Cardone 18-4900 Front Brake Caliper-reman Friction Choice Caliper on 2040-parts.com

Redesigned 2012 Toyota Yaris starts at $14,875; Sequoia, Tundra and Sienna prices up slightly

The base price of the redesigned Toyota Yaris small car starts at about $1,000 more than the current car. Meanwhile, prices are only slightly changed for the 2012 Toyota Sequoia, Tundra and Sienna models. The 2012 Yaris subcompact stickers for $14,875, including shipping charges, for the L-grade, three-door hatchback with a five-speed manual transmission.

VW Polo R WRC Street Limited Edition – but not for the UK

Volkswagen has revealed a production version of its Polo WRC car – the VW Polo R WRC Street – as a limited run, but not for the UK. Volkswagen has revealed a limited run VW Polo R WRC Street to coincide with their foray in to WRC with the Polo, and it goes on sale this month – but not for the UK. The LHD only Polo R WRC Street gets the 4WD platform Audi has developed for the A1 together with a 2.0 litre TSI producing 220bhp, delivered to all four wheels through a six-speed manual ‘box, enough to scoot the Polo R WRC to 62mph in 6.4 seconds – quicker than the Golf GTi.

Industry pulse: NHTSA administrator David Strickland talks distracted driving

Editor's note: In an exclusive interview with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator David Strickland, Melanie Batenchuk of Be Car Chic asked about distracted driving and the agency's combined efforts with the Department of Transportation to curb this bad behavior. David Strickland has been championing safer, distraction-free driving since the beginning of his tenure at NHTSA in January 2010. Strickland has been working tirelessly toward this goal alongside stakeholders such as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, private-sector executives, automobile manufacturers and safety advocacy groups.