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2014 Ram 1500 diesel is the new Truck of Texas

In addition to being one of the largest automotive markets in the country, Texas is also Truck Country. So when members the Texas Auto Writers Association talk about the trucks they like, we tend to listen -- as do automakers. This year, following what we can only imagine was an extra-dusty, extra-gritty Truck Rodeo, TAWA has chosen a new Truck of Texas: The 2014 Ram 1500 pickup.

Ford Kuga launched in Australia – but it’s the old Kuga

The old Ford Kuga is the new Ford Kuga in Australia In what seems an odd move, the current Ford Kuga has been launched in Australia, just weeks from the debut of the 2012 Kuga in Geneva. You can’t have failed to notice that the 2012 Ford Kuga is just round the corner – and due to debut at Geneva in March – and we’ve already seen most of what the new Kuga has to offer with the debut of the new Ford Escape at Los Angeles last November. But despite the world readying itself to put in an order for a new Kuga, our Antipodean cousins are only now getting the chance to buy a Kuga, but its not the all new Ford Kuga, rather the Kuga we’ve had for the last four years.

New-car smell less toxic but not safe, Ecology Center says

The Ecology Center released its fourth consumer guide to toxic chemicals last week, and the news is better. The amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in new cars has decreased, but we still have a ways to go. VOCs in plastics and flame retardants have been linked to a variety of acute and long-term health concerns.