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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.

2016 Ford F-150 gets propane, CNG conversions

It's a complete mystery if a hybrid Ford F-150 will ever see showrooms, but for buyers looking for an alternative fueling method, Ford has an option ready. For the 2016 model year, the Blue Oval is offering a kit that converts the pickup's 5.0-liter V8 to run on compressed natural gas or propane. The package costs $315 and adds improved valves and valve seats to work with the gaseous fuels. From there, the F-150s go to an upfitter to install the actual fuel tanks, lines, and injectors. Ford estimates this costs $7,500 to $9,500, depending on how much CNG a buyer wants to carry. After the conversion, the tow rating remains the same as running on gasoline, and payload is only reduced by the weight of the system. Ford offered a CNG option on the last-gen F-150's 3.7-liter V6, and sales beat the automaker's forecasts. With the greater grunt available from the V8, the company is expecting the conversion to be even more popular on the new pickups. In times of high fuel prices, CNG models have been a way for fleets to reduce their costs. According to Ford, the average price of natural gas nationwide is $2.11, but it's as low as $1 in some areas. The US Energy Information Administration lists the average for regular gas at $2.57 and diesel at $2.81. Chevrolet and GMC also offer a CNG conversion option on some of their heavy-duty trucks, and Ram does, as well. 2016 F-150 WITH CLASS-EXCLUSIVE COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS, PROPANE CAPABILITY GROWS FORD'S ALTERNATIVE FUEL LEADERSHIP Responding to customer requests, 2016 Ford F-150 with the 5.0-liter V8 engine will offer a gaseous-fuel prep option, making it the only light-duty pickup capable of running on compressed natural gas or propane Ford has sold more than 57,000 vehicles prepped to run on clean, low-cost compressed natural gas and propane – seven times more than all other major U.S. automakers combined – since 2009 Ford has the broadest portfolio of natural gas and propane offerings, including 2016 F-150 and Super Duty trucks, and Transit and Transit Connect vans and wagons Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifiers offer a wide variety of CNG options to help customers find the best, most cost-effective solution to their diverse operating needs Ford, America's truck leader, will offer the 2016 F-150 with an available gaseous-fuel prep package that enables 5.0-liter V8-powered models to run on clean, low-cost compressed natural gas or propane, making Ford the only manufacturer of a CNG/propane-capable half-ton pickup.

2015 Ford Mustang Convertible to recreate Empire State Building stunt

It would have been all too easy to miss the auto show debut of the 2015 Ford Mustang convertible. It was, after all, unveiled alongside its fixed-roof counterpart at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, lumping coupe and cabrio into one debut. But Ford is evidently still intent on making its new droptop stand out. The top of the Empire State Building ought to do the trick.
Automotive history buffs may recall that, 50 years ago, Ford unveiled its first Mustang convertible atop what was then the tallest building in the world, that Art Deco icon of the New York skyline. Half a century later, Ford is recreating the feat and bringing the new topless Mustang to the same observation deck on the building's 86th floor.
Getting it up there, of course, will be no easy task. While they'd usually airlift the vehicle onto the roof or lift it by crane, the spire protruding from atop the building makes approaching the narrow observation deck too dangerous, and no mobile crane can telescope the thousand-plus feet it would take to get the pony car up there.