If you drive a 1995 Honda Civic, you better employ better anti-theft solutions because this popular model is America’s most stolen car for 2007, according to ‘Hot Wheels’, a report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau based on information from the National Crime Information Center. The ’95 Civic is followed by another Honda model, the 1991 Honda Accord in the list.

The 1989 Toyota Camry was the third most stolen vehicle while the 1997 Ford F-150 was the highest-listed pickup truck as well as the most stolen domestic-branded vehicle. Other domestic models were the 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 and the 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup, all trucks. Rounding out the top ten perennial favorites of car thieves were the Acura Integra, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Pickup and the Toyota Corolla.

According to the NICB, the types of vehicles being stolen remain consistent year to year. Thieves continue to prey on these older vehicles because they provide the best market for stolen vehicle parts.

To protect your cars from thieves, NICB recommends a ‘layered approach’ by using simple, low-cost solutions to make vehicles less vulnerable to carjackers. These four layers are: common sense, a warning device, an immobilizing device and a tracking device. Common sense means locking the car and taking the keys with you.

Using a warning device or alarm is also an effective deterrent. The third layer encourages the use of an immobilizing device that will prevent the vehicle from being driven such as a smart key or fuel cut off. The fourth layer is the use of a tracking device that law enforcement officers can use to track and recover a stolen vehicle.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS has chosen the 2009 Acura TSX as recipient of its Top Safety Pick award. The TSX was honored for offering superior overall crash protection for a vehicle in its class. To win the award, a vehicle must receive top ratings of “good” in all front, side, and rear tests as well as excellent electronic stability control. IIHS officials cite the 2009 TSX’s significant improvement over the previous model.

“Criteria to win are tough because Top Safety Pick is intended to drive continued improvements such as top crash test ratings and rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard equipment on the TSX,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results.” he added. In 2007, the IIHS added a requirement for the Top Safety Pick award – all winners must feature electronic stability control.

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The information gathered from more than 60 million visitors of Kelley Blue Books’ kbb.com, the most visited third-party auto web site in the net, comprised of the raw data of the latest most researched vehicles for the first six months of 2006. Included in the Top 20 list of America’s most trusted source of new and used automotive information are the following.

Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Rav4
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander
Chevrolet Tahoe
Honda CR-V
Ford Mustang
Nissan Altima
BMW 325
Acura TL
Toyota Sienna
Toyota 4runner
Ford Escape
Infiniti G35
Toyota Avalon
Mazda 3

On top of the list are Asian models, Honda and Toyota. Seven slots are occupied by Toyota and five by Honda, which are all included in the Top Ten. In place of the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has fallen off from the current list, are Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Tahoe. Together with the Tahoe is the Ford Mustang, the sole domestic models that made it to the most researched line-up.

Two utilitarian minivans came in at the 6th and 7th spots, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna respectively. Three entry level luxury vehicles also made it in the list - the BMW 325, Acura TL and Infiniti G35 (pictured above) – which according to Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com have definitely become the brands and vehicles that the public aspires to drive and own.

Halo cars are designed to showcase what an automaker can offer in terms of design, engineering and technology. Usually a halo vehicle will feature all the talent and resources that the automaker has. Halo cars are special vehicles, typically sporty or a luxury model designed not really to sell but to draw in more customers who will hopefully believe in what the company can offer and purchase a vehicle, albeit a more practical one. However, putting out a halo car also has its risks. If the vehicle fails to live up to its promises and the expectations of the customers, these buyers will likely stay away from the automaker.

Halo cars have been around for quite a while in the automotive industry. For instance, the Corvette was Chevrolet’s halo car back in the ‘50s. It transformed the company’s image to sportiness. The Ford Mustang has played the role of halo car for Ford along with other models such as the Thunderbird and the GT. However, among these three models, only the Mustang has had a smashing success.

Meanwhile, the Pontiac Solstice played as a highly successful halo car for the GM marquee, named as one of the automaker’s ‘damaged brands’. Recently, another GM brand offered the Sky, featuring the brand’s future design direction and critics love it.

Here’s a list of the halo cars from both the past and present. So, what’s your favorite ‘halo’ car?

Pontiac Solstice
Saturn Sky
Ford Thunderbird
Ford GT
Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
Dodge Viper
Mazda Miata
Lincoln Navigator
Chrysler 300
Volkswagen Phaeton
Toyota Prius
Chevrolet Corvette
Oldsmobile Aurora
Studebaker Avanti
Honda/Acura NSX

Adaptive Cruise Control is one of the most advanced innovations in automotive technology today, probably a precursor to fully automated travel. A number of luxury vehicles offer ACC. Mercedes Benz was the first to offer ACC, called the Distronic system. Other automakers followed suit, such as Lexus’ with its Dynamic Laser Cruise Control, Acura, Audi, Nissan, Volkswagen, BMW, Infiniti, Cadillac, Toyota and Jaguar.

Adaptive cruise control uses either radar or lasers that signal the car to slow down if it gets too close to another car on the road and accelerate again if the traffic allows it. AAC promises to reduce rear-end collisions in heavy traffic as well as reduce fuel consumption. ACC can also handle twice or thrice today’s traffic.

Among the models with Adaptive Cruise Control, the Acura RL’s has a collision mitigating braking system. Some Infiniti models are equipped with sensors and cameras that read the lane markers and alert the drivers when crossing into another lane. Meanwhile, sensors in the Audi Q7 monitor blind spots.

