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Ward's releases 10 Best Interiors list for 2014

While we're still a ways off from the automotive awards season proper, where things like North American Car and Truck of the Year, Motor Trend's Car of the Year and Car and Driver's Ten Best are named, that doesn't mean there aren't trophies being handed out to deserving automakers. Ward's 10 Best Interiors being one of them.
As the name might imply, the magazine focuses on the very best interior treatments in the US market. Whereas some awards purposely exclude extreme, high-dollar offerings, Ward's considers them - the only requirement is that a vehicle has a "new or significantly redesigned interior."
Ward's offered up the list of winners in simple, alphabetical order, and it only seems fair to do the same:

Mazda introduces gray-themed Carbon Edition because black is overdone

Automakers have rolled out a parade of blacked-out special editions lately, from Nightshade Toyotas to Midnight Edition Chevrolets to Black Edition Ram pickups. Mazda is taking a different — but not too different — path with its just-announced Carbon Edition models. These special versions of the 2021 Mazda6, Mazda CX-5, and Mazda CX-9 feature an exclusive Polymetal Gray exterior hue with blacked-out trim and a black metallic finish for the wheels (hey, you knew it had to be somewhere). Inside, the gray exterior is contrasted with a red leather interior — which actually sounds kinda cool. There are more black accents in the cabin, continuing the theme. Mazda has not yet released details of the 2021 lineups for these three models, so we don't exactly know where the Carbon Edition stands within the trim hierarchy. Mazda did say that all Carbon Editions will have Bose premium audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Nor do we have pricing, which should be announced with the rest of the 2021-model-year info for these vehicles. If Polymetal Gray just isn't dark enough for these admittedly dark times, rest assured that all three of these Mazdas also are available in Jet Black Mica, for those who can't resist the urge to paint it black. Related Video:

2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists announced [w/poll]

The 2014 North American International Auto Show is right around the corner, which means it's high time we found out which cars and trucks would be finalists for the prestigious North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards.
The finalists - three in cars and three in three trucks/utilities - are dominated by American brands, with two-thirds of the finalists hailing from either General Motors or Chrysler (don't worry Ford, there's always next year), while outliers from Mazda and Acura can be found in each contest. Here now is the list of finalists for the big prizes:
2014 North American Car of the Year: