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Toyota, Ford and Honda again top Consumer Reports Car-Brand Perception Survey

Consumer Reports has released its annual Car-Brand Perception Survey, and the list looks awfully familiar. The top six brands are identical to last year's results, with Toyota, Ford and Honda continuing to occupy the podium. All told, Toyota walked away with 133 points, putting it 15 ahead of second-place Ford. Honda jumped 26 points this year, narrowing Ford's lead to just four points in total.
Consumer Reports polls buyers from across the country on how they see multiple brands in seven categories, including quality, safety, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation and environmentally friendly/green. Researchers then combine the findings to come up with the total brand score.
While value and performance remain important to buyers, CR found quality and safety are still on top when it comes to significance. Scion and Mitsubishi found themselves at the bottom of the pack with the worst score of all, tied at just six points. Ram, Fiat and Mini filled out the lowest five with scores of seven, eight and 10 points, respectively. You can read the full press release below for more information, or head over to the Consumer Reports site.

Dodge Challenger outsold Mustang, Camaro in third quarter of 2019

The Dodge Challenger is nearly old enough to start driver's ed in some states, and it doesn't have a firm grasp on the increasingly crucial concept of downsizing, yet it beat the odds to become the most popular American two-door model during the third quarter of 2019. Its ballooning sales figures suggest buyers don't always want the latest, most advanced car they can get their hands on. Dodge sold 18,031 examples of the Challenger during the third quarter of 2019, a shocking 21% increase over the same period in 2018. It's a true muscle car, normally sardined in the same can as the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang, a pair of smaller, nimbler two-doors that are much closer to the historic definition of a pony car. Semantics aside, the Mustang finished on the second spot of the sales podium with 16,823 sales, a 12.3% drop compared to the third quarter of 2018, and the Camaro took third with 12,275 sales, a 15% dip that alarmingly comes in the wake of two redesigns. More specific sales figures aren't available. We don't know what percentage of the sales mix V8s represent, or whether buyers prefer manual or automatic transmissions. The scoreboard looks different when we examine 2019's year-to-date figures. The Mustang takes first place with 55,365 sales, followed by the Challenger at 46,699, and the Camaro at 36,791. While the Challenger's recent ascent is encouraging, it can't mask the fact that two-door models no longer enjoy a favorable tailwind, and the entire segment — not just the American entries — is declining. The aforementioned year-to-date figures are down by 10.1, 11, and 7.6 percent, respectively. The third-quarter statistics revealed a handful of other surprises unrelated to the world of performance. Dodge notably sold three examples of the Dart, a sedan it hasn't built since 2016. That's a 93% drop compared to the 45 units that found a home during the third quarter of 2018.

Project CARS 2 is coming

It's barely been a month since we released our review on Project CARS, and already, developers Slightly Mad Studios is preparing a sequel. It'll use the same crowd-funding formula that put together such a successful game this time around. The sequel was announced on the World of Mass Development portal, the same source of crowdfunding for the first Project CARS. Among the enhancements Slightly Mad is planning, there's the usual promise of more tracks and cars, but what we're really looking forward to is the news hidden in that promise. Project CARS 2 will boast bigger, more exciting forms of racing, including rallycross. In total, there will be over "50 unique locations and 200+ courses," "8 different disciplines," and "200+ cars from over 40 different vehicle classes including never-before-seen Concepts and Banned Race Cars." Yes, this all sounds very good. Project CARS 2 will also add a new customizable test track feature, and there will be an increased emphasis on both co-op and social gameplay and "skill and behavioral-based matchmaking" in online play. The crowdfunding campaign for the new title is currently underway, although it's unclear when we'll get a planned release date. As for our own wish list, it's remarkably short. We'd like a more fully fleshed out career mode, actual vehicle upgrades and customization options, and a genuine economy would be welcomed additions. Part of the fun of racing titles is working up the coin to acquire new and exciting cars. It's not that we mind full access to the game's entire roster of vehicles, we just wish that in the career mode, there was a bit more planning and challenge to getting ahold of new racers. In short, we want the best parts of Forza Motorsport with combined with the best parts of Project CARS. Oh, and if the frame-rate issues we experienced on the Xbox One could be sorted out too. What would you like to see included in Project CARS 2? Perhaps cleaner menus? A better soundtrack? Have your say down in Comments. Until then, check out the launch announcement over at WMD. Related Video: Featured Gallery Project CARS 2 News Source: World of Mass Development via Kotaku Toys/Games Ford Racing Vehicles video games xbox one playstation 4 project cars slightly mad studios