WASHINGTON -- The insurance industry named dozens of new cars and trucks, led by Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo subsidiary, to its annual list of the safest vehicles Tuesday, helped by the increased use of anti-rollover technology.

Ford and Volvo had 16 vehicles in the 2009 model year on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of the safest new cars, followed by Honda Motor Co. with 13 vehicles.

Seventy-two cars, trucks and SUVs received the top safety pick designation for 2009, more than double the number of vehicles in the 2008 model year and three times the number in 2007.

"The sheer number of this year's winners indicates that automakers have made huge strides to improve crash protection," said Institute president Adrian Lund.  read more »

Designed and engineered to reaffirm its place as a desirable and affordable entry point for the Acura sedan range, the all-new second-generation 2009 Acura TSX is larger, more agile, more powerful and even "more Acura" than ever before. The 2009 Acura TSX made its world premiere at the on-going 2008 New York International Auto Show . Carefully crafted to honor the original TSX's vision as a world-class sports sedan, the TSX has significantly evolved to offer more comfort, safety, convenience and driving performance - dramatically raising the standards for Acura's entry-level sedan . With sharp-edged and athletic styling, a powerful, clean and efficient i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine, a choice of automatic or manual transmission, and the kind of driving character that's an Acura trademark, the 2009 TSX continues as a valuable asset to the Acura division - and to a loyal following of customers. Major advances in handling agility, safety features, emissions reduction, ride smoothness and quietness, and interior comfort and convenience features all contribute to the new TSX's added appeal.  read more »

Abstract: 2008 Beijing Auto Show Debut Cars: The 2009 Audi Q5.

For months now we've seen spy photos and heard speculation about Audi's new Q5 CUV. Now, we finally have the official news on the latest entry from Ingolstadt. Unlike its big brother the Q7, the Q5 doesn't share an architecture with a VW model.

The Q5 bears a strong family resemblance to the A4 Avant, while at same time being distinct. When Audi designers were discussing the rationale behind the styling, they began with the beltline that's found on all the newest four-ringed offerings.
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With the all-new European Honda Accord set to debut next month in Geneva , word is that buyers will be disappointed to hear there are apparently no plans to launch a high-performance Type-R version of the new chassis.  read more »

A full reveal of the production-ready 2011 Chevrolet Volt took place in September after we were teased with glimpses of the electrically driven car for months. Detailed information about the Volt was finally revealed, including a production start date of...Joe Bruzek

Laps around California's Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in the stupendous new Lexus IS F sedan and, at the other end of the range, a relaxed week behind the wheel of the more sensible (but still engaging) IS250 (pictured above), has me contemplating the IS we don't get Europe's diesel-powered IS220d . The first and only diesel-powered Lexus model (and one of only a handful of Toyota products with a diesel engine), the IS220d has nonetheless found favor among even the most persnickety of Europe's automotive journalists, even when compared directly with the car's very established rivals, the BMW 320d and the Audi A4 2.0TDI . It's even fared well against the beloved diesel-powered version of the European Honda Accord (which is essentially the U.S.-market Acura TSX). And with plans to launch Honda's i-DTEC clean diesel engine in the next generation of the Euro-spec Accord/U.S.-spec TSX not to mention the imminent Stateside arrival of new diesels from BMW , Audi , Mercedes-Benz , and Volkswagen doesn't it make sense that Toyota, despite its heretofore singular focus on gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains, might use the IS220d to establish a foothold in the diesel market? The 2.2-liter turbodiesel four (pictured above right) produces 175 horsepower and a very impressive 295 pound-feet of torque 110 more than the 2.5-liter gasoline V-6 in my IS250 test car and 18 more than the 3.5-liter V-6 in the IS350 so the IS220d would hardly arrive here as an embarrassment in the performance department. But certainly more notable about the diesel-fed IS than its willingness to play is its modest thirst: The car returns 30 mpg (U.S. gallons) in town and 44 mpg on the highway (compared with 21/29 mpg for the rear-wheel-drive IS250 and 18/25 mpg for the IS350). Still unconvinced?  read more »

Remember Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? You know that glorified full-priced demo of GT5? The car and feature list is now available, and I am mighty impressed for the semi-real-game nature of GT5 Prologue. Some of the interesting features include a drift mode where drifting is judged based on multiple variables, in-depth car tuning, two-player split screen racing and a few new race events for online and offline play. Click through to see the full list of cars and check out the new trailer that is so beautiful the dragons from the fantasy games perk up their ears in anticipation.  read more »