Filed under: Performance, Crossover, Nissan

It's hard to find more giggles for your crossover dollar than the Juke - regardless of how you feel about the way it looks, the singularly styled nichemobile from Nissan is very entertaining to drive. Yet we've always felt that the platform had more in it, and evidently its Japanese parent agrees, having recently bracketed the googly-eyed turbocharged CUV with a new Nismo model and the barking mad built-to-order Juke R. At present, neither the Juke Nismo or the GT-R-powered Juke R are sold in North America, but the former has already been confirmed…

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Safety, Ford

Ford's Fusion and Fusion Hybrid have both received the highest five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The rating is a big upgrade for the Fusion, which was completely redesigned for 2013. The previous model fell one star short of the top rating, after scoring only three stars in the frontal crash test and four stars in the side crash test and rollover evaluations. The 2013 Fusion received four stars in side crash and rollover testing and a full five stars in the front crash test.

Test results for…

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, Ford

Ford has taken a shot at the freshly unveiled Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra with the Atlas Concept. Unveiled at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, the brutish pickup gives us a glimpse at what the next-generation F-150 may bring to the table. With active wheel shutters and a "smart" chin spoiler capable of altering the vehicle's aerodynamics on the fly, Ford says the concept offers substantially better fuel efficiency than the company's current pickup offerings. There are no drivetrain specifics available at the moment, but Ford says the Atlas…

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Hatchback, Ford

Shelby American has made its name tuning various Ford products, and now the Focus ST can be added to this list. Just introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, the Shelby Focus ST doesn't add any extra horsepower under the hood, but it should still make sizable gains in performance thanks to an upgraded suspension, brakes and exhaust systems. Also on hand at the Shelby display was a widebody version of the powerful Shelby GT500 Super Snake.

Starting with the already-quick Focus ST, Shelby adds Ford Racing suspension components and bigger brakes with cross-drilled…

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Nissan

Celebrating 10 years of operation at its Canton, Mississippi assembly plant, Nissan has announced that it will be adding a seventh vehicle to the plant's portfolio. Starting in 2014, production of the next-generation Murano will move from Japan to Mississippi alongside its platform mate, the Altima, which is a part of Nissan's plan to build 85 percent of its US products domestically.

In addition to the Altima, the Canton facility also produces the Armada, Xterra, Titan, Frontier and NV vans, and back in June, production of the Nissan Sentra…

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Crossover, Nissan

To celebrate the launch of The Dark Night Rises on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK, Nissan has created this one-off special edition of the Juke Nismo. But instead of plunking a price tag on the hotter Juke, Nissan is giving away its Nismo crossover to one lucky winner after. Interested parties can take the automaker's Thrill Test and enter for a chance to win the one-of-one Juke.

The Dark Night Rises Juke builds on the sport-tuned Nismo model, packing a 197-horsepower, 1.6-lite turbocharged inline-four, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Specific…

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Ford

After three years that saw a diesel, a plug-in and a natural gas vehicle win Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year award, the Ford Fusion won the title this year at the start of the second day of the LA Auto Show. The Fusion was nominated in part because it has a variety of powertrain options: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and an EcoBoost gas engine.

The other 2013 finalists included the Dodge Dart Aero, Ford C-Max, Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv and Toyota Prius C. For what it's worth, the C-Max…

Filed under: Technology, Ford, Lincoln, Infotainment

There is no doubt that Ford has had its hands full fielding complaints with its MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch systems these days, but looking to keep its customers happy, Ford is once again upgrading its infotainment systems and extending the warranties. Despite having just sent out updates for its systems back in March, Automotive News says that customers are still complaining about the speed and ease of use.

Vehicles with MyFord Touch will now get a five-year, unlimited-mile warranty, while the MyLincoln Touch will have a six-year, unlimited-mile warranty. Previously, the systems were…

Filed under: Concept Cars, SEMA Show, Performance, Hatchback, Ford

Ford has revealed a few images of five tuned Focus ST concepts that will be shown off at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas this month. None of this group of five is overly subtle, which would run counter to the spirit of SEMA itself, and all hope to highlight the performance nature of Ford's newest hot hatch. In no particular order then, here are the quick-and-dirty facts on each car, in advance of the full details out of Vegas:

• 2013 Ford Focus ST by Tanner Foust Racing (top): X…

NEW YORK, October 10, 2012 - Kia Motors America (KMA) has teamed up with DC Entertainment and RIDES magazine to create a brooding, Batman-inspired Optima that goes on display this week at the Time Warner Center and signals the beginning of a 10-month partnership based on the iconic characters that make up the Justice League.