c/o The Verge

General Motors unveiled on Saturday the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, the first sixth-generation model, and arguably one of the most different Camaros ever launched.  The car made its debut at a press event held in Belle Isle, in downtown Detroit.

Back in the day, it was “go big or go home” if you were a muscle car aficionado – the bigger and more powerful the engine, the better your ride was.  That was very seldom the case with the Chevrolet Camaro, though this General Motors entry to the pony car sweepstakes typically came with V8 base engines.  Today’s Camaro, however, is a radically different one, with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine serving as the base power plant.  GM claims that version will be capable of going over 30 mpg in highway driving.  Still, buyers can choose the Camaro SS trim, which comes with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that makes 455 horses.

Aside from the new fuel economy-centric powertrain selections, the 2016 Camaro is also substantially lighter than its predecessor, weighing 200 pounds less despite being longer and wider.  Its design, as teased in several promotional photos and Friday’s leaks, is both a tribute to the Camaros of the late ‘60s, and a more contemporary take on an iconic pony car.  Pricing has yet to be announced, but the outgoing model carries a base price of $24,700.

Indeed, it’s been decades since the original heyday of the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger/Challenger, and other muscle cars and pony cars.  But despite the changing times, these cars still remain relevant, throwing back to the past but looking and feeling modern enough in more than a few ways.

With federal authorities applying more and more pressure on automakers, Ford announced today that it is recalling almost 600,000 vehicles in four separate recalls, with more than 80 percent of these cars and trucks being sent back due to steering gear bolt issues.

The largest recall involves 518,313 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans from the 2013-15 model years and Ford Edge crossovers from 2015, and is related to steering gear bolts that could possibly break, corrode, or crack.  This would leave the car in manual steering, which could result in steering problems at slow speeds, and potential collisions.  No accidents or casualties have been reported in relation to this large-scale recall.

Three other smaller recalls were also announced today, including one involving 50,157 Ford Focus, Edge, Escape, and Transit Connect units from the 2014 model year, and Ford Fiestas from the 2014-15 model years.  These vehicles have problems with the nickel plating on the fuel pump that could cause the vehicles to stall or refuse to start.  One accident has been brought to Ford’s attention in connection to this issue.  Also, 22,616 2015 Lincoln MKZ sedans are being recalled for unusually bright parking lamps, and 91 2015 Ford F-150 pickups may be affected by improperly installed or missing underbody heat shields.  No accidents or casualties have been reported for the latter two recalls.

The recalls come on the heels of a recent workshop organized by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator Mark Rosekind, where he expressed concern that automakers are not acting quick enough to address recalls and repair cars affected by these actions.  Earlier today, Rosekind told reporters that he will be going to Detroit on Thursday to meet personally with Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles officials regarding safety issues.

In what has to be called a very interesting move on Toyota’s part, the automaker has hired documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, he of Supersize Me fame, to direct the first in a new series of videos under the “Fueled by Everything” banner.

The colorfully-titled “Fueled by Bulls—“ video is the first in an online series of videos that seeks to educate consumers about the benefits of hydrogen fuel in general.  The three-minute clip features ordinary, average Americans – a dairy farmer and a mechanical engineer – as they literally track cow dung as it emanates from its bovine source, all the way to its end product as the fuel that powers Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

“This project gave us the opportunity to dive into a world that most people don’t understand but has the potential to change our world,” said Spurlock in a statement. “Witnessing manure, something most of us view as being pretty disposable, being transformed into hydrogen fuel to power a car was pretty remarkable. I think this short film is pretty compelling evidence of what could be possible in the years ahead.”

Contrary to earlier reports, Spurlock will not be directing the entire “Fueled by Everything” video campaign, but rather the first video alone.  And the Toyota Mirai site on the automaker’s website will feature more than just colorful explanations of how hydrogen fuel works; it will feature the scientific how-and-why of the alternative fuel, with scientists and other specialists talking about the process behind its creation.  “We’re putting hydrogen in the spotlight for its exciting potential as a renewable fuel source,” said Toyota USA senior vice president of automotive operations Bob Carter. “This is the beginning of the road for hydrogen, but we see the potential and we’re making a long-term investment in the future.”

