Arc Ca-395a Computer Amplifier on 2040-parts.com

Watch: 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel video walkaround

Mike Cairns, chief engineer for Ram, says that people just can't help but pester him with the same damned question: “Why don't you put a diesel engine in a 1500?” Thanksgivings were, we imagine, brutal. The coming 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel ought to steer family dinners back to less abrasive topics, like partisan politics. Get an up-close look at the truck in this video walkaround hosted by none other than Cairns himself.

Toyota fails to land 'top safety pick' rating in insurance-group study

For the first time in three years, none of Toyota Motor Corp.'s vehicles received “top safety pick” ratings from an insurance group, as tougher criteria pared the number of selections from 94 last year to 27 this year. Ford Motor Co. led all automakers for the second year in a row with six 2010-model top safety picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, including four from Volvo, a brand that's being sold.

Automakers should disable technologies that distract drivers, U.S. says

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday released its long-awaited guidelines on distracted driving, calling on automakers to disable applications that allow drivers to manually access social media, surf the Web or send text messages while on the road. The recommendations also seek to prevent any in-car technologies that require drivers to use both hands or take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds.