2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Concept Breaks Cover
Chevrolet has already announced it is bringing the TrailBlazer nameplate back to production for 2013 as a global SUV model, and now we can see what the thinly veiled concept version looks like. These images were taken by an outlet in India that was attending a Chevrolet press event.
The new TrailBlazer will be a body-on-frame SUV based off of the new Colorado truck. Armed to do battle with the likes of the Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner, and other capable off-road SUVs, the new TrailBlazer will be available in both rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive models.
We have been told it is not yet decided whether or not the new TrailBlazer will be sold in the United States, but based on the fact that the new Colorado is coming, we would think it is a pretty good bet.
Stay tuned for more updates.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
NHTSA Publishes Its 2012 Vehicle Crash Test List
In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revamped how they evaluate vehicles for safety ratings. Since then, only a handful of vehicles have been tested, and most didn’t fare as well as they had under previous testing guidelines.
For 2012, NHTSA will be crash-testing 74 vehicles, including 42 passenger cars, 22 SUVs and crossovers, two minivans and eight pickup trucks. By the agency’s accounting, this will yield consumer safety data on 81 percent of the model year 2012 passenger vehicles sold in the United States.
Rollover testing, some of which has already been conducted, will provide rollover-specific safety data on 92 percent of the 2012 vehicles available in the United States. The NHTSA will also begin advising drivers which vehicles come equipped with crash avoidance technologies such as lane departure warning, forward collision warning or both.
The list of vehicles to be tested includes such perpetual best sellers as the 2012 Chevy Silverado (in 2500 Series), the 2012 Ford F-150 Supercab, the 2012 Toyota Camry and the 2012 Ford Explorer. Even electric vehicles from Coda, Ford and Mitsubishi have been picked for crash testing in 2012, and the list of hybrids to be evaluated now includes the 2012 Toyota Prius v, the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid and the 2012 Honda CR-Z.
The NHTSA will run validation testing on vehicles equipped with lane-departure warning systems and forward-collision warning systems including the 2012 BMW 328i, the 2012 Volvo S60 and the 2012 Chevy Equinox, to name just a few. This marks the first time that the agency will evaluate a manufacturer's anti-collision technology.
You’ll find the NHTSA press release, complete with a comprehensive listing of vehicles to be tested, here (PDF document link).
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Distracted Driving: AAA Says Drivers Don’t Practice What They Preach
Over the summer, AAA conducted its fourth annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, and while the study's findings are alarming, they shouldn't surprise anyone. That's because while many of us talk the talk about distracted driving, we're terrible at walking the walk.
AAA gathered data for the survey from June 6 - 28, 2011, polling a representative sample of 3,147 U.S. residents age 16 and older. Most of the survey's questions centered on mobile phone usage while driving -- particularly taking and making calls as well as sending and reading text messages.
The good news is that most American drivers understand that distracted driving is a major problem. In all, 88% of respondents admitted that talking on the phone while driving is a safety hazard, and a whopping 95% were worried about people texting or emailing behind the wheel. (That's even higher than the 93% of drivers who are concerned about drunk drivers.) Altogether, 87% of respondents favored laws that would criminalize reading or sending texts or emails while driving, and 50% said that they'd support laws to prohibit drivers from using their mobile phones at all.
The bad news is that many of the survey's participants don't follow their own advice. Nearly 68% said they had talked on their mobile phone while driving within the past 30 days -- though to minimize the potential damage, over half claimed that they did so only when stopped at an intersection, and respondents said they were more prone to answer calls than to make them.
Worse, 35% of drivers said that they'd read or typed text messages behind the wheel. As above, most said that they did so only when stopped at traffic lights, and respondents were more likely to read messages than type them.
Statistics like these are why AAA has launched its third "Heads-Up Driving Week" (going on now through October 
and why the organization continues to push for laws banning texting while driving. As of today, 34 states plus the District of Columbia have distracted driving laws, and AAA is hoping to ratchet up that number even more within the coming year.
No matter how you feel about AAA's legislative efforts, we could all benefit from perusing AAA's ten tips for more focused driving. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a few less distractions -- especially behind the wheel?
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
HID Headlamps: Brighter, But Failing To Shine In The Mass Market
For some, the blueish, whitish beams of xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are bothersome—or even blinding. But for most of us who have driven vehicles with them, it's hard to argue with their significantly improved visibility.
