As the top entrants in this year's contest, the finalists all deserve recognition as some of the best examples of new cars to hit the streets this model year. Our own editorial director Marty Padgett is one of the jurors who select the nominees, finalists, and the overall winners. The decision of the NACTOY jury is a long and careful process involving multiple drives of each car, with input from a total of nearly 50 jurors.
This year's list includes fully half of the six nominees across both categories from General Motors, a sure sign the carmaker is well and truly back on the right path just a few years after is emergence from bankruptcy. Acura, Jeep, and Mazda each earned one nod apiece on the finalists list.
Without further ado, here is the list of the finalists:
2014 North American Car of the Year:
Cadillac CTS
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Mazda3
2014 North American Truck/Utility of the Year
Acura MDX
Chevrolet Silverado
Jeep Cherokee
A short list of the top contenders was released in October, and included many of our favorite cars of the year, though they've now been cut from the list:
2014 North American Car of the Year short list
BMW 4 Series
Cadillac CTS
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Chevrolet Impala
Infiniti Q50
Jaguar F-Type
Kia Cadenza
Lexus IS
Mazda3
Mazda6
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Toyota Corolla
2014 North American Truck/Utility of the Year short list
Acura MDX
BMW X5
Buick Encore
Chevrolet Silverado
GMC Sierra
Hyundai Santa Fe LWB
Jeep Cherokee
Kia Sorento
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota Tundra
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