General Motors Co. will sell a diesel version of its popular Chevrolet Cruze in North America in 2013, the automaker confirmed Friday.
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Washington– Nissan Motor Co.’s electric Leaf won a five-star overall rating from government safety regulators today.
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Chevrolet took the wraps off the 2013 Malibu’s interior Tuesday, showcasing the car’s new look and new technology.
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Porsche topped this year’s J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey, with Jaguar and BMW coming in second and third.
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My rear car windows are filled with smudges and sticky fingerprints. Toyota, however, is reimagining rear windows with its “Window to the World” concept (video below). These windows allow rear passengers, namely children, to tap on the window to identify things the car is passing, like sheep or homes.

They also can drag open a digital pane in the window to magnify things they’re passing. They can even draw images on the window like trees that will then move off the screen as if they’re part of the scenery.

This is a tremendous way to get children more involved in the outside world rather than watching cartoons on an iPad, let’s say. But how often are you passing through quaint countryside locales like the one in the video?

Plus, your child would have to be able to reach the window easily. In today’s strapped-in world of child-safety seats and high beltline car designs, that won’t be easy for younger kids. It might be doable for kids in booster seats. Not to mention that the girl in the video doesn’t appear to be belted in.

I’m not sold on this idea. How would you clean those sticky fingerprints off of it? What about the unfortunate child who has to sit in the middle seat and can’t play on the window? Tell us what you think of Toyota’s window concept in the comment section below.

 
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Ford is recalling 26,715 trucks and SUVs because the multifunction switch in the steering column may be defective, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Susono, Japan — Toyota is developing a safety technology that takes control of the steering so the vehicle can veer away when it isn’t able to stop before impact.
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General Motors confirmed today it will add a diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze to its 2013 model year lineup. The diesel Cruze already is on sale in Europe and elsewhere outside the United States, the company said, but will be brought to America to strengthen Chevy’s Cruze lineup with more fuel-efficient options. It is expected to be built at GM’s plant in Lordstown, Ohio, alongside the gas engine models.
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Detroit — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 20,000 pickup trucks and SUVs because a defective switch can cause the turn signal, tail lights and brake lights to fail.
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Technorati Tags: ford recall, ford recalling

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class will cause passers-by to drool over this four-door coupe, as the automaker calls it. Those same people might wonder why anyone would put children in a car that starts at $71,300. For our Car Seat Check, we tested the top-of-the-line CLS63 AMG with a 518-horsepower V-8 engine. It starts at $94,900 and has seating for four. For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the infant seat in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and convertible in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Here’s how the 2012 CLS63 AMG did in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check: Latch system: The two sets of lower Latch anchors in the CLS are among the best. They sit out in the open and have rubber covers on them that can be pushed out of the way. The low roofline makes it a little difficult to get to the two tether anchors, which sit on the rear shelf behind the head restraints. Booster seat: Side bolsters cradled our high-back booster seat, which fit well in the CLS63 AMG. The buckle is on a stable base, but it’s recessed in the seat cushions. The only reason why the booster doesn’t slide over the top of the seat belt buckle is the bolsters keep it in place. Convertible seat: Both the forward- and rear-facing convertibles fit well in the backseat, with tons of legroom for a child in the forward-facing car seat. Installation was painless because the Latch anchors are easy to use. Infant-safety seat: This car seat also fit well in the second row. How many car seats fit in the second row? Two Editor’s note: For three car seats — infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats — to fit in a car, our criterion is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
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Technorati Tags: 2012 Mercedes Benz CLS, car seat, Car seat Check