2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year Finalists Announced

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 models from Mazda and Acura can also be found in each contest. Here now is the list of finalists for the big prizes:

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

Interestingly, the North American Car of the Year grouping is identical to the three finalists chosen by Motor Trend for its Car of the Year – a contest won by the Cadillac CTS. The Corvette Stingray, meanwhile, is the most performance-minded entry we've seen on the list for some time, and the diminutive Mazda3 is there as the affordable, stylish and economical entry.

For the truck/utility award, we're somewhat surprised to see the Acura MDX make the list, while the Chevrolet Silverado is the sole 'traditional' truck to make it to the finals. Despite its controversial looks, Jeep's Cherokee is more than a dark horse in our eyes, and advanced features like a nine-speed auto and a range of four-wheel drive systems could make it a compelling choice.

There are some enthusiast-leaning omissions in each category (you can view the entire list of finalists in the press release), including the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Jaguar F-Type on the Car of the Year side. In the trucks/utility category, both the new Land Rover Range Rover Sport and the BMW X5 are great steers, too. All of the aforementioned were voted onto the NACTOY short list for the awards, but failed to make it into the final three slots.