2009 Bmw 6 Series 2-door Convertible 650i Steering Accessories Sport Wristwatch on 2040-parts.com

Insurance group lists its Top Safety Picks

After increasing its standards for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 66 vehicles--more than double the 2010 total--rate as best in the industry at protecting passengers from front, side, rollover and rear crashes. Only 27 vehicles qualified last year after the group, funded by the insurance industry, required that vehicles pass a roof-strength test to earn a good rating, claiming that stronger roofs would reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by 50 percent in a rollover accident. The most mentioned carmakers on the 2011 list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi, both with nine vehicles to get the Top Safety Pick designation.

NHTSA upgrades probe of 1.2 million Toyota Corollas, Matrixes

Federal regulators have upgraded an investigation of as many as 1.2 million Toyota Corollas for possible engine stalling. Consumers have filed 1,101 complaints about Corollas and Corolla Matrixes for 2005-07 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a filing on its Website. “The engine can stall at any speed without warning and not restart,” NHTSA said in describing the problem.

Vauxhall Adam (& Opel Adam): GM’s new ‘MINI’ in Europe

It's the Vauxhall Adam - name after Adam Opel GM’s MINI rivalling new small car for Europe will be the Vauxhall Adam, an odd name to celebrate the founder of Opel. It’s been known as the Opel ‘Junior’ (and, of course, Vauxhall ‘Junior’ for the UK) as it’s been blatting round roads camouflaged with swirly paint and bolt-on panels. But now it has a name, and the name is Adam (we also got the Adam ‘writing’ out its own name on the roads of Frankfurt in a rather odd introduction to the new ‘Mini’ car – video below).