As Ford Authority reported last week, the redesigned Ford Super Duty took home 2024 North American Truck of the Year honors, which actually makes it the fourth consecutive year The Blue Oval has done so after the Ford F-150 took home that distinction in 2021, followed by the Ford Maverick in 2022 and the Ford F-150 Lightning in 2023. However, the Lincoln Navigator also won NACTOY back in 2018, and as it turns out, that – coupled with the Ford Super Duty win this year – is the second time engineer Andrew Kernahan has led the development of an NACTOY winner.
Congrats to Super Duty chief engineer Andrew Kernahan for becoming first person in @Ford history to lead development of two @NACTOY-winning vehicles. First w/ Lincoln Navigator & now Super Duty, the 2024 North American Truck of the Year! #BuiltFordProud https://t.co/adJuGyoPc8 pic.twitter.com/1aGpo17MLk
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) January 9, 2024
“I celebrated a little bit with the team and brought the trophy back to the office space back in Dearborn,” Kernahan told the Detroit Free Press. “I celebrated with the family. They were very aware of me spending long hours over the last couple of years getting this product launched, being away from home. They were very pleased with the recognition. We were high-fiving, celebrating.” While the now Ford Super Duty chief engineer admits that such an honor is obviously a team effort, noting that “we wouldn’t have been able to win this award without collaboration,” others are quick to note that he’s more than deserving of this special recognition.
“Typically, there isn’t a more thankless job in automotive than that of chief engineer. It’s a miserable job,” said Eric Noble, professor of vehicle technology at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. “Any possible thing that could go wrong on one of the most complex products humans make, the blame for that lies at their feet. They work around the clock. Winning as chief engineer is one of those rare things, like winning the Super Bowl. And he’s just done it twice.”
We’ll have more on the NACTOY awards soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford Super Duty news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
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