Six of 13 small cars recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, and none earn a poor rating in any of 4 tests. This is a turnaround from a few years ago when small cars struggled to earn top safety ratings. The new tests include hybrids and gasoline-only models that are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles available in the U.S. market.
The ratings are based on performance in front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations. Cars that earn the top rating of good in each test and have available electronic stability control (ESC) qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK. Winners are the 2012 Ford Focus and Honda Civic, along with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, Lexus CT 200h hybrid, Nissan Juke, and Toyota Prius hybrid. The Civic, CT 200h, Elantra, Focus, and Prius have at least one version with a government fuel economy rating of at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The Dodge Caliber, Honda CR-Z and Insight hybrids, Nissan Sentra and Versa, Scion xD, and Suzuki SX4 also were rated but didn’t earn TOP SAFETY PICK.
With the arrival of the all-new CT 200h premium hybrid compact in showrooms later this month, Lexus introduces a vehicle that breaks the mold of conventional hybrids. It delivers what many thought was impossible—a hybrid with sporty, sexy styling, dynamic handling, best in class mileage and all the luxury of a Lexus.
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A gorgeous supermodel with wind blowing through her hair isn’t unusual to see in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. But when that wind is created by a Lexus LFA supercar screaming by, it’s definitely something to check out.
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There’s the easy way, and there’s the Lexus way. A lone crane slowly lifts the front end of a Lexus LS, then a second vehicle is attached using cables and stretch bars, then another and another and finally, a fifth Lexus vehicle is suspended in midair from the crane, using no support other than the strength of the LS. The gravity-defying vehicles aren’t a figment of your imagination or a camera trick. They are part of a new advertising campaign from the automaker, which debuted on Jan. 16.
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Lexus’ latest innovation in its pursuit of perfection isn’t a new vehicle. It’s an idea…the idea that a car that will never have an accident may be possible. The automaker is using the world’s most advanced driving simulator to enable its engineers to design technology that will help make driving safer.
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It all begins in a sleek warehouse where 122 percussion instruments are arranged to create a precision-driving course full of angles and straightaways. Each instrument has a tiny lever. An Ultrasonic Blue 2011 Lexus IS sport sedan revs its engine, wheels spinning as it roars to life to debut its musical prowess. The vehicle navigates the raceway, precisely tripping each and every drum lever on the track, creating a beat as it speeds by, igniting the base, snare, toms and cymbals. Through it all, the IS doesn’t knock over a single instrument. As it comes screeching to a halt, the final drum beat is triggered. The new 2011 IS has just laid down its first custom track.
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It\'s a dramatic moment. In an ultra-modern audio studio, a Pearl White Lexus LFA supercar faces its challenger: a lone crystal champagne flute on a pedestal alongside a sleek amplifier. The vehicle\'s keyless ignition is engaged, and its rear wheels start spinning on a dynamometer. The engine roars louder and louder, the speedometer clicks past 150, 160, 170 mph. That\'s when the glass quivers and shimmies until – kshhh! – the flute shatters in gorgeous slow motion.
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Cathay Che is a New York based travel writer who has blazed her way through about 50 countries (so far). She is also the author of the book, Deborah Harry: Platinum Blonde, the only authorized biography of the iconic Blondie frontwoman. She was a contributing editor at Time Out New York from 1995-2004, and is now a contributing editor at LEXUS magazine. She has been happily contributing her uncensored travel blog, TRAVEL JUNKIE: Addicted to a Taste of Strange, to MOLI.com for sixteen months. She has also written for concierge.com, DailyCandy.com, Brides, forbestraveler.com, Everyday With Rachel Ray, Budget Travel, Mens Journal, Details, Interview, InStyle, The New York Post travel section, The Honolulu Advertiser, men.style.com, and Glamour. As a performance artist, Che has appeared in New York at The Kitchen, PS 122, Dixon Place, WOW Cafe, Exit Art and The Public Theater. Her first media-related job was as the on-air movie reviewer for the cable TV show, Party Talk, from 1993-1996. Courtesy of cathayche on MOLI.com.
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