Astro Or Safari Van Seat Belt Alarm 15042437 on 2040-parts.com

Toyota drags down new-vehicle quality average; Ford leads Detroit 3 gains

Dragged down by Toyota Motor Corp., the quality of new cars and trucks sold in the United States slipped slightly this year--the first time since 2007, according to a study released Thursday. But Detroit's automakers--helped by Ford Motor Co. and some of the smoothest new-model launches ever--have matched or surpassed Asian and European rivals in initial vehicle quality for the first time, based on the closely watched J.D.

Peugeot 308 RC Z – getting close

Peugeot 308 RC-Z caught testing (click for bigger picture) The 308 RC-Z is based on the same platform as the 308 and the Citroen C4 (which also underpins the new Citroen DS3). Power is likely to come from a choice of 1.6 litre turbos – 220bhp or 150bhp. Also likely to be on offer is an oil-burner.

Nissan's quirky Cube is down but not out

Despite minimal sales, Nissan North America will continue selling its boxy, youth-oriented Nissan Cube crossover, the automaker's top U.S. sales executive says. Nissan sold just 198 Cubes in October.