That opening line sounds, unfortunately, like it could have been written ten years ago. While it could be argued that HID lamps offer improved safety, their adoption rate has risen very slowly compared to other safety-tech features. According to HID supplier Osram Sylvania, in a press release from earlier this week, only about 22 percent of new vehicles in 2007 came with HID headlamps as standard equipment, and even by 2015 only 38 percent of vehicles are expected to offer it as either standard or optional. Demand, in cases where it's optional, is only expected to increase slightly.
Why? Part of the issue, as we see it, is that automakers have only offered HID headlamps as part of expensive option packages. And oddly, HID lamps seem to cost more in less-expensive vehicles. For instance, on the BMW 3-Series, they're a $900 standalone option, but on the 2011 Mazda3 they're only offered on the top Grand Touring model, as part of a $1,835 Technology Package, and on the 2011 Volkswagen GTI they're only included in the Autobahn model, which costs thousands more.
The other issue, of course, is that HID headlights got off to a rough start in the U.S. Initially their efficacy was questioned, and there was a lot of controversy over their glare—which can be made worse with a coating of road grime on lenses. Years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety administration logged thousands of complaints from motorists who were momentarily blinded by HID headlamps.
But it turns out, the positives of xenon lamps far outweigh the negatives. Safety studies failed to find any danger from the glare—just annoyance—and HID lamps produce three times the light output of halogen lamps, with better down-the-road illumination, a beam pattern that allows better peripheral vision while driving—something we've certainly noted over hundreds of test-drives—and whiter light that's better with the reflective paint used for road signs and lane markings.
Research has indicated that thanks to the higher illumination and the quality of the light, drivers of vehicles with HID lamps will see potential dangers 30 to 50 yards before drivers with halogen lamps.
Xenon HID lamps also use less power while putting out more light, and the lamps themselves last about 3,000 hours—three times that of halogens.
Meanwhile, Osram Sylvania has also advocated LED lighting in vehicles as a way to reduce electrical loads—especially for hybrids and electric vehicles. For the same light output as 240 watts of halogen high beams, the company's LED lamps draw 56 watts. Overall, according to a University of Michigan study from 2008, LED lights could save 50 percent of power in nighttime driving or 75 percent during daytime compared to traditional lamps.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Feds To Delay 2012 Rearview Camera Requirement
A new safety requirement that would require rearview camera systems in all new vehicles by 2014 might be delayed, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked Congress for more time to finalize the new rules.
As we reported a few months ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation and NHTSA (its vehicle safety agency) proposed that all vehicles provide an unobstructed, 180-degree view rearward when the vehicle is being reversed.
We're all too aware that rearward visibility—especially when parking—in many of today's utility vehicles, as well as some other types of vehicles—can be quite horrible. Take a look at the Safety tab in any of our new-car reviews and you're likely to find at least a sentence summing up outward visibility.
And contrary to what some shoppers first think—that they'll get a better view out in a larger utility vehicle—bigger and taller vehicles are some of the worst offenders. Consumer Reports has in recent months started testing vehicle blind-spot zones in vehicles—measuring the how close you can get to a toddler-height cone while still seeing it from the driver's position—and found outward visibility from some full-size pickups and sport-utility vehicles to be the worst. The best new models (with the shortest blind zones) included the 2011 Toyota Yaris, 2011 Mazda MX-5, 2011 Volvo C30, and 2011 MazdaSpeed3.
The proposed federal requirement would put back-up cameras into ten percent of all vehicles by 2012, then 40 percent by 2013 and all vehicles by 2014.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 300 people die each year from back-up accidents, and about 18,000 annual injuries are attributed to the lack of rearward visibility in such incidents in driveways, shopping-center parking lots, and the like.
NHTSA estimates that 100 of those lives could be saved annually if vehicles had back-up camera systems. About that many annual fatalities involve children age five and younger.
Currently these systems are often packaged with navigation systems, which themselves are often part of costly upgrade packages adding thousands of dollars to the sticker price. That's why, although they're available in a wide range of models, they're not equipped in as many vehicles as you might think.
But it won't cost automakers thousands to add these devices. The regulation, according to government estimates, would add up to $203 in costs per vehicle, while it could cost as little as $58 for vehicles already with the display.
