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2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year entries announced

Over 40 vehicles will compete for the 2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards. If that name looks a little strange, it's because the competition added a third category. In years past, pickup trucks, crossovers, SUVs, commercial vans, and minivans competed for the same award. That's why there were occasionally weird comparisons, like last year's competition between the Volvo XC90 and Nissan Titan XD. The new format separates pickups and commercial vans into the truck contest and CUVs, SUVs, and minivans into the utility competition. A complete list of eligible vehicles is below, but here are a few highlights. For one, the entire list of entries has a luxurious lean. Of the 43 vehicles, nearly half of them are from premium brands. There are two eligible Bentleys – the Bentayga and Mulsanne – the Rolls-Royce Dawn, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q7, and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-, E-, and S-Class Maybach. The performance ranks are lofty, too, with the Audi R8, Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Mercedes SL- and SLC-Class, Porsche 718, and F-150 Raptor. The mainstream entries are just as comprehensive. From the Chrysler Pacifica to the Chevrolet Cruze to the Fiat 124 Spider to the Mitsubishi Mirage, NACTOY has covered an enormous price range with this year's contestants. Of course, these are only the eligible vehicles. They'll need to run through three rounds of judging, starting in September at NACTOY's traditional Hell, MI, test drive. The Canadian and American journalists involved in the judging will announce this year's nine finalists – three in each category – on December 6. Cars Acura NSX Alfa Romeo Giulia Audi A4 Audi R8 Bentley Mulsanne Buick Cascada Buick LaCrosse Cadillac CT6 Chevrolet Bolt Chevrolet Cruze Fiat 124 Genesis G90 Hyundai Elantra Infiniti Q60 Jaguar XE Kia Cadenza Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Mercedes-Benz S550 Maybach Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class Mini Clubman Mitsubishi Mirage/G4 Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman Rolls-Royce Dawn Toyota Prius Prime Volvo S90 SUVs Audi Q7 Bentley Bentayga Buick Envision Cadillac XT5 Chrysler Pacifica GMC Acadia Infiniti QX30 Kia Sportage Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class Jaguar F-Pace Mazda CX-9 Nissan Armada Trucks Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups Ford F-150 Raptor Honda Ridgeline Nissan Titan half-ton Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley Bentayga View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub.

Mercedes calls CLA 'best launch in 20 years' as it warns dealers of tight supplies

It's still in the early going, but it's looking more and more like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA is a verifiable home run for the German brand. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the new small car isn't just widening the sales gap between Mercedes and BMW, it's attracting a new, younger breed of customers into the brand's showrooms. But that early success is straining supplies of the turbocharged four-door.
Dealers have been warned that the first half of 2014 will see limited supplies for CLA, with a letter to dealers indicating that "tight inventories and low days supply" will exist from February through June, despite the car's Kecskemét, Hungary plant running at full tilt.
"This is our best launch in 20 years," said Steve Cannon, the US boss for Mercedes. "The CLA has been a phenomenal success right out of the gate." The numbers certainly support that. We reported in early October that Mercedes moved 2,300 CLAs in its first week on sale, and now Bloomberg is saying CLA sales were almost singlehandedly responsible for Benz's November sales gains. Mercedes' annual sales are up 14 percent through the November, and it's enjoying a healthy 7,600-car lead over BMW.

Ferrari, Mercedes selling cars with faulty Takata airbags

According to the US Senate, a small group of automakers are still selling new cars with faulty Takata airbags. Automotive News reports that Ferrari's entire lineup and various Mercedes-Benz vehicles come with faulty airbags and are subject to being recalled by the end of 2018. US Senator Bill Nelson, (D-FL), claims the affected Ferrari models include: the 2016 to 2017 FF, California T, F12 Berlinetta, F12 TdF, 488 GTB, 488 Spider, and GTC4 Lusso. Mercedes-Benz is also in the mix with the 2016 Sprinter and 2016 to 2017 E-Class Coupe and Convertible. Automotive News reports that both Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz will require its dealers to notify buyers of a recall in the vehicles' future. The National Highway traffic Safety Administration claims the vehicles are legal to be sold, as the airbags are safe until exposed to high humidity for a significant period of time. With the majority of Ferrari drivers storing their vehicles in temperature-controlled garages, this shouldn't be troubling news. What is troubling, however, is that seven out of 17 automakers that Senator Nelson contacted admitted to putting defective Takata airbags into its new cars. Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Toyota are a few automakers that still use Takata's faulty airbags. All have agreed to notify buyers of future recalls. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News-sub.req.Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Lorenzo Marcinno / AOL Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Mercedes-Benz ferrari ff ferrari f12 berlinetta ferrari 488 gtb ferrari california t ferrari f12 tdf ferrari 488 spider ferrari gtc4 lusso