The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute recently released their findings on insurance losses for vehicles built between 2007 and 2009. Overall, sports cars seemed to cost insurance companies less than any other vehicle category, while small cars seemed to be the most costly.

 

Let's get to the drum roll. The top 10 vehicles with the lowest overall insurance losses were: the Chevrolet Corvette and Corvette convertible, Mazda Miata, Volkswagen New Beetle convertible, Saturn Sky, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Veracruz, Honda CR-V, Subaru Outback and Toyota 4Runner.

 

Hyundai has officially put a price tag on its new Equus megasedan: The Korean manufacturer says that the high-rolling sedan will set buyers back a mere $58,000 for the base model and $64,500 for Ultimate trim, with the extra $6,500 serving up reclining back seats, a massage system for the passenger-side rear seat and an onboard refrigerator. Even the driver gets the benefit of a forward-looking camera for cornering in tight spaces. If that seems like a short list of luxury options, that’s because the base Equus rolls with an epic number of standard features -- ones borrowed from the option sheets of more expensive metal.

Look to find everything from adaptive cruise control and massaging front seats to a first-aid kit and heated windshield wipers to show up on the base model, all for $58,000. Did we mention the complimentary iPad and dealer valet service for scheduled maintenance? Critics may scoff at the notion that American buyers would shell out nearly $60K for a Hyundai, but the truth is that, as a nation, we live and breathe value. With its 4.6-liter V8 engine and lengthy list of high-roller treats onboard, the Equus is a viable replacement for more expensive vehicles from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi -- not to mention Lexus and Infiniti. 

Audi began a 1,000-mile eco drive on Oct. 18 in a demonstration named "Eureka! Diesel Drives the Future." Two Audi A3 TDI test cars left Eureka, Calif., and headed south, filled with RenDiesel, a synthetic fuel from Rentech. The Audis will stop in Sacramento, San Francisco, Rialto and Los Angeles before ending the journey in San Diego.

Rentech, online at www.rentechinc.com, is a renewable-energy company based in Los Angeles that specializes in making fuels from biomass.

The point of the trip is to raise awareness about the advantages of diesel fuels while specifically highlighting Audi's TDI and the synthetic diesel fuel from Rentech.

 

With video: Range anxiety applies to electric motorcycles, too, which is one of the main reason electric-motorcycle manufacturer Brammo has released the Enertia Plus, an updated version of the Enertia electric cycle that almost doubles the original's range, to 80 miles on a single charge.

Although the 42-mile range of the original would likely satisfy many riders who use the bike for a commute -- the national average commute distance is less than 50 miles --  extended range was still atop Brammo customers' wish lists. Hence, the Enertia Plus, which extends the range while retaining most of the original's performance numbers. 

WITH VIDEO -- The SEMA show is less than two weeks away, and automakers are ratcheting up the hype for their displays.

The folks at Chevy have posted a sneak peek video of some the cars they'll be bringing to Las Vegas. We see Camaros, Corvettes and the Silverado pickup.

Have a look for yourself:

 

Neiman Marcus' holiday catalog seems to be the place to sell a special-edition vehicle: Last year's high-priced version of the Jag XF sold out completely, and this year a special-edition 2011 Camaro Convertible, with a whopping sticker price of $75,000, also sold every one of its available models -- in three minutes.

The car was featured on NBC's "Today Show," after which a special telephone reservation line was opened. One-hundred eighty seconds later, all 100 of the Neiman Marcus Edition Camaro Convertibles were claimed. 

It turns out Mazda isn't simply shooting for the sky. Rather, the protagonists of zoom-zoom driving dynamics are taking an active approach to the brand's DNA: Put it all together, and it's called “SkyActiv.” Mazda is billing the suite of technologies as the pillars of its way forward.

Much of these features--which enhance future products in nearly all areas including engine, transmission and chassis--have already been revealed. But Mazda announced today that the SkyActiv name will be the banner it flies from now on.

The first car to get SkyActiv technology will be the Mazda 2, starting in 2011. Mazda is using SkyActiv features to fortify its product lineup as fuel-efficiency and lightweight cars becoming increasingly important in global markets. Here's a look at what's to come.

 

A potential problem with front airbags is the cause of a recall of nearly 10,000 Volvo vehicles, according to Consumer Reports. A defect in the clock-spring wiring connector in the driver's airbag that, in the event of a crash, could cause the airbag to deploy incorrectly or not at all could be present in 2010-2011 model year Volvo S80s, as well as the 2010 V70, 2011 XC60 and 2010-2011 XC70 -- more than 9,700 vehicles in total. The safety-first Swedish automaker should be contacting owners shortly to schedule a free fix -- in this case, the installation of a metal shim in the clock-spring wiring connector. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can contact Volvo at 800-458-1552.

Chrysler is also recalling a number of vehicles -- more than 26,000 Chrysler 300 and Sebring models, plus Dodge Avengers, Challengers, Journeys and Rams, due to a problem with the electric power steering.