Next June, Ward’s AutoWorld® magazine will present awards to the vehicles with the most attractive interior design. The award is scheduled to take place at the Cobo Center in Detroit. The distinction will be awarded in connection with Ward’s Auto Interior Show, which will take place June 6-7 this year.
Related to that, Ward’s has announced 34 nominees for the award in seven different categories. The 34 cars came from eleven automakers and surprisingly no Audi vehicles made the short list.
For the economy-priced car category, small cars priced under $ 17,000 and released for the 2007 model year are considered by the awarding body. Five vehicles have been nominated for the award in the category. The Dodge Caliber is one of them. The award-winning Honda Fits is also part of the nomination and is one of three Asian brands nominated for the category. The Hyundai Elantra is the second Asian brand nominated for the category while the Suzuki SX4 completes the Asian triumvirate in nominees in the category.
A European brand, Volkswagen, made the short list with the VW Rabbit.
For the popular priced car category, which is made up of cars priced between $ 17,000 and $ 30,000, five vehicles are nominated. The Chrysler Sebring, one of the cars that Chrysler hopes will help them become profitable again, is one of the nominees for the category. The Mini Cooper is also nominated for the award in its class. The Nissan Maxima that comes equipped with a high-quality Nissan axle assembly and a spacious interior is also included in the nomination for its category. The Saturn Aura and Toyota Camry are also nominated for the award in the category.
Another category, the premium-priced car category, also has five nominees. The cars considered for this category are those with a price greater than $ 30,000. The Infiniti G35 from Nissan’s luxury division is one of the nominees for the category. Another luxury division of a Japanese brand is also nominated: the Lexus LS 460. The remaining three nominated cars belong to Ford Motor Company’s Premiere Automotive Group. The Jaguar XKR, Lincoln MKZ and Volvo S80 are Ford luxury car brands and are nominated for this category.
For the popularly priced crossover utility vehicle category, Ward’s selected five nominees. The Ford Edge is one of the nominees for the category. The Saturn Outlook replaced the GMC Acadia on the nominee list. The Honda CR-V is also nominated for the award in the category. In place of the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Hyundai Veracruz is also nominated and the fifth nominee for the category is the Mazda CX-7.
Another category of CUVs is the premium priced crossover utility vehicle category in which CUVs priced above $ 30,000 are considered. From Honda’s luxury division, Acura, the MDX is nominated for the award in this category. The BMW X5 is also nominated for the category. Other candidates include the Cadillac SRX, Lincoln MKX, and Mercedes GL-Class.
Another category is for trucks priced under $ 30,000 – the popular priced truck category. For this category, Ward’s only named four nominees. The Chevy Silverado is one of the four. The Veracruz was originally intended to be nominated for the category, but it was moved to the popular-priced CUV category and replaced by the Dodge Nitro. The Jeep Wrangler is also named as one of the nominees for the category. The Toyota Tundra also made the list.
The last category is for all trucks priced over $ 30,000. The premium price truck category has five nominees. The famous Cadillac Escalade is one of the nominees for this category as is the Chrysler Aspen. The Lincoln Navigator is another Lincoln model competing for an award. The new Land Rover LR3 is also nominated for the award in this category. And instead of the Mercedes G-Class, the Nissan Quest was nominated for the award in the category.
The 34 nominated vehicles were chosen by Ward’s editorial staff and the institution is inviting consumers to participate by voting for their bet. Interested consumers can visit http://www.autointeriors.com where they can vote for their favorite interiors in the different categories created by Ward’s.
