Ford, Subaru, Volkswagen receive most awards in annual insurance industry tests for car safety. "The absence of Toyota among the top safety picks is a bit of a surprise. They had 11 of these for 2009 and none this year."

The private Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its list for what it considers the safest cars of 2010; 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility vehicles received top honors. Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen lead the pack.  Fewer cars made the list this year, largely because the insurance group has added a new test to determine overall car safety.

For safety conscious car buyers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's annual list of the safest new vehicles provides a few surprises.  
U.S. automaker Ford and its Volvo unit received the most with six awards  -- followed by Subaru and Volkswagen with five safety awards each. 
Another big winner was Chrysler. 
"Chrysler this year has four top safety picks," said Insurance Institute President Adrian Lund.Lund says in all -  27 cars and sport utility vehicles received top safety awards for 2010 models.  Other winners included Honda and G.M.  But in a surprise twist this year, Toyota, the world's largest automaker, came up empty.

"The absence of Toyota among the top safety picks is a bit of a surprise," Lund said.  "They had 11 of these for 2009 and none this year."

Part of the reason, is that apart from the obligatory front end crash tests, side impacts, and rear-end collisions, this year, car roofs also had to be strong enough to withstand rollovers.

The Volkswagen held up well. But many new vehicles failed.

"Well, a lot of vehicles missed this list because of the new roof strength rating," Lund said.  "Their roofs aren't quite strong enough to get a good rating in our test."

To make the list, new vehicles must also come equipped with electronic stability control, or ESC, which helps drivers maintain control in a skid.

"It's very interesting to see manufacturers build safer and safer cars.  And the real winner is the consumer," said Karl Brauer, editor for online car advisor Edmunds.com..
The Insurance Institute attributes the additional tests for the smaller number of awards issued this year.  Last year, more than 90 vehicles received the coveted safety awards.

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DEARBORN, Mich., Oct., 1, 2009 – Ford, Lincoln and Mercury third quarter sales were 5 percent higher than a year ago in the U.S., making Ford the only full-line manufacturer to report a sales increase in the period.
In September, Ford sales were 6 percent lower than a year ago. This followed a 2 percent increase in July and a 17 percent increase in August, marking the first time in four years that Ford is reporting a quarterly sales increase.
Ford estimates it gained over 2 points of market share versus last year in September and the third quarter. September marked the 11th time in the last 12 months Ford has gained retail market share.
“Our balanced new lineup of high-quality, fuel-efficient products helped us navigate through an exceptional period in industry sales,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “With its volatile sales peaks and valleys and dramatic segment shifts, the third quarter was a great test of our One Ford Plan – building a range of vehicles from small cars to hard-working trucks.”
Ford’s third quarter market share gains were paced by the Ford Focus small car, Ford Fusion mid-size car, Ford Escape small utility and Ford F-Series trucks. Internal and external studies continue to show a positive trend in favorable consumer opinion about Ford, and a growing number of consumers are considering the purchase of a Ford vehicle.
Source: Ford Motor Company

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When Chrysler went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year the federal bankruptcy court granted  Chrysler's request to prevent current owners from suing the new company if they were injured by a safety defect in the future. Chrysler’s argument was that it was unfair to burden the new company with suits and the costs resulting from safety defects produced by the old Chrysler.

The New York Times is reporting that "Chrysler has had a change of heart. It will accept responsibility if consumers who bought Jeeps, Chryslers or Dodge vehicles prior to its bankruptcy filing are injured by safety defects."

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Color Daily Extra

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug 24, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/The 2010Ford Mustang - America's favorite muscle car for 45 years straight - is ready to be customized. In fact, as one of the most customized cars ever, Ford is making it easier forpony car lovers to create the virtual Mustang of their dreams. With never-before-used digital technologies, Ford has created a customizer site within the car's microsite at www.fordvehicles.com/the2010mustang The site's design is meant to reflect what the Ford Mustang is all about: a classic design and a hard attitude, coming together to create a revolutionary automobile. One week after launch, almost 52,000 cars have been built with more than 16,000 of those saved into the site gallery. And more than 30 forums and blogs are sharing their own creations - all without a single dime put toward advertising.
Please click headline to continue

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AutoWeek Magazine

Stephen Cole Smith reviews the movie, The Goods in AutoWeek Magazine.  Smith says "Auto dealers take a beating--again--in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.... Whether they will be outraged or merely annoyed will depend on their sense of humor.

You've probably seen the commercials: “Blind man, I don't know how you found your way onto this lot, but you aren't leaving without a car!”

Actually, that clip didn't make it into the final edit, possibly as the lone nod here to political correctness."

Please click headline to read more.

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First mass-produced vehicle to claim more than 100 mpg composite fuel economy. Plugging in daily is key to high-mileage performance
WARREN, Mich. - The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to achieve city fuel economy of at least 230 miles per gallon, based on development testing using a draft EPA federal fuel economy methodology for labeling for plug-in electric vehicles.
The Volt, which is scheduled to start production in late 2010 as a 2011 model, is expected to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

  "From the data we've seen, many Chevy Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas," said GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson. "EPA labels are a yardstick for customers to compare the fuel efficiency of vehicles. So, a vehicle like the Volt that achieves a composite triple-digit fuel economy is a game-changer."
According to U.S. Department of Transportation data, nearly eight of 10 Americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day http://tinyurl.com/U-S-DOTStudy .
"The key to high-mileage performance is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day," Henderson said.
Volt drivers' actual gas-free mileage will vary depending on how far they travel and other factors, such as how much cargo or how many passengers they carry and how much the air conditioner or other accessories are used. Based on the results of unofficial development testing of pre-production prototypes, the Volt has achieved 40 miles of electric-only, petroleum-free driving in both EPA city and highway test cycles.



Under the new methodology being developed, EPA weights plug-in electric vehicles as traveling more city miles than highway miles on only electricity. The EPA methodology uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins. Applying EPA's methodology, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile.

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