1950 Ford F-1 on 2040-cars

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KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."
The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.
On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

Forza Horizon 3 car list keeps on truckin'

We've covered three weeks of car reveals for Forza Horizon 3, and this time we get a better look at the trucks, SUVs and other off-roaders you'll be able to use to explore Australia. This week's list kicks things off with two of the most legendary off-roaders in the world, the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser and the Meyers Manx. They have different purposes; the FJ40 is for tough trail work and the Manx is for some light-hearted beach fun. But no one could deny the cultural importance of either. And both should be a blast in Horizon 3. In addition to this pair of classics, players will have a chance to get behind the wheel of both a race version of the Ford F-150 Raptor and its closest rival, the Ram Runner. And when traditional vehicles start to get boring, why not take out a full-blown Baja racer such as the Penhall Cholla or the Rockstar energy drink version of the little Polaris RZR XP 1000 side-by-side? Forza Horizon 3 is shaping up to have one of the most diverse car lists in a racing game in a long time. There are still cars left to be revealed, so stay tuned for further installments and see this week's full list below. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth 2013 Ford Focus ST 1973 Ford Escort RS1600 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III 2014 Ford Fiesta ST 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 1986 Lancia Delta S4 2009 Lexus IS F 1957 Maserati 300 S 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata 1967 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series 1971 Meyers Manx 2012 Mini John Cooper Works GP 1998 Nissan R390 1979 Opel Kadett C GT/E 2011 Penhall The Cholla 1971 Plymouth Cuda 426 Hemi 2015 Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS Rockstar Edition 2013 Ram Runner 1993 Renault Clio Williams 1990 Subaru SVX 1979 Toyota FJ40 2005 TVR Sagaris 1990 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton Related Video: News Source: Playground Games / MicrosoftImage Credit: Playground Games / Microsoft Auto News Toys/Games Ford RAM Toyota forza exclusive ford f-150 raptor forza horizon forza horizon 3 toyota fj40 meyers manx

Lincoln recycling tree fibers into new MKX armrest

Want to hug a tree, or at least a really small part of one. Then set your arm down on one of those armrests in the 2014 Lincoln MKX crossover. The US automaker is working with Weyerhaeuser and Johnson Controls on a tree-based, cellulose-reinforced polypropylene material used in the component that connects the armrest to the floor console, Wards Auto says. With properties similar to plastic, the tree-based material replaces fiberglass and is about six percent lighter. No big deal for now, but if the material starts getting used for things like battery trays and interior storage covers, that loss in weight may eventually start adding up enough to boost fuel economy a bit, providing a green double bonus. Lincoln parent Ford, which isn't saying how much more (or less?) it costs to use the new material, established its Biomaterials and Plastics Research team in 2001. In 2007, the company began using soy-based foam in car seats used for models such as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Mustang and has since broadened biomaterials use to components like floormats and cupholder inserts. Ford also used recycled plastic bottles from the 2012 North America International Auto Show for seats in the Focus Electric.