I drove dozens of cars and trucks to pick the market's best vehicles

• Our three-day comparison meetup each fall is an opportunity to drive the vehicles back-to-back on some of the finest — and worst — roads in southeast Michigan.

The big picture: There were 25 semifinalists across three categories — car, truck and sport utility — and multiple variations of many vehicles so we could sample the full array of powertrains and trim levels.

• In all, I tried to drive 52 vehicles over three days. (I didn't quite make it.)

Details: 12 of the 25 semifinalists are electric — a record — indicating how fast the industry is pivoting away from gasoline.

• Many of the EVs are not yet available, including the Nissan Ariya crossover and the Endurance pickup truck (the first product from newbie Lordstown Motors).
• Plenty of great hybrids and gas-powered models are in contention too, including new versions of the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Lexus RX utilities.

My thought bubble: I haven't finalized my picks yet, especially in the competitive utility segment. But some of my favorites include the Cadillac Lyriq, Kia EV6 and Rivian R1S.

• In the pickup category, the Lordstown Endurance will be hard-pressed to top Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup.

What to watch: This could be the first year that the winners in all three categories are electric.

• Finalists will be announced in November, with winners named in early January.