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Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.

Nissan tests DeltaWing in a wind tunnel before Le Mans

Nissan sent out a video on Thursday, calling it part one in a series on the development on the DeltaWing. The videos will tell the behind-the-scenes story of the car’s journey to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Similar to the Juke-R series, which stretched to nearly 10 videos, this series will show the process of making the DeltaWing race ready.

BMW 135is coupe and 135is convertible available for order

BMW announced that it will expand its 1-series lineup with the addition of the 2013 BMW 135is coupe and 135is convertible. The enthusiast-oriented 135is models will be powered by BMW's TwinPower 3.0-liter I6 engine that will produce 320 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque after factory tuning. That's a 20-hp and 17-lb-ft increase over the 2012 135i, but BMW claims that the vehicles will maintain both the fuel-economy and emissions ratings of the 135i.