After close to five years of disappointing sales, the Honda Crosstour will be discontinued, as the automaker also announced several major changes that would allow for more efficiency in its North American plants.

The Crosstour’s troubles arguably stem from its being a “tweener” – not quite crossover, not quite conventional car, not quite a station wagon.  And in 2014, the vehicle sold only 11,800 units, a 30 percent drop-off from 2013’s sales figures.  However, it wasn’t just the Crosstour that got discontinued among these types of vehicles, as Toyota previously killed off the Venza due to similar reasons – poor sales figures.

“The Crosstour was always a bit of an oddball that fit somewhere in between a number of niche categories,” opined Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Alec Gutierrez, stressing that the vehicle was indeed hard to categorize. “While well-intended, it missed the mark for most consumers, so it is no surprise to see Honda parting ways with its CUV/Wagon/Accord-based offering.”

With the Crosstour’s eventual demise, that allows Honda to free up manufacturing capacity for some of its other vehicles, including the Ridgeline pickup, the Pilot utility vehicle, and the Odyssey minivan.  A new CR-V compact crossover may also benefit from this, same with the 2016 HR-V subcompact crossover.  According to American Honda Motor EVP John Mendel, the move allows for the “fortification of (Honda’s) light truck lineup.”

It was actually two weeks back when the first reports regarding the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu’s Teen Driver feature emerged.  But now we’re here to remind you of that feature once again, as the new Malibu made its debut at this week’s New York International Auto Show with Teen Drive highlighted as a main selling point.

Teen Drive is, to summarize it in a few words, an automotive version of those “net nanny” programs that shield young users from age-inappropriate material, or police their hours of Internet usage.  This time around, the Malibu’s Teen Drive feature is there not only to track a teenage driver’s habits on the road.  It will also tell on their parents if a teen has been driving irresponsibly or recklessly, and while we can’t deny the safety advantages of such a feature, it’s safe to say a lot of 2016 Malibu owners will be grounding their kids if they decide to drive like the average teen.

Parents can make use of the feature by programming one of the Malibu’s key fobs so that it’s designated as the teen’s key.  As the teen drives, the 2016 Malibu will pick up all sorts of driving data, and when they return back home, that’s when parents can review the information Teen Drive had collected.  This info includes maximum speed, distance driven, and even the number of times the teen had activated safety features.  In addition, Teen Drive lets parents set a maximum volume on the car stereo, and will prevent the stereo from turning on (if the teen is driving) if the front seatbelts aren’t placed properly.

Despite all the hype surrounding Teen Drive, the 2016 Malibu isn’t the only car to come with such a feature.  Ford’s MyKey device, for instance, limits certain features when a teen is driving with a designated key.  It doesn’t, however, provide blow-by-blow details on the teen’s driving like the Malibu does.

c/o Autoblog

The 2016 Audi A6 mainly relied on a “Stellar” small overlap test result, as the car recently received a Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

The IIHS reported that the A6 did impress in all other tests, getting Good ratings in the moderate overlap front and roof strength tests.  But the changes the automaker did in the small overlap safety test, as it turned out, helped it achieve that Stellar rating.  Maximum intrusion at the foot rest was measured at four inches, allowing for ample driver space, while the crash test dummy’s head was protected adequately by the side curtain airbags.  Dummy movement was also very controlled during the IIHS test, with the risk of significant injury quite low.

As for the optional front crash prevention system, the IIHS gave that feature an Advanced rating.  According to the institute, the automatic braking capabilities were able to reduce the car’s speed by an average of 10 mph in lower speed tests, which is good.  When it came to higher speed tests, the speed was reduced by a mere 1 mph.  Still, that was good enough for the IIHS to give the A6 a solid rating in that category.

It also must be noted, however, that the Stellar small overlap rating only covers 2016 Audi A6 examples manufactured after January.