well-rounded experience, saying it “looks and feels genuinely premium – inside and out,” adding that “on the move, it steers beautifully and rides well. An excellent all-rounder that truly surprised us.” These comments reflect how the LYRIQ-V impressed Top Gear editors not merely through straight-line speed but also through its build quality, driving dynamics, and the cohesiveness of its overall design.
Cadillac: A Brand in Transformation Earns U.S. Manufacturer of the Year
Among GM’s many recent achievements, perhaps none reflects its brand-level momentum more strongly than Cadillac’s selection as TopGear.com’s U.S. Manufacturer of the Year. This award is typically reserved for brands experiencing exceptional innovation, product development, and cultural impact within a single year. Cadillac’s recent portfolio expansion and motorsport involvement made it a standout candidate.
“In the space of a few years, Cadillac has introduced an entire range of new EVs… got pole at Le Mans and launched a full Formula 1 team,” Rix noted. Describing Cadillac as “one of the most bold and ambitious nameplates on the planet,” he emphasized the brand’s rapid transformation and its expanding global presence. The combination of high-performance motorsport achievements, aggressive EV innovation, and increasing brand prestige helped Cadillac surpass competitors and claim the top manufacturer honor.
A Strong Year of Recognition for GM Across the Board
In response to the awards, GM President Mark Reuss expressed gratitude and pride. “When the end of the year rolls around and a media outlet as respected as Top Gear hands you three awards, you know you’re doing something right,” he said. Reuss emphasized that the recognition is a direct result of the dedication and innovative spirit of the teams behind the Corvette ZR1, LYRIQ-V, and Cadillac’s broader product lineup. He added, “We’re thrilled and grateful for all the teams who earned these awards.”
This trio of Top Gear awards joins an increasingly long list of honors for GM in 2025 and 2026. The Cadillac VISTIQ was recently named German Luxury Car of the Year, reinforcing Cadillac’s rising prominence in the European luxury market. Meanwhile, the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ earned MotorTrend SUV of the Year, marking another major milestone in Cadillac’s EV strategy. Beyond vehicles, GM has also been recognized for its innovation capabilities, securing four R&D 100 Awards for advanced propulsion and manufacturing technologies—further evidence of the company’s growing leadership in automotive engineering.
A Milestone Moment for GM’s Performance and Electrification Strategy
Overall, TopGear.com’s inaugural U.S. Car Awards spotlight a pivotal moment for General Motors. The recognitions simultaneously celebrate GM’s internal-combustion performance achievements—exemplified by the Corvette ZR1—and its rapid expansion into high-performance electrified luxury, represented by the LYRIQ-V and Cadillac’s broader EV portfolio. As the automotive industry evolves toward a future defined by electrification, efficiency, and cutting-edge design, GM’s strong performance across these awards suggests that it is successfully navigating this transition while maintaining its legacy of performance excellence.
GM enters 2026 not only with three new trophies but also with growing global recognition and momentum across its brands. For a company balancing tradition and transformation, these honors validate both its engineering direction and its broader vision for the future of American performance and luxury mobility.
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