After years of declining traffic deaths, the number of car-related fatalities rose 5.3 percent in 2012, according to new statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is the first year traffic fatalities have increased since 2005, and it's the highest number of roadway deaths since 2008.

According to NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, the reasons for the recent surge in traffic fatalities include an improving economy and an increase in motorcycle deaths.

According to The Detroit News, an additional factor contributing to the rise in traffic fatalities was unseasonably warm weather in early 2012.

 

Mercedes-Benz has released the official details and photos of its 2014 S-Class. From the look of the company's iconic flagship, the 2014 model is a huge leap forward, unlike any generation before it.

It’s not just in the design, materials or performance, the last of which the new S550 has in spades, thanks to the upgraded 455-horsepower direct-injected, twin-turbocharged V8 (the previous car had 429 horsepower). It’s also in the intelligence and capabilities of the systems Mercedes-Benz has integrated into the car. If you crash this car, or even fall asleep behind the wheel, you’re really doing something wrong.

The features on this car almost seem like they were pulled out of a spy novel. With the new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has taken an approach it calls "Intelligent Drive," which is basically a suite of driver aids running on one system of sensors.  Radar all around the car and cameras mounted in the rear-view mirror help with everything from Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control to Active Lane Keeping Control. It also commands the Brake Assist System, which can now sense cross traffic and pedestrians and react as necessary. The S-Class even has Night View Assist Plus, which relies on two infrared cameras to project a better image and can also detect animals.

 

With automakers trying to display ads on our dashboards, even offering in-car discounts through location-based services, many drivers won't appreciate the intrusions.

But according to a new survey from tech giant Cisco, a majority of drivers say they're willing to trade personal information – including their DNA or fingerprints – if they can get a perk. Cisco’s Customer Experience Report found that 74 percent of respondents worldwide would allow companies to track their driving habits in order to save on insurance or maintenance costs.

It also found that 65 percent would freely give up their music preferences, in addition to their height and weight, for a more "customized vehicle and driving experience." And almost 60 percent "would provide biometric information such as fingerprints and DNA samples" if the information could be used to unlock their car, start the engine – as seen on the previous-generation Audi S8, above – and set memory settings such as radio presets and seat positions for individual drivers.

 

Subaru is recalling 5,379 Legacy and Outback vehicles for potential loss of steering, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The steering column shafts on 2013 models "may not have been 'press-fitted' sufficiently," which could cause the inner and outer shafts to separate and the driver to lose control, Subaru said.

Dealers will replace the steering column assembly starting on Thursday, when parts become available. Owners can contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

In March, Subaru recalled 47,419 cars equipped with remote engine start, including the 2013 Legacy and Outback, to fix faulty key fobs that could send a signal without the owner pressing the button. In April, Subaru recalled more than 10,000 2014 Foresters to replace floor mats that could curl when exposed to heat.  

General Motors, lacking a compact van to compete with Ford, is taking the easy route with its 2015 City Express: It's slapping Chevrolet badges on a Nissan.

That's opposed to GM federalizing and importing its Opel-brand commercial vans from Europe, as Ford did in 2009 with its Turkish-built Transit Connect van. Since then, the commercial market has been shifting slowly toward European-spec high-top vans, all promising greater fuel efficiency and, in some cases, greater cargo capacity than traditional vans such as the Ford Econoline and Chevrolet Express.

GM said the deal with Nissan, which already sells the compact, Mexican-built NV200 van in the U.S., will let the company shorten delivery times to its commercial customers. "This is the fastest way we could bring a light-duty product to our lineup," GM spokeswoman Pam Flores told MSN Autos. 

We've all slid sideways in our cars, intentionally or otherwise, for at least a second. But can you picture doing that for an hour and 40 minutes?

Last Saturday, BMW set the Guinness record for the world's longest drift at 51.3 miles. That's 51.3 miles of continuous sliding, 51.3 miles of keeping the steering wheel pointed right and – for racing driver Johan Schwartz and everyone watching his white M5 loop the skid pad nearly 323 times – 51.3 miles of absolute boredom.

Somehow, just like the artificial engine sounds piped into the M5's cabin, BMW has managed to dull a usually fun and out-of-control experience into a methodical, automated process.

In this case, hearing about the record secondhand is better than watching it, which is why BMW's promo video below is only one minute long. But boring as it may be to observe, it's damned impressive. Even more so: BMW smashed Red Bull's February drift record by more than 44 miles. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Chrysler, Mazda and Ford vehicles for engine stalling, door latches and loss of steering, according to recent filings.

At least 54 owners of 2006 Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum models with V8 engines told the agency their vehicles had stalled while driving after refueling. NHTSA said that half of the complaints had been received in the past eight months. About 48 owners said their vehicles stalled multiple times, while seven said their vehicles "could not be immediately restarted or [were] difficult to restart." About 192,076 vehicles may be affected.

In April, Chrysler recalled 30,000 Jeep Compass and Patriot SUVs from the 2012 and 2013 model years for fuel-tank transfer tubes that could starve the engine of gasoline. The tubes on certain models can deform over time and cause the engine to stall, especially at high altitudes and high temperatures, Chrysler said.

It is not yet clear if this latest investigation is linked, and as always, an investigation does not necessarily lead to a recall.  

General Motors and Volkswagen are spending a combined $335 million to renovate dealerships in prime markets in the Northeast and California.

GM is spending about $200 million to assist dealerships in New York, New Jersey and California with facility upgrades and relocating, according to the Detroit News. In these states, where buyers sway heavily toward import brands, GM hasn't made enough strides in attracting customers. In California, for example, GM's market share has trailed that of Honda and Toyota, dipping from 11.8 percent in 2011 to 9.8 percent last year, even as Japanese automakers suffered from supply shortages after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

"It changed radically from where our footprint used to be, because we're the oldest ones out there … and we let it go," GM North America President Mark Reuss told the Detroit News.

Volkswagen is spending $135 million on a 265,000-square foot VW-Audi dealership (shown above) that opened in Manhattan on Friday. Volkswagen owns the property and about a dozen other dealerships in the U.S. but lets independent dealership companies operate them. Other large Manhattan dealerships, such as Manhattan Ford and Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan, are essentially corporate-managed stores.