Ram1500 1998 Antenna 418414 on 2040-parts.com

NHTSA unveils new safety ratings; BMW and Hyundai first to get five stars

The 2011 BMW 5-series and the Hyundai Sonata were the first two cars to achieve five-star ratings under NHTSA's revised safety ratings announced on Tuesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will rate a total of 24 cars, 20 SUVs, nine pickups and two vans for the 2011 model year. The federal agency has significantly modified its rating process and will now grade side-pole testing and crash-prevention technologies such as lane-departure warning and electronic stability control.

Peugeot 308 R heading for production

It looks like the Peugeot 308 R (pictured) is heading for production With the Peugeot RCZ R managing to go from range-topping performance concept to production, it seemed likely Peugeot was aiming at producing a new range of performance cars. And it seems the next could be the Peugeot 308 R. Arriving at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept, the 308 R comes with a strange two-tone paint job (meant to evoke the Peugeot Onyx Concept), but with far more to offer than just a paint job that makes it look a different car at the back than the front.

2013 Aston Martin DB9 – Virage Vanquished

Aston Martin has given the DB9 a makeover – a facelift and a bit more – for 2013 as the tweaked DB9 signals the end of the Virage. But all is not lost with the Virage, as the 2013 DB9 gets a Virage makeover – inside and out as well as more power from its V12 and the addition of Aston Martin’s adaptive damping. The 5.9 litre V12 engine under the new DB9′s bonnet now offers 510bhp and 442lb/ft of torque – more than the Virage managed to muster – and is much the same as the revised AM11 V12 we see in the new Vanquish but with a bit less power.