1987 Suzuki Samurai Lifted 4x4 on 2040-cars

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IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.

Meet the Jeep Wrangler's tiny Japanese doppelganger, the Suzuki Jimny

We're all eagerly anticipating the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, but it's not the only two-door, body-on-frame off-roader coming out in the near future. Suzuki has its own on the way by the name of Jimny (no, that's not a typo). Long ago, we received the Jimny here in the United States as the eminently capable, though tipsy, Samurai. The Samurai was followed here by the more civilized Sidekick/Tracker, which eventually took on its original name of Vitara. But overseas, the rugged, truck-like Samurai survived as the Jimny. This newest version looks to retain much of its predecessors' capability. In addition to the body-on-frame chassis, it features a solid rear axle. Odds are that it will continue to offer a part-time four-wheel-drive system with a low-range, as with the current one. We can't quite tell if it will still have a solid front axle, though. Styling-wise, the new Jimny does seem to have tougher, chunkier looks than the current one, pictured above. The corners have been squared up, and hard creases added to the flanks. The wheel wells are now more square and look to have bigger flares. We're also noticing some retro touches such as the roof that isn't flush with the rest of the body. The taillights mounted in the rear bumper are also reminiscent of the old Samurai. As nifty as the little Jimny is, we can safely say that we won't be getting it here — Suzuki doesn't sell cars here anymore. But even if Suzuki were still operating in the U.S., we probably wouldn't get the Jimny. It would probably be too crude for most buyers, and it could be tricky to get it to pass safety regulations. Its tall, narrow shape also could be rollover prone, and Suzuki wouldn't want to go through another rollover controversy. But hey, in roughly 25 years, you can import one of these if you really want. Related Video: Featured Gallery Suzuki Jimny spy shots View 11 Photos Image Credit: CarPix, Suzuki Spy Photos Suzuki SUV Economy Cars Off-Road Vehicles suzuki jimny

Suzuki concepts are exploring mountain trails and the culinary arts

Attention is already on Suzuki products headed to the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon thanks to Japanese tuner DAMD. The company turned two Suzuki Jimnys into the Little 5, a tribute to Renault's 5 Turbo and 5 Turbo 2, and the Little Delta, a tribute to the Lancia Delta Integrale. Suzuki's got a trio of its own creations on the way as well, highlighted by new conceptual takes on the Swift hatchback and Spacia kei van that differ from the ones shown during the Tokyo Auto Show. The star player is the new, fourth-generation 2024 Swift hatchback (below) that's probably best considered an evolved third-gen, here called the Swift Cool Yellow Rev Concept for not-exactly-obvious reasons. Solely a flashy cosmetics package, the design drapes a black roof and black roof pillars over a greenish yellow body and dinky black wheels. The grille wears gloss black above a front splitter, the LED headlights and taillights get smoked lenses, and the vinyl wrap advertises the arrival of the front-wheel-drive variant that went on sale in Japan in December.     Show-goers could be more captivated by the Super Carry Mountain Trail Concept, shown up top. Built atop Suzuki's Super Carry commercial truck sold in places like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, it looks like a shrunken version of an overlanding build we'd see at SEMA; the Super Carry retail model stretches just 11 feet long — 20 inches shorter than a two-door Mini Cooper — and uses a 658-cc engine. The exterior roll cage and tube doors set the tone immediately. Dimensionally proportionate gear runs from the roof rack and light bar to the off-road racing bucket seats, grilles over the side and rear windows, front skid plate and D-rings, Hi-Lift jack strapped to a riser in the bed, and little knobby tires on little off-road wheels. Smoked headlight lenses make their way to this creation, too. This one's reported to be a concept only, meant to show audiences the potential in commercial vehicles outside the workplace.  Finally, there's the wonderfully named Spacia Papa Boku Kitchen Concept. This slightly adventurous kei car disguise outside hides a kitchen in the cargo bay. We'll find out what the chef's area looks like during the show, but designers are said to have envisioned a space where parents and kids can bond over cooking adventures while camping.   The Tokyo Auto Salon is putting this and all sorts of other novelties on display in Chiba City, Japan, January 12-14.