For those watching the bottom line on vehicles, this isn't the only thing adding cost to new vehicles. The higher-tech engines and transmissions, along with weight-saving materials, required by looming corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) requirements.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
The NHTSA Probes How Car Rental Companies Handle Recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an audit query into the practices of car rental companies concerning their handling of manufacturers’ recalls of vehicles in their fleets. The NHTSA will be looking at 3 million General Motors, Ford and Chrysler products that were sold to rental companies and subsequently recalled in the last ten years.
According to an article at Detroit News, the NHTSA wants to get a handle on how rapidly and efficiently the repairs are performed by the industry as a whole and by individual rental companies as well. The probe is the result of allegations made to the agency about injuries and deaths occurring in vehicles that were leased while there were unresolved recalls outstanding on them.
This issue was news earlier this month when Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) asked in a letter that the Federal Trade Commission require of the nation’s largest car rental company, Enterprise Holdings, the same rules that apply to car dealers concerning the repair of recalls. Currently car dealers are prohibited from selling cars on which recalls have not been resolved.
The practice of renting cars without addressing their recalled status tragically came to light in the wake of a $15 million settlement that Enterprise-Rent-A-Car reached with the parents of two sisters who died when the recalled PT Cruiser they rented crashed. Two consumer groups then petitioned the F.T.C. to require car rental companies to fix recalls before renting vehicles. It was this effort that Schumer signed onto recently.
Enterprise’s position has been that they defer to the car manufacturer’s recommendations concerning taking vehicles off the road. An Enterprise spokeswoman said that any car that has been grounded by a car company has a hold put on it and not rented.
The sample of cars that the NHTSA is looking at was dictated by the kinds of cars that exist in rental fleets. Enterprise issued a statement saying that they would be cooperating with both the NHTSA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
[Detroit News, All Car Advice]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
New NHTSA Crash Ratings Drop Scores Across the Board
The 2011 BMW 5-Series and the 2011 Hyundai Sonata are the only vehicles to retain five-star crash-test safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), under new testing rules and scoring for the 2011 model year.
The safety agency publishes a new Web site today, which is coming live in sections. The new site details the new policy for scoring cars for crash safety, and explains that,
"Starting with 2011 models, NHTSA introduced tougher tests and rigorous new 5-Star Safety Ratings that provide more information about safety feature performance and crash avoidance technologies. Because of the more stringent tests, ratings for 2011 and newer vehicles should not be compared to ratings for 1990-2010 models."
Under the new ratings system, an overall score is determined from a combination of front and side-impact tests and the rollover-resistance tests. The score also is arrived at by comparing results to the injury risk for the vehicle.
The Detroit News has obtained the results and scores for the first 20 vehicles rated under the new system, though the information does not show up on SaferCar.gov. The paper reports that the BMW and Hyundai sedans have earned a five-star rating for the new blended ratings, while most vehicles scored four stars.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid saw its overall score drop from a mix of four- and five-star ratings to an overall three stars.
The Nissan Versa had scored five stars in some tests for 2010, but the 2011 rating published by the News is two stars.
The NHTSA plans to publish another 20 ratings for vehicles in the near future, but critics are concerned the new scores do little to enlighten vehicle safety for consumers. Of the 34 vehicles with scores published today, the News adds, 29 received an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Traffic Fatalities Up For Police Officers, Down For Everyone Else
Today's vehicles provide much better occupant protection than those of three decades ago. And we've also made tremendous progress in making our roads a bit safer, and in getting people to buckle up.
But, in a puzzling twist it seems, law-enforcement officials are more often perishing in their patrol cars—particularly in single-vehicle crashes—than they used to.
Especially adjusted for vehicle miles traveled, fatalities have been falling sharply ever since 2000. Yet fatality figures for police officers have bucked the trend. Even as overall fatalities in the line of duty fell by about 20 percent, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports in its monthly Status Report newsletter, traffic fatalities for officers climbed.
We're safer, but more officers are dying in crashes
Back in 1980, there were more than 51,000 U.S. traffic fatalities for about 1.53 1,530,000 million vehicles miles traveled (VMT). By 2000, we're cut that down below 42,000 fatalities, despite driving a lot more (2.75 2,750,000 million VMT). And by 2007, that figure had dropped a bit more, to 41,259, even as total VMT rose to 3.03 3,030,000 (it's since fallen even more, with a slight drop in VMT).
But the news isn't so positive for officers in patrol cars. From 1980 to 1982, vehicle crashes attributed to just 26 percent of all law enforcement deaths, but from 2005 to 2007, 54 percent of officer deaths were traffic fatalities. Fatalities while the officer was on foot or on a motorcycle were relatively unchanged, but deaths in patrol cars spiked.