Luxury automaker Lexus took home AutoPacific’s 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Rating for Top Brand on account of the solid performance of its LS 430 premium luxury car and excellent ratings of other models in its lineup. Meanwhile, Lincoln Navigator Luxury SUV owners were the most satisfied with their vehicle, while the Hyundai Azera was the highest rated car. The auto consulting firm’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards aims to objectively gauge owner satisfaction with their new car or light truck. Six automakers were honored in eighteen Vehicle Satisfaction categories. The results were calculated according to owner satisfaction in different areas including vehicle operation, comfort, and safety. This year’s top performers are the following:

Top Brand: Lexus

Top Passenger Cars:

Premium Luxury Ca: Lexus LS
Entry Luxury Car: Cadillac CTS
Luxury/Large Car: Hyundai Azera
Premium Mid-Size Car: Volkswagen Passat
Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan
Image Compact Car: MINI Cooper
Compact Car: Honda Civic
Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette
Sporty Car: Acura RSX

Top Light Trucks:

Large Light-Duty Pickup: Nissan Titan
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD
Sport Utility Truck: Honda Ridgeline
Compact Pickup: Mitsubishi Raider
Luxury Sport Utility: Lincoln Navigator
Large Sport Utility: Nissan Armada
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mid-Size Sport Utility: Hyundai Santa Fe
Compact Sport Utility: Suzuki Grand Vitara
Minivan: Honda Odyssey

Five new luxury models will offer autopilot systems that let a car drive itself if it senses any danger of an accident ahead, Fortune Magazine reports. These 5 luxury models include the Audi Q7 SUV which offers twin radar sensors that alert the driver about blind spots and when changing lanes. Audi’s self Drive system costs an extra $500. Meanwhile, the Acura RL will feature collision-mitigation brakes that brakes on its own if the driver fails to respond. The high-tech brakes are expensive however, costing about $3800. The Infiniti M45, FX45 (above photo) and Q45 features a camera that reads lane markings and alerts the driver when lane straying.

Mercedes Benz offers a ‘distonic’ cruise control for $550. The German automaker claims that this new system can reduce rear-end collisions by up to 75%. General Motors Inc. is also developing a similar system. Meanwhile, DOT is planning on putting up ‘smart intersections’ complete with cameras. However, the use of in-car cameras has some legal impediments mainly because it could lead to speeding tickets and snooping. Another unresolved issue is whether the manufacturer will be liable if a crash still occurs despite deployment and use of these systems.

For many years, automakers have created the identity of their vehicles through comprehensible, even prestigious, names. Most of these names have become legendary such as Mustang, Corvette, Explorer, Civic, DeVille, Camry and many more. Now, the trend of giving cars real names is starting to fade and automakers now favor letter combinations. However, the letters of the alphabet it seems is a precious resource that is increasingly becoming inadequate to satisfy the needs of the auto world.

This has caused a number of legal spats between some automakers. For instance, Acura and Lincoln almost went to court due to possible name infringement – Acura’s MDX (see above photo) and Lincoln’s MKX (see below photo) was apparently too similar for comfort. Fortunately, the two automakers settled before any lawsuit was filed. BMW and Infiniti also had a tiff over the letter ‘M’ which figures prominently in both BMW’s M-Series and Infiniti’s M35 and M45.

Meanwhile, this problem is not only between automakers. Cadillac had to change the XLR’s original name CLR because it was already used as a name for a bathroom cleaner. Also, Toyota’s MR2 had to be renamed to Coupe MR in France since MR2 when pronounced, sounds like a common vulgar expression there. Amongst the letters, X is quite popular among automakers while Y, P, U, and O are not. The letters S and Z are also in great demand.

The use of alphanumeric names is not exactly an innovation, Ford called his first car the Model A. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also well-known for giving alphanumeric names to its vehicles such as S-Class, M-Class and the like. In the ‘90s, many automakers began to follow suit. All Lexus vehicles also have alphanumeric names. The reason why automakers are picking vague letters and numbers as vehicle names is to build up the image of the whole brand, not just that particular model. For example, Lincoln has been changing their vehicle names as part of its turnaround plan last year. “We were in a situation where people were saying, ‘We drive a Town Car,’ and we want people to say, ‘We drive a Lincoln,’ ” explains Sara Tatchio, a Lincoln spokeswoman.

Safety in motor vehicles is often relegated to being second only in importance to a car’s looks. Most of the time, an automobile brand’s selling point is not how safe their car models are but rather how sleek and sexy they look. Forbes recently selected what it regards as the safest cars available in the market today. They based their list from the vehicles that posted high ratings at Consumer Reports findings, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The following vehicles made it to Forbes’ rather short list:

Acura RL
Honda Civic
Saab 9-3
Volvo S80

Acura took the cover off of a record three new exciting vehicles in its lineup at the 2006 New York International Auto Show. The Javits Center saw the world debut of the new Acura MD-X Concept SUV as well as a production version of the all-new RDX performance luxury SUV. Acura also heralded its upcoming participation to the 2007 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with the launch of an Acura-powered race car.

The MD-X concept SUV and the RDX premium entry-level SUV represented Acura’s all-new light truck lineup. The aggressively-designed MD-X concept gives an advanced view of the upcoming MDX luxury performance SUV due to go on sale this fall. Meanwhile, the RDX features Acura’s first turbocharged engine and breakthrough Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. The RDX promises the agility and handling of a sport sedan combined with the utility and versatility of an SUV.

Meanwhile, the Acura-powered race car will carry Acura’s marquee at the 2007 American Le Mans Series. The Acura ALMS will participate in the 10-race domestic series which will include 12 hours of Sebring and other road circuits such as Road America, Laguna Seca, and Lime Rock Park along with Audi, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Lexus, Aston Martin and Chevrolet.