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A highly-promoted feature in the 2011 Ford Explorer are its new inflatable rear seat belts. The not-so-highly-promoted working stiffs that helped make it happen? Human cadavers. Here's how automakers still quietly use dead people to make your car safer. More »
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Andy "Too Short" Stoy reported today on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration plan to revise crash test ratings in a last-ditch effort to stay even remotely relevant educate drivers. Assuming they suddenly put forth harsher standards, would that impact your buying decisions? And while you probably wouldn't buy an Elantra if it got two stars, you probably wouldn't buy an Elantra anyways. What if it was your dream car and affordable? Would you think twice? Just how badly would your perfect car have to perform for you to walk away from a sweet deal? More »
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The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NAMBLA) is updating their star ranking system for vehicle safety for the first time since it was introduced in 1994. After 14 years of manufacturers designing for the ratings, along with advancements in active and passive safety systems, the scores had become meaningless — nearly every vehicle scored a four- or five-star ranking in 2007 (with a few notable exceptions). What's changing and when after the jump. More »
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While the folks at the German ADAC institute may not have gotten quite as much of a laugh (if you don't believe us — wait until about 15 seconds into the video here) out of their recent test of the new Brilliance BS6 — the recent Chinese entry into the Euro luxe import sedan market — as EuroNCAP got out of the test of Jiangling Motors' Landwind SUV back in 2005, General Tso's new hotness still didn't fare so well. OK, that's being nice — actually, the BS6 crumpled up like a coke can and received only one star for the 40 mph offset frontal crash test. First China came for our cats, then our teeth, and now the make-a-buck yet socially-socialist country's coming after our knees and our skulls. – Ray Wert More »
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