The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety will be releasing a series of videos showing real vehicle testing at their Vehicle Research Center in Ruckersville, Virginia. 3 episodes are currently available on the IIHS YouTube Page, and a new video will be posted every Tuesday through June and up to early July.

So far, the videos are well produced and oddly mesmerizing. The crash testing process is really amazing to watch from a scientific perspective, and as a consumer, it is comforting to know just how much these vehicles are put through their paces to determine their safety. Every scenario is considered and played out in a controlled environment so that when a real accident happens, the driver and passengers are kept as safe from harm as possible.

The full series of videos is available here, and the IIHS also has additional videos for sale on their website addressing topics from teen drivers to child safety in a vehicle.

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Other automakers like Ford and Chrysler have had success with specialty trucks like the F-150 Harley Davidson and the Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn, and GM hopes to see similar success with the Silverado High Country. Industry insiders have noted, however, that these specialty trucks can be a double-edged sword. The right combination can bring in new customers as Ford did with the Harley Davidson F-150, but if an idea is too niche, it will not sell and could possibly alienate loyal brand customers.

Pricing has not been announced yet for the Silverado High Country, but GM’s manager of creative design for full-size pickup trucks did hint that it is “for someone who wants to know he has the money,” so a high price tag is expected.

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Derek Thayer loved his Chevy truck. He took pride in its American-made quality. When the tornado hit his town earlier this week, his truck was flipped over and dragged by the wind into another yard. Somehow it managed to land on four wheels, but there was considerable damage to the vehicle. It seemed that the truck was a complete loss.

Strangely enough, Derek discovered that he could still start the engine on his truck. Other damage to the truck makes it unsafe to drive, but he was proud that his truck went through a tornado and could still start. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless. According to ABC15, he called his favorite truck “American-made goodness,” and we couldn’t agree more.

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Compared to the recent U.S. auto sales, which have been driving the U.S. economy for the past year, Europe’s sales numbers don’t seem all that encouraging. Four-month sales were still down 7 percent. Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen was down 10 percent, and BMW was down 3 percent. The European market is struggling through a 20-year low point with analysts hoping that “the worst is over.”

Still, there are plenty of bright spots including a 10 percent increase in Volkswagen registrations as well as an 11 percent increase in car sales for Daimler AG. Most importantly, registrations in the United Kingdom were up 15 percent, and Germany, after five months of falling auto sales, finally saw a 4 percent gain in auto sales.

The industry is hoping to hold onto these gains and build on them in the coming months, and the European Central Bank is helping by slashing interest rates. As of May 2, the benchmark interest rate is 0.5 percent. Not that long ago, easing credit restrictions and offering more subprime credit options revived the auto industry in the United States, so it is perfectly possible that the same will happen in Europe.

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Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The survey conducted by CarSafetyRules.com asked 1,000 new car buyers in the United Kingdom which brands they expected to improve auto safety. Out of the respondents, 26 percent of women chose Apple, and 23 percent of men chose Google. Volvo was tied with Google amongst men, and it was only 1 of 2 automakers named in the survey. Volvo scored 17 percent of the women surveyed, and 20 percent of men and 14 percent of women responded Mercedes.

It isn’t all that surprising that Google ranks so high in the survey. There has been a lot of talk in the past year about Google working on a self-driving car, so it is only natural that people are associating Google with auto safety technology. It is surprising, though, that Apple is ranking so high. I can only imagine that people believe Apple can do anything, including making cars safer. Considering Apple’s distinctive look, I could picture them making the transition to auto design and technology.

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In April, pickup trucks saw double-digit sales gains with Ram pickups seeing 49 percent gains, Ford’s F-series getting 24 percent gains, and GM getting 23 percent gains. The surge in pickup sales has been so significant that Ford and other automakers are upping their truck production to keep up with demand. Ford and Chrysler have both announced that they will be adding shifts at their plants in response to the April sales.

Chrysler’s April sales, however, were more than just a sign that the public loves pickup trucks. Ram’s commercial pickup trucks just underwent a redesign, and April sales would be an indication of how the public feels about the new look. Now that April is done, it looks like Chrysler should have nothing to worry about.

