I really like the CCOTY exercise mainly because it gives a better than average 'car review' via all the subjective ratings of the many areas. In turn that allows someone interested in a certain car to go out with "reasonable doubts" about specific areas, and decide for oneself. Otherwise, the odds are good a person could buy a car and find out things that were problems to them afterward.
Having said that, the CCOTY as a competition for other than manufacturer's marketing benefit, as its structured, sucks. Categories so small, varied, and ultimately dependent on what some other manufacturer brings out that year.
It needs to be fixed. The solution, or most of it, is simple. Take away the potential meaninglessness of a weak category by including, in each category, last year's winning car/truck, eligible for one year only. And if it wins CCOTY and its not "this year's" new model, so what? Its only a year new! In that case, the following year, the #2 car would take its place.
