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Most reliable cars and trucks of 2022

Related: Least reliable cars and trucks of 2022   For years now, Consumer Reports has been one of the most prolific sources of vehicle reliability data around. The organization tests a number of vehicles each year and surveys its members on various automotive topics, including reliability. The results of its 2022 annual auto survey are in, and the list of most reliable vehicles has been revealed. Unsurprisingly, Toyota and Lexus dominated the list of most reliable vehicles, but BMW and Mini snuck into the top 10 as well. The list includes: Toyota Corolla Hybrid: 93 Lexus GX: 91 Mini Cooper: 89 Toyota Prius: 89 Mazda MX-5 Miata: 85 Lincoln Corsair: 82 Toyota Corolla: 81 Subaru Crosstrek: 80 BMW 3 Series: 80 Toyota Prius Prime: 77 In terms of the most reliable vehicle type, Consumer Reports says that sedans remain the best choice. Their average score is 58, which is notably better than SUVs’ average score of 51. Minivans and pickup trucks are lower, at 44 and 39, respectively. As Consumer Reports notes, many sedans are older models that have allowed their manufacturers to iron out the wrinkles, making them more reliable. Domestic automakers' SUVs and trucks performed better in the survey than their imported counterparts, with scores of 45 and 41, respectively. The study also showed that hybrids and plug-in hybrids are becoming more reliable, and have climbed the score ladder to the tops of their segments in many cases.  Consumer Reports says its study includes 17 trouble areas, including small stuff like creaks and rattles and much larger problems like drivetrain failures. The organization states that it weights each issue based on its severity to create its predicted reliability scores, with 100 being the best. A car must be in production for at least two model years to be considered for the list. Related video: Green BMW Lexus Lincoln Mazda MINI Subaru Toyota Car Buying Maintenance Ownership Convertible Coupe Crossover Hatchback SUV Hybrid Sedan Consumer Reports reliability

California adapts ZEV mandate with PHEVs for smaller automakers

California is the nation's largest market for zero-emissions vehicles with over 100,000 of them estimated to be on the roads there. The state's goal is to keep that number growing every year. To that end, the California Air Resources Board is now tweaking its rules in a way that might not boost ZEVs but could mean more plug-in hybrids for the Golden State. Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Volvo asked for an exemption to the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate last year due to their relatively small development budgets compared to larger automakers. CARB denied their request but did craft a compromise, according to Automotive News. Rather than being required to offer a ZEV in the state, companies with an annual global revenue of less than $40 billion, like those in this group, may instead sell plug-in hybrids to earn ZEV credits. The companies aren't completely off the hook, though. If these plug-in hybrids don't earn enough credits, the corporations must buy them on the market to make up the difference. Automakers with popular electric models like Nissan and Tesla have made a big business through this trading system by selling their surplus to rivals. Tesla alone pocketed $51 million in the first quarter from this part of its business, according to Automotive News. The changes to the regulations also aren't set in stone, yet. CARB is meeting in 2016 and could adjust things further at that time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Government/Legal Green Jaguar Land Rover Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Volvo Emissions Electric Hybrid California zev credits zero emissions vehicle

Mazda RX-Vision GT3 concept slinks into Gran Turismo Sport next year

The World Final of the FIA World Tour in Gran Turismo Sport just went down in Monaco, and Mazda was there with a couple of big announcements. The first is that the Hiroshima-based automaker will become an official video game partner next year, 2020 also happening to be Mazda's centenary year. The second reveal was a sketch of the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept, a GT3-class racer based on the RX-Vision Concept shown at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Game creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Mazda's North American design chief Julien Mountousse wouldn't get into details, such as how close the final car would look to the drawing or whether there'd be a rotary engine under the hood. Yamauchi would only say Polyphony Digital is modeling the car right now, and Montousse added that designers wanted the Vision GT3 to be a car players really wanted to drive. As much of a looker as the race car is, it's clear some changes will be in order; the front fenders, roof, and rear wing are nearly on the same plane. The brunt of aero accessorizing happens down low, a massive front splitter leading to extended side sills with vertical planes, and what must be a massive rear diffuser with an even larger set of vertical planes. It's hard to tell by the drawing, but it looks like the rear wing supports angle out from the body to merge with the end plates. When the RX-Vision GT3 shows up to contest the 2020 FIA-certified championships in GT Sport, it will join the Atenza Gr.3 as Mazda's only GT3-class car in the game — the Atenza effectively a near copy of the Speed Source Mazda6 that raced in the U.S. Grand-Am series until a couple of season ago, but with four doors instead of two, and a gas engine instead of diesel. Mazda didn't qualify for the GT Sport Manufacturer's Cup this year, they'll be hoping their team can change that next year with the RX-Vision GT3 since, as Montousse said, "That car has all the Mazda spirit in it." There will be more coming from Mazda in GT Sport as well. Word is that the official partnership won't stop at a single new car, and Yamauchi remarked on the partnership, "I think we can keep our expectations high for next year." Fast forward to 17:50 in the video to see the sketch presented, or roll back a bit to 14:00 to listen to comments from Mazda global head of design Ikuo Maeda.