Automotive Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Ford and Chrysler Get Top Honors at Texas Truck Rodeo

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) hosts its annual Truck Rodeo every year. This year, the Detroit Three came away with a number of awards.

by Staff
October 25, 2011
2 min to read


SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) hosts its annual Truck Rodeo every year.

Some of the notable wins include TAWA naming Ford’s F-150 the “Truck of Texas.” Ford also won top honors in seven other categories. TAWA named Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology the best vehicle feature. TAWA also named Ford as having the Truck Line of Texas for the 12th consecutive year.

Ad Loading...

TAWA named Chrysler's Jeep Grand Cherokee the SUV of Texas. The association named the Dodge Durango the Full-size SUV of Texas. In addition, the association named the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit the Luxury SUV of Texas.

A total of 48 vehicles were entered in the rodeo. The 57 registered members of TAWA evaluated the vehicles. TAWA is one of the largest associations of auto writers in the U.S.

The list of winners is shown below:

  • Truck of Texas: 2012 Ford F-150.

  • Truck Line of Texas: 2012 Ford lineup of trucks.

  • Full-size Pickup Truck: First, 2012 Ford F-150; second, 2012 Ram 1500; third, Chevrolet 1500.

  • Heavy-Duty Pickup Truck: First, 2012 Ford F-250 King Ranch; second, 2012 Ram 2500 HD Power Wagon; third, 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.

  • Mid-size Pickup Truck: First, Nissan Frontier; second, 2012 Toyota Tacoma.

  • Luxury Pickup Truck: First, 2012 Ford F-150 Platinum; second, 2012 Ram 2500 HD Mega Cab Laramie Longhorn; third, 2012 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD.

  • Outstanding Feature of Texas: Ford EcoBoost engine technology.

  • SUV of Texas: Jeep Grand Cherokee.

  • Mid-size SUV: First, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited; second, Toyota 4Runner; third, Toyota FJ Cruiser.

  • Full-size SUV: First, Dodge Durango; second, Jeep Grand Cherokee; third, Chevrolet Tahoe.

  • Compact Vehicle of Texas: Ford Edge.

  • Compact SUV: First, Nissan Xterra; second, Jeep Compass; third, VW Tiguan.

More Operations

A shot of a Volvo electric vehicle with a man charging it in front of a residence.
SponsoredAugust 1, 2026

Top 50 Executive Fleets

It is that time of year again! Time for the 2026 list of the Top 50 Executive Fleets, presented by Automotive Fleet and Volvo as part of its annual Fleet 500. Download now to see this year's list of companies!

Read More →
Gary Van Orden Retirement
Operationsby Jeanny AbrahamJuly 31, 2026

Gary Van Orden Retires After Nearly Four Decades in Commercial Fleet

From answering customer calls at Ford Motor Company to leading fleet sales across multiple OEMs and a fleet management company, Gary Van Orden's career reflects nearly four decades of leadership in commercial fleet.

Read More →
an Automotive Fleet podcast thumbnail
OperationsJuly 31, 2026

How Stellantis Plans to Get Ahead of Fleet Downtime

Vehicle acquisition may grab the headlines, but fleet uptime increasingly determines operating success. Darren Bradshaw of ‪Mopar‬ North America gives the details.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A lineup of Hyundai vehicles with overlay text announcing the 2027 Commercial Fleet Program, highlighting new fleet incentives for eligible commercial and government buyers.
Operationsby News/Media ReleaseJuly 31, 2026

Hyundai Releases 2027 Commercial Program Incentives 

The 2027 Model Year "Fleet Street Incentives" are available to commercial and government fleets.

Read More →
Chris Brown of Automotive Fleet and Lauren Fletcher of Work Truck pose beside a Soap Box Derby car in a Team Brown vs. Team Fletcher race graphic benefiting The Hourglass Foundation.
Operationsby News/Media ReleaseJuly 30, 2026

It's All Downhill from Here! Fleet Industry Raises $22,000 for Skilled Trades Scholarships

Work Truck’s Lauren Fletcher and Automotive Fleet’s Chris Brown turned a friendly racing rivalry into $22,000 for automotive technology and skilled trades scholarships.

Read More →
Commercial Fleet
SponsoredJuly 23, 2026

The Top 300 Commercial Fleets

The Top 300 Commercial Fleets: See the List

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cover of the "Top 50 Green Fleets" report presented by Automotive Fleet and Inspiration Fleet, featuring an aerial nighttime photo of a lit highway interchange with looping ramps.
SponsoredJuly 16, 2026

The Top 50 Green Fleets

The List Is in: The Top 50 Green Fleets

Read More →
A car dealership with added inscription "Every fleet vehicle eventually becomes local."
Operationsby Chris BrownJuly 15, 2026

Your Local Dealer Knows More Than You Think

Your local dealer can provide an information advantage that extends well beyond courtesy deliveries.

Read More →
Portrait of Austin Schutte, founder and CEO of Anew Solutions, featured in Automotive Fleet's Fleet Meets series highlighting his career, leadership philosophy, and fleet industry insights.
Operationsby Faith HowellJuly 14, 2026

Fleet Meets: Austin Schutte

Here are some industry insights, personal touches, and words of advice from the CEO and Founder of Anew Solutions.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of Team Brown building soap box derby
Operationsby Chris BrownJuly 13, 2026

Soap Box Derby Challenge: What’s Powering Team Brown

The car is coming together, the students are solving real build problems, and the fleet industry is helping push Team Brown toward the starting line.

Read More →