General Motors adds center-mounted airbag to its large crossovers

General Motors will equip the 2013 models of its large crossovers--the Chevrolet Traverse, the Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia--with a center-mounted airbag that protects front-seat passengers in side impacts. The airbag, developed by GM and safety-system supplier Takata, is mounted on the inboard side of the driver's-seat backrest. GM says the airbag helps restrain and protect the driver in the event of a crash on the passenger side of the vehicle when the front passenger seat is empty.

Honda's future: small cars, no NSX or Euro Acura

Honda CRZ concept at the 2009 Tokyo motor show; one of the cars unveiled by Honda CEO Takanobu Ito By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 23 October 2009 11:22 Honda chief executive Takanobu Ito today spelled out his vision for the next decade at Honda to CAR Online. No successor to the NSX is under development, but there will be a smaller city car slotting under the Jazz in Honda's range. It will be launched in Asia at first, potentially following in the rest of the world.Ito, who is also president of Honda R&D, said that the company had no firm plans for a pure battery electric vehicle at this stage – the onus is on hybrid petrol electric cars and fuel-cell models.It will continue to develop diesels for Europe, but Ito admitted a project to build clean-fuel diesels for the US market had been cancelled.

Frankfurt 2011: 2012 Subaru XV gets unveiled

2012 Subaru XV arrives on the Frankfurt stage We did moan – which we have been known to, from time to time – about the tease for the launch of the 2012 Subaru XV at Frankfurt. We moaned because we couldn’t see the point. We couldn’t see the point in Subaru teasing the XV with art photos, particularly when those photos showed a production XV which looked exactly like the concept XV.