Up until 2000, Sheriff Magazine reports, in its May-June 2010 issue, that law enforcement traffic deaths were at about the same rate as the general population, but since then the trends have diverged, with the rate for the general population falling and the rate for officers rising markedly.
So is it that police are less trained or more reckless? Are they more likely to be involved in high-speed chases? Or does it have anything to do with the ubiquitous Ford Crown Victoria?
A "click it or ticket" double standard?
Likely, none of the above. The interesting finding from the federal government's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS): Officers themselves aren't buckling up. A surprising 39 percent of officers killed in car crashes since 1996 didn't have their seatbelt fastened. And younger officers might not be doing any better; those aged 20 to 39 account for 69 percent of all fatal crashes, according to Sheriff.
According to the FARS analysis, says Sheriff, 42 percent of fatal law-enforcement officer deaths involve a single-vehicle impact with an object off the road—with the front of the vehicle in 48 percent of crashes. The majority of crashes occurred on a dry, straight, level stretches of roadway. And 24 percent of fatal crashes involved the ejection of the occupant—indicating the seatbelt wasn't fastened.
Officers, thank you for what you do and how you put your lives on the line. But please buckle up.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010-2011 Jaguar XK, XF To Be Recalled For Stalling Issue
More than 5,000 late-model Jaguar vehicles are being recalled for an issue that might cause the 5.0-liter V-8 engine to stall with little or no warning.
In certain Jaguar XK Coupes or Convertibles from the 2010 or 2011 model years, or in 2010 Jaguar XF models, the fuel pump and fuel pump relay may fail to operate as they should after a restart, leading the engine to stumble, then stall.
The problem, which is considered a safety issue, and thus reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), doesn't appear to be linked with any mechanical failure. To remedy the problem, dealers will perform a simple software upgrade.
Such issues are very unusual for Jaguar in recent years. The brand has a greatly improved reputation for reliability and trouble-free ownership and has continued to do well on most well-respected metrics of quality and satisfaction. Just last month Jaguar placed second among overall brands in J.D. Power's annual APEAL study.
The issue, which we noted through a weekly summary from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was reported by the automaker on July 21.
According to the official NHTSA brief, the recall will begin by August 30, and any owners with questions should contact Jaguar at 800-452-4827.
[NHTSA]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Lexus Recalls 138,000 Cars–Including LS 600h–For Engine Defect
Lexus has announced that it will recall about 138,000 of its luxury sedans in the U.S.—including the 2008 model year of its flagship Lexus LS 600h L hybrid—due to a potential engine defect.
In some 4.6- or 5.0-liter V-8 engines, along with some 3.5-liter engines, valve springs might be contaminated with foreign material, leading to—based on the automaker's description—severe and costly engine failure. In a Toyota Motor Sales description, the company says that "If a vehicle is affected, there is a remote possibility that abnormal engine noise or idling may occur. In extremely rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation."
Only a very small fraction (two-tenths of one percent) of vehicles—or about 276 vehicles—are affected, Lexus says, but it will inspect and diagnose all vehicles potentially affected and replace engine valve springs at no charge.
Vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds, or poor performance—all quite unusual from a Lexus, based on our experience with these phenomenally refined cars—are indicated as likely tip-offs that there's a problem. Otherwise owners are advised to continue driving their vehicles.
In the U.S., Lexus will be filing a Defect Information Report (DIR)—formally initiating the recall—with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the week of July 5.
The recall is part of a larger global recall of 270,000 cars that parent company Toyota Motor announced earlier in the week; and it's not the only engine-related recall for Toyota in recent months. In March, in addition to its accelerator-related recalls, the automaker announced a service issue pertaining to the V-6 engines on many popular models including the Toyota Camry, Avalon, and RAV4, as well as the Lexus ES 350 and RX 350, for an issue with degrading oil lines that could also lead to engine failure.
The fact that Toyota announced its recall on a Friday afternoon, before a major holiday weekend, wasn't lost on the press. Many in the media had anticipated such timing earlier in the week.
Only certain vehicles of the following models and model years are affected:
2007-2008 Lexus GS 350
2007-2008 Lexus GS 450h
2008 Lexus GS 460
2006-2008 Lexus IS 350
2007-2008 Lexus LS 460 L and LS 460
2008 Lexus LS 600h L
[Lexus]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
