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Subaru comes out on the right side of history, stands up against Indiana law

Well, I may as just get it out there straight up and let some percentage of you dear readers take your shots in the comments below: I find Indiana's new "religious freedom" law that opens the door to discrimination against gay people to be reprehensible, along with all the other laws across the country that do the same thing but with different wording. So I was thrilled today when Subaru, which has a plant in Lafayette, IN, came out and said it finds the new law pretty awful too. The statement, issued by Michael McHale, the company's director of corporate communications, says that while the company recognizes that each state gets to decide its own laws, the automaker does "not agree with any legislation that allows for discrimination, or any behavior or act that promotes any form of discrimination. Furthermore, we do not allow discrimination in our own operations, including operations in the state of Indiana." Although McHale told Autoblog Subaru is not considering leaving Indiana, the newly passed legislation has prompted others to say they want to take their business elsewhere. The NCAA said Monday it is taking a look at the law and trying to determine if it will be able to continue holding large sporting events in the state, according to ESPN. In a piece in The Washington Post, Apple's Tim Cook warned that these kinds of laws are being passed in dozens of states across the country and they are bad for business. He spotlighted one proposed law in Texas that would strip pension benefits from clerks who issue marriage licenses to gay people, even if the Supreme Court declares gay marriage legal. "Opposing discrimination takes courage," he wrote. "With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it's time for all of us to be courageous."

Lexus, Mazda and Subaru top Consumer Reports Brand Report Cards

A revised methodology in devising its annual Car Brand Report Cards has seen Consumer Reports award Lexus its top overall ranking for 2013. For the first time ever, the institute broke out individual brands from their larger corporate umbrellas, meaning car makers like Lexus and Scion were judged independently from parent company Toyota. That strategy worked out well for Lexus, as the luxury brand earned a top report card score of 79 for the 2013 model year.
The institute has recommended every one of the Lexus models it has tested to date, and said that the company's products won out thanks to "a foundation of plush and very reliable vehicles."
Meanwhile, Mazda and Subaru tied for the second-highest scoring report cars, with scores of 76. Subaru earned praised for sporting models like the BRZ, which CR testers apparently had a lot of fun driving (naturally), while the Mazda products were lauded for their blend of practicality, sportiness and efficiency. Both of the Japanese brands offered good handling, fuel economy and versatility, said Consumer Reports.

Ford tumbles to second worst in Consumer Reports reliability survey, list dominated by Japanese [w/video]

It's no secret that MyFord Touch has had its share of problems since being introduced, but the most recent reliability survey from Consumer Reports shows just how much this infotainment system has affected Ford. Just two years ago, the automaker was in the top 10 for the institute's reliability rankings, but since then, it has tumbled to the second-lowest rung just above dead-last Jaguar. In addition to MyFord Touch, CR also attributes a handful of new products that have had issues right out of the gate.
Compiled from 1.2 million subscriber surveys, this year's auto reliability survey heavily favors Japanese automakers, with eight of the 10 spots hailing from Japan. Toyota brands grabbed the top three spots (Scion, Toyota and Lexus - in that order) with Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura filling the next four spots. The only non-Asian automaker cracking the top 10 was Audi at number eight.
Audi climbed a total of 18 spots from last year, and Cadillac and GMC round out this year's top gainers breaking into the top 15. Helping Cadillac's upward movement, the CTS Coupe was named the most reliable domestic car. Lincoln, Volvo and Chrysler join Ford on this year's biggest loser list.