Autoblog

IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Safety, Acura, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Volvo

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.

To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.

Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.

Scroll down below for the full IIHS press release, and some more information about the methodology behind the institute's new Top Safety Pick+ testing.

Continue reading IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

GT Academy 'Sweet 16' head to Silverstone

Zach Bowman — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Technology, Toys/Games

Of the more than 52,000 contestants who originally entered into the United States version of GT Academy, jointly hosted by Nissan and Sony, just 16 have advanced to the final competition being held in Silverstone in the United Kingdom. The top 32 virtual racers from the four U.S. regions descended on Orlando, Florida this week to go pixel-to-pixel for a spot among the sweet 16. But this is about more than just bragging rights. Those that made it into the final round will face a battery of new challenges, including physical fitness tests and evaluations behind the wheel of real-live race cars.

The top winner will have a shot at becoming a professional race car driver by joining a legitimate team, just like GT Academy Europe winner Lucas Ordonez. As you may recall, Ordonez and his team managed to finish second at the 12 Hours of Sebring with a Signatech Nissan LMP2 racer, and the 25-year-old Spaniard is headed to this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans for a shot at taking home the checkers at one of the world's most grueling race events.

Nissan and Sony are currently working up a reality TV show about the GT Academy's U.S. contestants. While the winner will be chosen after the throwdown in Sivlerstone this summer, look for the show to hit the airwaves this fall. Hit the jump for the full list of final contestants.

[Sources: Sony, Nissan, GTPlanet | Image: Zach Bowman/AOL]

Continue reading GT Academy 'Sweet 16' head to Silverstone

GT Academy 'Sweet 16' head to Silverstone originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan GT-R teams threaten FIA GT1 boycott over weight penalty *UPDATED

Noah Joseph — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Nissan, UK, Middle East, Racing

Sumo Power Nissan GT-R GT1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Think the Nissan GT-R is heavy enough as is? It still manages to run circles around most everything on the road, but there are limits. Especially when it's placed on a race track. And those limits are becoming a source of controversy in the nascent FIA GT1 World Championship.

The series' inaugural race took place at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island Marina circuit this past weekend, but the FIA held a test session beforehand in an apparent effort to equalize performance between the varied machinery being campaigned. Former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen took each of the six types of cars in the series for a few hot laps. While he was supposed to take 10 to15 laps in each car, he took fewer, and those were unevenly distributed, according to reports.

Based on his feedback, series organizers then imposed weight penalties on the different vehicles. The Corvette C6.R and Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV were each saddled with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of ballast, and the Maserati MC12 was burdened with an extra 25 kilos (55 lbs). The Matech Ford GT was left as is, while the Aston Martin DBR9 was awarded a larger air restrictor to help it catch up. The Nissans, however, were given 30 kilograms (66 lbs) of extra weight, and as a result were unable to keep pace with the competition.

Subsequently, the two squads campaigning the race-spec GT-R - Swiss Racing Team and ~~British Sumo Power~~ (see UPDATE below) - have stated that, unless the FIA readjusts the weight penalties, they won't be participating. The ~~threat is particularly heavy for the British team, as the~~ next round takes place ~~on its home turf~~ at Silverstone.

*UPDATE: SRO, the series organizers behind the FIA GT1 World Championship, has informed Autoblog that Sumo Power was not part of the boycott threats as previously reported, and that Swiss Racing Team has since confirmed its participation for the Silverstone race, which is expected to proceed with full participation from the entire grid.

[Source: Autosport]

Nissan GT-R teams threaten FIA GT1 boycott over weight penalty *UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments