2012 Lincoln Mkz Zephyr Hybrid on 2040-cars

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Five vehicles named Top Safety Pick+ including new Civic, MKZ

In an attempt to help push vehicle safety to a higher level, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety created a stricter Top Safety Pick+ rating last year, which incorporates a brutal small overlap test and requires cars to get Good ratings in four out of the five categories (and no less than Acceptable in the fifth). Joining the list of the safest cars of 2013, the 2013 Volvo XC60, Lincoln MKZ, Honda Civic (sedan and coupe) and the 2014 Mazda6 have all received the coveted TSP+ rating.
The Mazda6 and Lincoln MKZ have both been completely redesigned, and both received Acceptable ratings in the small overlap test. The Honda Civic, coming off its emergency refresh for 2013, is the first small car to be subjected to the small overlap test, and IIHS says that one of the car's many upgrades includes a stiffer front structure allowing it to receive Good ratings in all categories. Similarly, the XC60 gets all Good ratings thanks to, according to IIHS, Volvo updating the airbag software allowing the side airbags to inflate during the small overlap test.
The 2014 Subaru Forester has not yet been subjected to the small overlap test, so it must make do with just a Top Safety Pick rating until the IIHS tests small utility vehicles, which is expected to happen later in the spring.

Biden's tariffs likely won't impact Americans already driving Chinese-built cars

A 2024 Buick Envision Sport TouringGM-DESIGN Chinese car brands are missing from the US market, but Chinese-made cars are still sold in the US.  Americans bought more than 104,000 Chinese-made cars in 2023 and nearly 28,000 in Q1 2024. Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo all sell cars in the US that are made in China.  Of the more than 15 million cars sold in the US last year, none wore the badge of a Chinese car brand. Chinese EV heavy hitters like BYD and SAIC are conspicuously missing from US showrooms. With the government's existing 27.5% tariffs on Chinese-made cars and Tuesday's new 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs imported to the US, the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon. What some people might not realize, however, is that tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year. Volvo's S60L sedan was one of the first Chinese-made cars to be sold in the US starting in 2016, followed by Buick's Envision SUV and Cadillac's CT6 Hybrid. According to Automotive News data, US consumers purchased more than 104,000 Chinese-made vehicles in 2023, up 45% from 2022. Americans bought another 28,000 Chinese-made cars during the first quarter of 2024. Currently, Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo sell Chinese-made vehicles in the US. Of those, the only Chinese-made EVs come from Polestar, a brand co-owned by Volvo and its parent company, Geely Automotive. The EV brand imported just 2,217 cars in the first three months of 2024. It is unclear how the new tariffs will affect Polestar's future production plans. The company eventually plans to move some of its car production to South Carolina in 2024. In a statement to Business Insider, a Polestar spokesperson said the company is evaluating the Biden Administration's announcement. Here's a closer look at the Chinese-made cars on sale in the US. Buick Envision A 2024 Buick Envision AvenirGM When it launched in 2016, the Buick Envision compact SUV was one of the first Chinese-made vehicles sold in the US. The second generation Envision, which arrived in 2021, continues to be made in China at one of the plants GM operates in a joint venture with SAIC. The Envision was Buick's second-best-selling model in 2023, with more than 44,000 vehicles sold. Last year, Buick sold 167,000 vehicles across its entire lineup in the US, an impressive 61% increase over the previous year. However, this number pales in comparison to Buick's sales in China, which totaled 517,000 units last year.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus pricing is already out, and it's up

The new 2024 Lincoln Nautilus was just revealed, but now pricing is already out. Not only is pricing available to walk through, but Lincoln opened up its configurator and is allowing you to build and price one. As you might expect from a new generation with a whole lot more features, the base price is up. A 2024 Nautilus Premiere starts at $51,810, including the $1,395 destination charge — weÂ’ll note that the new Nautilus will be built in China now, but the destination fee is the same as the Canadian-built 2023 model. Overall, the new Nautilus is $5,590 more than the outgoing version. Considering that AWD is now standard equipment, and the plethora of additional tech/features now present in this new generation, the increase is no surprise. The Nautilus comes with a gas-only 2.0-liter turbo engine as standard equipment, but you can select the hybrid option for an extra $1,500. LincolnÂ’s mid-level trim is the Reserve at $56,145, which adds “premium” leather seats in the first and second rows, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, unique “jewel” accented grille and 21-inch wheels instead of the 19-inch wheels standard on the Premiere. Both the Premiere and Reserve have very expensive packages that group together a bunch of premium options — weÂ’d recommend reading through them on the configurator to see if theyÂ’re must-haves for your needs. If you want BlueCruise 1.2 (hands-free driver assist system) or one of the available Revel audio systems, though, youÂ’ll need to select one of these packages. Per usual with Lincoln, the Black Label trim is the range-topper. It comes with nearly every option as standard equipment and starts at $75,860. The biggest choices you can make here are powertrain — Lincoln still charges $1,500 extra for the hybrid in the Black Label — and then picking your exterior and interior color themes. Chalet, a cream and brown theme, or Redwood, a reddish-brown and black theme, can be selected on the inside. ThereÂ’s a $3,000 Jet Appearance Package available, too, which comes with unique wheels, fully-blacked-out exterior trim and a unique interior. You can even spend $2,000 on LincolnÂ’s fancy, new Chroma Caviar Dark Grey Metallic paint, the most expensive color in the catalog. Check all of these boxes, and you can get a Nautilus up to $82,360. At that price, you could buy an entry-level Navigator or a well-equipped Aviator.