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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.

2014 European Car of the Year finalists revealed. Could the Mercedes S-Class win?

Could the 2014 Mercedes S-Class (pictured) win the Car of the Year? We’re at the end of 2013, so the time has arrived to take a look at the finalists for the 2014 European Car of the Year award. In the last few years, despite Europe producing some of the most impressive luxury and performance cars on the planet, the Car of the Year Award has gone to much more prosaic machinery.

Future products: Styling, fuel economy top the agenda at Chevrolet

Chevrolet's quest for more vehicles that match the styling appeal of the Equinox crossover and Camaro muscle car will continue in the next several years. For instance, a more upscale Impala is in the works, with a low production volume and limited rental fleet sales, one source says. That would follow the example set by the 2010 Ford Taurus.