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Vehicles awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick awards skyrockets for 2015 [w/video]

By practically every measure, passenger vehicles in the US are continuing to get safer. With the year rapidly coming to an end, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing its annual list tallying of the scores for the latest vehicles to see how they compare to last year. Judging by the agency's evaluations, the numbers look quite positive. According to the institute, 71 vehicles earned either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating so far in its testing for 2015. Among the latest winners, there have been 33 TSP+ awards and 38 TSP medalists. That's a healthy increase over the 22 TSP+ and 17 TSP grades in 2014. The figures appear even more impressive when you consider that it keeps getting harder to earn the + designation. In the latest round of testing, a vehicle must offer some form of front crash prevention automatic braking to get the mark. Previously, just a warning to drivers was necessary. This list also illustrates the ways that automakers adapt to new testing procedures. In 2013 there were 117 TSP ratings and 13 TSP+ awards. Then, the IIHS mandated that to be a safety pick, a model had to score Good in the institute's four crash tests, plus a Good or Acceptable in the small overlap front test. That brought a plunge in 2014 to just 17 TSP grades. With the numbers climbing again, companies apparently have deciphered how to perform better. Some brands especially stood out on this year's list. The IIHS praised Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura for offering standard front crash prevention systems on some models. Subaru received at least one of the awards for all seven of its models. Toyota also had seven, and the Honda brand did too – though the institute counts the two- and four-door versions of the Civic and Accord separately. Check out the full announcement below and a video about this year's winners. The full list can be viewed, here. Safety gains ground: More vehicles earn top honors from IIHS The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute's two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier - TOP SAFETY PICK+ - has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention. "This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet," says IIHS President Adrian Lund.

2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition will be hand-built alongside the NSX

At next week's 2019 New York International Auto Show, Acura will reveal a pair of new models, the 2020 TLX PMC Edition and MDX PMC Edition Prototype. The duo will be limited-run models that get final assembly at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, along the same production line as the Acura NSX. The TLX PMC Edition goes on sale this summer with a starting price of around $50,000. Production will be limited to just 360 models hand-assembled over a six-month period. The production version of the MDX PMC Edition will be built sometime after the TLX PMC run is complete. Think of the TLX PMC as an A-Spec performance model with features available with the Advance Package like a surround-view camera, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel and power folding mirrors. Currently, the two packages are mutually exclusive. There are no performance upgrades beyond what the A-Spec already offers. Power from the 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 is sent to all-four wheels through a nine-speed automatic. The TLX PMC uses Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) to manage the power at each wheel. It also gets the A-Spec's stiffer dampers and quicker steering ratio. 2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition View 11 Photos The exterior design, too, is based on the TLX A-Spec, with a restyled front bumper, dark chrome trim, larger exhaust tips and a black spoiler. Likewise, the interior is based on the A-Spec trim, with heated and ventilated front sport seats, leather and Alcantara seating, a black leather steering wheel, a black headliner, a red instrument cluster and red accent lighting. Black 19-inch 10-spoke wheels and Valencia Red Pearl paint are exclusive to the TLX PMC. The paint uses mica, metal flake and super-high transparency nano pigments to give it a richer color and was previously only available on the NSX. The roof panel, door handles, grille and lower bumper are also gloss black. What makes the TLX PMC Edition (as well as the future MDX PMC) truly special is the hand assembly. Basically, the body-in-white (a basic unfinished unibody) will move from the main assembly plant in Marysville to the nearby Performance Manufacturing Center. There, workers will install the drivetrain, suspension, wiring harnesses and electronics. The car then goes to the paint booth before the interior is installed.

2014 Acura MDX priced from $42,290*

The fully redesigned 2014 MDX goes on sale in July, and Acura has now confirmed that its largest crossover will be priced at $42,290 (*plus $895 for destination). Unlike previous MDX models, Acura will offer the 2014 model with both front- and all-wheel drive (the automaker's fantastic Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive, at that), and this base price is for the standard, two-wheel-drive MDX model. At the base level, this new pricing represents a $990 decrease over the outgoing, AWD-only 2013 model.
Four trim levels will be offered across the range, all of which use Acura's direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 engine good for 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Standard features include things like push-button start, Acura's fancy new Jewel Eye LED headlights, the next-generation AcuraLink system, an eight-inch multi-function display screen, blind spot monitoring and a premium sound system.
Moving up from there, the Technology package ($46,565) gains 19-inch wheels (18s are standard), forward collision warning, lane departure warning, a color TFT display, rain-sensing wipers and more. The Entertainment Package (bundled into one $48,565 model) adds rear seat entertainment to all of that. At the top end, the MDX Advance model gets unique wheels, remote engine start, 12-speaker ELS premium audio, adaptive cruise control and more. Adding Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive to any of these models results in a $2,000 price jump.