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Autoblog Minute: Ford Ranger, UK Mustang, Hyundai Hybrid

Ford may bring the Ranger back to the US, the UK goes nuts over the Mustang, and the battle of hybrids heats up with spy shots of the Toyota Prius and a new Hyundai. Autoblog's senior editor Greg Migliore reports on the weekly recap edition of Autoblog Minute. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Ford may bring the Ranger back to the US, the UK goes nuts over Mustang, and the battle of hybrids heats up with spy shots of Prius and a new Hyundai. I'm Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore and this is your Autoblog Minute weekly recap. 2011 was the last time we saw Ford's midsize pickup in the US but according to a report from the Detroit News we could see production of the Ranger at the [00:00:30] Dearborn automaker's Michigan Assembly Plant as early as 2018. Ranger could compete with the Chevy Colorado and perhaps revive the compact and midsize pickup market for Ford, but the future of Ranger in the US depends a lot on Ford's ongoing negotiations with the UAW. About 2,000 orders for the 2015 Mustang were placed in the UK, tying up production of the pony car until July 2016. According to details in a press release from Ford UK, [00:01:00] it looks like Brits are a lot like their American cousins, opting for the 5.0 liter V8, with Race Red as the popular color of choice. Photos of the 2016 Toyota Prius leaked generating a lot of buzz over the styling. This fourth generation Prius will have some new competition as spy shots of a new Hyundai also surfaced this week. The car is said to be a hybrid and a bonafide "Prius fighter." Those are the highlights from the week that was. Be sure to check out my full recap this Saturday, [00:01:30] including the latest in FCA rumors for 2016. For Autoblog, I'm Greg Migliore. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals. UAW/Unions Ford GMC Hyundai Toyota Truck Hybrid Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video

Chrysler, Nissan minivans earn 'dire' crash test results, says IIHS [w/video]

First introduced in 2012, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small-overlap frontal crash test has become the bane of many auto engineers' existence. It's a particularly steep design challenge because it forces just 25 percent of a vehicle's front end to take the brunt of a 40-mile-per-hour impact. The newly released results of four family-minded minivans underscore just how difficult the crash test is: only one scored an Acceptable rating, and the other three did very poorly. The 2008-2015 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, plus the 2011-2015 Nissan Quest, all received Poor ratings in the test, the IIHS' lowest possible score. The three of them showed significant crash intrusion into the driver's area. The dummy in the Nissan actually had to be cut out of the vehicle, with an IIHS spokesperson remarking, "the structure collapsed like a house of cards." In the Fiat Chrysler Automobile vans, the steering wheels moved out of the way, making the airbag less effective and letting the driver's head hit the dashboard. While it was not actually crashed, the agency is also giving the 2009-12 Volkswagen Routan a Poor score because it shares a structure with the FCA models. The newly released results of four minivans underscore just how difficult the small-offset crash test is. The refreshed 2015 Toyota Sienna (shown), conversely, earned an Acceptable rating and is also a Top Safety Pick+ because of its optional forward collision warning and automatic braking system. While the crash test dummy moved around during the impact more than the agency would have liked, sensors showed a low risk of injuries. The IIHS tested the Honda Odyssey last year, and it earned a Good overall score, the agency's best ranking. It's also a Top Safety Pick+ vehicle. The only member of the minivan segment left to test is the latest Kia Sedona, and the Institute is reportedly waiting a little longer for Kia to make changes to improve the model's performance. When reached for comment, Nissan spokesperson Steve Yaeger provided Autoblog with the following statement: "Nissan is committed to vehicle safety and believes that consumers should have information about crash protection so they can make educated buying decisions. Nissan is proud of the 2014 Quest's "good" rating in the IIHS front moderate overlap and side impact tests as well as a "good" head restraint rating.

Toyota gives dealers permission to drop Scion, shows them FR-S droptop, Juke rival first

We recently heard that Toyota could be looking to shrink its network of Scion dealerships, and now Automotive News is reporting that the automaker has officially given its dealers the green light to dump Scion without any penalties. Currently, Scion has about 1,000 dealers, yet our report from August 8 quotes an industry analyst as suggesting a healthier figure would be between 350 and 500 outlets. But before its current dealers make a decision on whether or not to get rid of the youth-oriented brand, Toyota also showed off a couple potential future products in the pipeline.
The FT-86 Open Concept shown above was revealed back in March at the Geneva Motor Show, and AN says that an FR-S convertible was driven on stage at a recent national Toyota dealer meeting in Atlanta. There has still been no definitive word one way or another as to whether the droptop model will be built, but it could be a good way to follow up to the popular FR-S coupe. Another possible future product is a subcompact crossover, which was shown in drawing form at the meeting, presumably aimed at small CUVs like the Nissan Juke and the upcoming Honda CUV based on the Fit, a model recently previewed by the automaker's Urban SUV concept.