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Today, we’re going to have a little fun and bring you our list of the cars that we know will be featured in the upcoming film. We excluded cars that were featured in the background but weren’t used in the film’s stunts, so you know all of these cars will get some action. Be sure to leave a comment below and tell us which of these cars you’d love to take home!

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

In the previous films, Vin Diesel has driven the 1970 Dodge Charger, but this time around, he will have a slick red 1969 Dodge Daytona. Here’s a shot of the Dodge Daytona from the trailer.

1971 Jensen Interceptor

Michelle Rodriguez will be behind the wheel of the Jensen Interceptor after being absent from the series since Fast & Furious, the fourth film in the series. In this picture, it is looking a little beat up after a long chase scene with Paul Walker.

1969 Ford Mustang

The Fast and the Furious franchise has a reputation for leaving a mountain of wrecked cars in its path. In this shot, a 1969 Ford Mustang bites the dust, or more accurately gets crushed by a runaway tank.

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8

The 2011 Dodge Challenger showed up at the end of Fast Five, and audiences will get to enjoy more racing action with the Challenger in Fast & Furious 6.

And right behind the Challenger…

2012 Nissan GT-R

Just behind the Challenger in the picture is the 2012 Nissan GT-R. The movie will apparently kick off with a race between these two cars, so fans can look forward to that.

1970 Ford Escort RS2000

There is only one appropriate (and appropriately cheesy) caption for this picture: I believe I can fly!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Remember that scene where a couple of cars take down a cargo plane? The Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be one of those cars. Check out the epic take-down below.

2012 Dodge Charger SRT8

After the cargo plane is dragged down, a 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 bursts out the front of the plane. Is this really awesome or really stupid? We’re not sure, but we know we have to see it on the big screen!

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The price cuts run from $580 to $4,400 and went into effect on May 3. According to Edmunds, the seven models make up more that 65 percent of Nissan’s U.S. sales volume, so these models are already in high demand.

Discounts are as follows:

2013 Nissan Altima (2.5 S and 2.5 SV only) – $580 price cut
2013 Nissan Sentra – $730 price cut
2013 Nissan Juke – $1,290 price cut
2013 Nissan Murano – $1,460 – $2,410 price cut
2013 Nissan Maxima – $2,270 – $3,030 price cut
2013 Nissan Rogue – $2,300 price cut
2013 Nissan Armada – $4,400 price cut

In a written statement, Nissan said they hoped the discounts will make car shoppers take a second look at Nissan’s line-up and “accelerate Altima’s strong sales growth moving into the summer selling season in the hotly contested midsize sedan segment.”

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The new Mercedes C-Class will come with a 2.1-liter turbo-diesel engine, and Mercedes is already promising that the new engine will have somewhere between 20 percent and 30 percent improved fuel economy that. The new GLK250 BlueTec crossover will also be equipped with the 2.1-liter engine and will most likely replace the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine option available now for the E-Class.

Right now, there are no other diesel options currently in the compact luxury segment. BMW premiered the 328d at the New York Auto Show, but the 328d won’t be available until later this year. Audi has also hinted that they will be adding diesel models as well, but it isn’t confirmed yet. With these announcements, however, it is clear that there will be many more diesel options for compact luxury auto buyers in the next few years.

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New data from R. L. Polk and Company shows that clean diesel registrations went up almost 25 percent from 2010 to 2012, hitting 796,794 in 2012. Texas, California, and Florida had the most diesel registrations during that time, and in the United States, there are currently 6.65 million registered diesel vehicles. During that same period, hybrid vehicle registrations also soared with over a 25 percent increase, coming out to 2,290,903 hybrid vehicles.

Car makers have offered more diesel and hybrid versions of their popular models in recent years, so there is a “chicken-or-the-egg” question of whether automakers are going with a trend or if buyers are responding to more availability of diesel and hybrid vehicles.

We want to hear from you, our readers. If automakers started making a diesel or hybrid version of your favorite vehicle, would you head out to a dealership for a test drive? Leave a comment below and sound off!

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