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Toyota tops Consumer Reports best, worst used car values

We often mock Toyota for building boring, soulless cars, but a new study by Consumer Reports suggests that regardless of whether that's true, the company has some of the best used cars on the market. In its report on used cars from 2004-2013, the Japanese automaker had 11 vehicles among its brands on the list - more than any other automaker.
CR breaks the list down by cost and vehicle size, and Toyota has at least one entry at every price point and in nearly every segment. To score a recommendation, a vehicle had to perform well in the magazine's initial tests and score above-average reliability results. It also tried to only suggest cars with electronic stability control. Of the 28 recommended vehicles, Honda/Acura had the second most mentions at six, and Ford, Hyundai and Subaru managed two each.
The Detroit brands also made it to the list, but not in a positive way. Consumer Reports compiled a list of 22 vehicles it wouldn't recommend because "they have multiple years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability." General Motors had the most unrecommended models on the list at six, but Chrysler and Ford weren't far behind, with five cars each from their brands not making the grade. The full list of recommendations is available on CR's website.

Ford Mustang EcoBoost has fake engine soundtrack

The 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost represents a huge change for the Blue Oval as the first pony car in decades to be available with a four-cylinder engine. But a recent tweet (below) from Road & Track raised our curiosity about the new vehicle. Editor Jason Cammisa pulled a fuse while driving the latest 'Stang with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, and he found that both the stereo and engine went quiet in the cabin. That indicated the coupe might have some form of artificial engine sound being piped in - a feature not previously heavily reported for the model. Autoblog spoke with Ford engineer Shawn Carney who confirmed that only the turbocharged four-cylinder Mustang comes with this system, called Active Noise Control.
@jasoncammisa pulls fuse 27 on 4cyl #2015mustang EcoBoost. Both stereo & engine go quiet. #FakeEngineNoise #busted! pic.twitter.com/WNzQefCbtQ

- Road & Track (@RoadandTrack) September 17, 2014

GM, Ford and FCA expected to extend coronavirus shutdown into April

U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are expected to extend their current shutdown in North America into the month of April as the fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus continues. At this point, the exact dates that Detroit's Big Three automakers will restart vehicle production remains up in the air. Ford said in a statement that it does not plan to restart production until at least April 6 but warned it could be further delayed into April. United Auto Workers President Rory Gamble sent a letter to union members saying that FCA had "no plans to reopen on March 30." GM has yet to confirm its plans — its last statement said the decision when to reopen "will be reevaluated week-to-week after" March 30 — but unnamed sources told Reuters that it will also comply with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's order barring non-essential businesses from operating until April 13. Gamble's letter said the union is "waiting to hear from GM and are demanding that they put our membersÂ’ safety first and adhere to government and health officialsÂ’ recommendations to stay-at-home." A spokeswoman for Whitmer was unable to clarify on Tuesday whether auto production is considered essential or not. Michigan has declared vehicle sales by auto dealers to be impermissible under the order, but dealerships and other facilities can make repairs.  The UAW also said two Fiat Chrysler union members — one in Indiana and one in Michigan — have died after contracting the coronavirus. A group representing major U.S. and foreign automakers warned in a letter to U.S. lawmakers with other industry groups on Monday that, "Auto industry analysts are expecting sales to be down by as much as 40 percent in March compared to 2019." The letter said 95% of North American auto plants are currently closed. Reuters contributed to this report. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Fiat Ford GM coronavirus