(December 14, 2011) BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — New research from State Farm is showing that though texting while driving remains a concern on the nation's highways, drivers are accessing other mobile web services at much higher rates. These behaviors may pose equal or greater concerns in the battle against distracted driving.

In a new survey of nearly 900 motorists, the company found that use of mobile web services has increased dramatically over the last two years.

(December 14, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Winter weather can often leave your vehicle grubby and unkempt, but frequent car washes can also get expensive and time-consuming. Edmunds.com has all the dirt on a few easy steps you can take to clean your car without a drop of soap and water in "Clean Your Car Without Washing It."

(December 13, 2011) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Dodge brand is giving a sneak peek into the "high-tech, precisely crafted and highly customizable interior" of its all-new 2013 Dodge Dart. Scheduled to be introduced Jan. 9 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Dodge says the new Dart’s interior sets a new standard for compact cars.

(December 13, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book today announced the most-researched new vehicles of 2011 on the company's top-rated website, kbb.com, are the Honda Civic and Honda Accord. In addition, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com revealed the top five brands with the greatest share of market interest for 2011.

This year's success story is the Hyundai Elantra, entering the top 20 most-researched new vehicles list at No. 7, jumping 29 positions from 2010.

(December 12, 2011) CHICAGO — Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used vehicles, announced its editors' nominees for the Best Car of 2012. 

This year's nominees are the Audi A7, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Veloster, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Passat.  The winner will be announced during the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

(December 12, 2011) CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A new study shows that 55 percent of millennials (18-34-year-olds) have actively made an effort to drive less, up 10 percentage points from 45 percent in 2010. Car-sharing company Zipcar, purveyors of the study, said the finding highlights the growing trend of consciously reducing road time.

(December 11, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A consumer-grade leaf blower emits more pollutants than a 6,200-pound 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, according to tests conducted by Edmunds' InsideLine.com.

The tests found that a Ryobi 4-stroke leaf blower kicked out almost seven times more oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 13.5 times more carbon monoxide (CO) than the Raptor, which InsideLine.com once dubbed "the ultimate Michigan mudslinger."

(December 9, 2011) SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Ward's 10 Best Engines, North America's only award program honoring excellence in vehicle powertrains, have been announced for 2012, and a record seven of this year's 10 winners have integrated state-of-the-art direct fuel injection, demonstrating the rapid pace of technology development as auto makers downsize their engines in anticipation of strict U.S. fuel-economy rules.