04 05 06 07 Ford Taurus Grille 63981 on 2040-parts.com

Concept Car of the Week: Fiat Ecobasic

This week we're celebrating if not the most glamorous then certainly one of the most relevant concept of the last decade, the Fiat Ecobasic. The car was first shown at the 2004 Geneva motor show as Fiat investigated how to replace Giugiaro's ancient but brilliantly utilitarian Panda. The brief was: cheap to produce, cheap to own and friendly to the environment.

Lexus, Subaru, Mazda score highest Consumer Reports' rankings

Japanese brands, led by Lexus, Subaru and Mazda, continue to dominate Consumer Reports' rankings of the best light vehicles on the market, claiming "top pick" honors in seven out of 10 product segments and capturing the top seven spots for overall brand reliability and performance. The brands that scored best on the magazine's report cards for 2013 were Lexus, with a score of 79 out of 100, followed by Subaru and Mazda, which both scored a 76. Toyota, Acura, Honda and Scion rounded out the top seven.

2013 Toyota RAV4 leaks ahead of LA debut

The 2013 Toyota RAV4 is due to be unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles Motor Show tomorrow, but thanks to a leak of photos we already know how it looks. The photos show a new RAV4 that is less boxy and sleeker, taking some styling cues from the new Auris, and looks fit to take the battle to cars like the new Ford Kuga and new Subaru Forester. It may not quite look a “…new generation rewriting the rules in style” as Toyota told us, but it does look more contemporary.