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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:

South Korea island of Jeju becoming an EV-incentive heaven

When it comes to providing some island EV love, we can point to Hawaii, which has been pushing hard for greater electric-vehicle adoption through subsidies and a broader charging network. Now, South Korea has Jeju. We're not sure if the surf is as good. Like Hawaii, Jeju is focusing on a "carbon-free" existence and lowered fossil-fuel dependency as a way to help the environment while addressing the extra expenses involved in providing fuel locally, Wards Auto says. Jeju, which is about 720 square miles, provides about $7,000 worth of EV incentives on top of those provided by the South Korean government. As a result, the cost of buying an EV can be cut in half. In the case of a Chevrolet Spark EV, going electric actually has a lower out-of-pocket price tag than buying a gas-powered counterpart on the island. South Korea's Ministry of Environment has earmarked about $14,000 in subsidies for each EV purchase, while 10 South Korean cities are adding on incentives anywhere from about $2,800 to $7,400 per vehicle. South Korean automaker Hyundai and affiliate Kia are just starting to do their part to boost the country's EV sales, which didn't even break the 800-unit mark last year. Kia recently said it will start making its 2015 model-year Soul EV in April, with sales debuting in South Korea by the end of the year. Hyundai is said to start selling its own EV starting in 2016. News Source: Wards AutoImage Credit: Korean Tourism Organization Government/Legal Green Hyundai Kia Electric incentives tax incentives island

Hyundai gullwing door patent blends VW camper, Tesla Model X

Hyundai wants to open your RV to the outdoors with a patented design that combines a gullwing and a sliding door. It could make a camping trip a lot of fun. From an engineering standpoint, the idea is fascinating. The gullwing (above) in Hyundai's patent application drawings runs from the front doors all the way to the rear, and it opens wide enough to expose the second and third rows, plus the cargo area. However, such a huge opening would never work if another vehicle were sitting too close because the gullwing needs so much room. In that case, occupants can use the sliding door (right) like a traditional minivan, which needs a much smaller area to deploy. This is the best of both worlds. According to the Korean automaker's patent application, the camping market is growing, and it believes this idea would appeal to customers. "Camping has evolved from a level of just sleeping outdoors to include a step of taking a rest outdoors, and therefore, camping equipment has also continuously evolved," Hyundai states in the application. In addition to the novel door design, it's interesting that Hyundai specifically imagines this on an RV. In the UK, a company converts Hyundai's i800 van into a camper. Perhaps the Korean automaker sees space to do something new in the segment with this patent. We hope the company shows a vehicle in North America with this door because we want to see the contraption at work in the real world. Related Video: