The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has issued a blunt warning of serious safety deficiencies with several minivans.
Buyers might assume the latest family haulers place safety as a top priority, however just one out of four models performed acceptably in a recent round of small-overlap crash tests.

The Nissan Quest, the Chrysler Town & Country and its stablemate, the Dodge Grand Caravan, each earned poor ratings. The 2015 Toyota Sienna earned the only acceptable rating in the latest trials, joining the Honda Odyssey among the Top Safety Pick Plus winners.

The Quest was particularly terrible, described as “one of the worst-performing vehicles we’ve ever seen” in the small-overlap crash test.

“The structure collapsed like a house of cards,” said IIHS executive VP and chief research officer, David Zuby. “We had to cut the seat out in order to remove the dummy, and then we needed a crowbar to pry the right foot loose. Not surprisingly the forces measured on the left leg were so high that a real person experiencing that would be lucky to ever walk normally again.”

Zuby suggests the small-overlap test is especially tough on minivans, which are typically built upon car platforms that have been widened to maximize interior space. More of the vehicle is consequently located farther away from the main structure.

The current Nissan Quest generation was introduced for the 2011 model year, before the IIHS implemented the more stringent small-overlap test. The current Chrysler platform is even older, dating back to 2008, and had earned a five-star rating in most of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests, which do not include the small-overlap impact.

Toyota modified the Sienna for the 2015 model year, apparently optimizing structural components to handle the small-overlap test. Nonetheless, the IIHS noted that it “didn’t hold up that well” in the latest trial, earning an ‘acceptable’ rating overall and ‘marginal’ in the structure-integrity category.

The IIHS still needs to test the Kia Sedona, which is currently being revised specifically to improve small-overlap protection. The organization is waiting until the crash-optimized edition arrives before performing the tests.

Land Rover’s all-new Discovery Sport has finally landed in North America (it’s currently on display at the Los Angeles auto show), but the arrival of the company’s latest compact SUV hasn’t squeezed out the aging LR2 just yet.
The Land Rover Discovery Sport is set to eventually replace the LR2 as the entry point into the firm’s line of luxury utility vehicles, but that won’t happen for the 2015 model year. Hot on the heels of the Discovery Sport’s North American debut, Land Rover has announced that the LR2 — which hasn’t seen a significant update since 2006 — will soldier on for at least one more model year.

The LR2 carries over mostly unchanged for what could be its final model year, but Land Rover has added two new Value Edition packages as well as a special value audio upgrade to sweeten the pot. The LR2 shares its 240 horsepower 2.0L four-cylinder with the newer Discovery Sport, but makes do with a six-speed auto rather than the Disco Sport’s nine-speed.

Pricing for the 2015 LR2 is set to start from $36,660, which is precariously close to the Discovery Sport’s $37,995 base MSRP. However, we imagine the Discovery Sport will be in hot demand while the LR2 will probably be subject to dealer discounts, so the real world price difference should be a little wider.

The 2015 lineup of Land Rover vehicles should arrive on dealer lots within the next few weeks.

Ford has finally announced official EPA-estimated fuel-efficiency figures for the 2015 F-150 lineup.
As expected, the redesigned pickup’s aluminum body and 700-pound weight loss contribute to all-around better mpg numbers. The gains vary from just five percent to 29 percent, depending on the powertrain and driveline choice.

The company claims the 2015 edition achieves the best fuel economy of any gasoline-powered full-size pickup in the US market, achieving a city/highway rating of 19/26 mpg with the new 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine. In contrast, the current model tops out at 17/23 mpg.

Notably, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel still holds the efficiency crown with a 20/28 mpg rating. Nonetheless, Ford argues that the new F-150 is “a better value” than diesel-powered pickups.

“For instance, the $495 option on the Ford is significantly less than the $4,470 3.0-liter Ram EcoDiesel option,” Ford said in a statement. “In addition, with diesel prices currently 76 cents per gallon more at the pump, each 3.0-liter Ram EcoDiesel fill-up costs over $24 more than the new 2.7-liter F-150.”

The all-new F-150 pickups have begun production and are already shipping to dealers across the country.

Infiniti has confirmed that it will preview the design of its next-generation Q60 coupe with a thinly-veiled concept car at the 2015 Detroit auto show.
Infiniti’s Detroit-bound concept was confirmed by company design direct Alfonso Albaisa on the sidelines of the Los Angeles auto show. “On January 13, you’re going to see a concept car that’s very, very, very, very close to the next Q60,” he told Motor Trend.

Albaisa didn’t give away any other details, but the next Q60 is expected to essentially be a two-door version of the Q50 sedan. The current Q60, which was previously known as the G37 coupe, shares much of its styling with the previous G37 sedan.

Like the Q50, the Q60 is penciled in for a 328 horsepower version of Infiniti’s 3.7L V6. However, a new turbocharged four-cylinder could also be offered. Although father off, Infiniti is still said to be considering an Eau Rouge version of the Q60 that would use that same twin-turbo 3.8L V6 as the Nissan GT-R.

The production version of the Infiniti Q60 will bow sometime in 2015, potentially at the Los Angeles auto show next November.

Cadillac chief Johann de Nysschen has voiced an ambitious goal to build the brand into a potentially viable competitor in the ultra-luxury segment alongside Bentley and Rolls-Royce, with price tags to match.
The upcoming CT6 flagship sedan represents a small step in the process, bringing an entry price above $70,000, however de Nysschen suggests the long-term product range could reach far higher than the brand has ever attempted.

“It is too early today for a $250,000 Cadillac,” he told Reuters in a recent interview. “Fifteen years from now, it won’t be.”

General Motors plans to spend at least $2.5 billion on Cadillac model expansion by 2020. The company has already submitted trademark applications for CT7, CT8, XT7 and XT8, providing room to grow beyond the upcoming CT6 in terms of both size and price tag.

De Nysschen has flatly rejected the thought of lowering prices to revitalize sales, warning that it will take several more years of focused effort — and potentially more lackluster sales — before the brand can be strengthened for long-term success.

Cadillac already prices its cars at the same level as midrange offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, however it does not yet follow the Germans into the upper echelon occupied by the fully-laden 7-Series or S-Class. The next CT-series flagship is expected to narrow the gap when it arrives on the market, likely within the next five years.