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Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

Here's how much the new Ford Mustang will cost in Germany

While you can find Ford Mustangs across Europe, they were brought over there courtesy of importers, rather than Ford itself. That's changing with the 2015 pony car, as Ford will be selling it directly through its overseas dealers. Now, we know how much German customers will be shelling out for the muscle car, courtesy of the maniacs at Mustang6G. Not surprisingly, there's a fairly hefty premium compared to US prices. The base Mustang, with its 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission will start at 34,000 euros ($40,214, at today's rates), while the 5.0-liter V8/six-speed-manual model starts at 39,000 euros ($46,127). The Mustang Convertible demands an extra 4,000 euros ($4,731) while the optional six-speed automatic elevates the price by 2,000 euros ($2,365), regardless, in both cases, of whether there are four or eight cylinders under that long hood. While those prices are certainly pretty dear compared to what we pay in the US, the Mustang is a genuine bargain compared to some of Europe's other sports coupes. The German market BMW 4 Series starts at 36,050 euros ($42,638), while a base 435i calls for 48,100 euros ($56,891). It's a similar story with the Audi A5/S5. As for the Mustang's arch-nemesis, the Chevrolet Camaro, which is only available with the SS model's 6.2-liter V8, starts at 39,990 euros ($47,298), comparing quite evenly with the 5.0-liter GT.

Ford F-150 EcoBoost in NHTSA probe for acceleration issue

According to Automotive News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching a probe into 400,000 Ford F-150 models over possible acceleration problems. According to the article, NHTSA has received 95 reports "alleging incidents of reduced engine power during hard accelerations" on 2011 to 2013 F-150 models equipped with the company's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine.
Automotive News reports that Ford has issued three technical service bulletins "related to intermittent stumble/misfire on acceleration from highway cruise in humid or damp conditions," according to the government agency's documents. About one third of the 95 reports NHTSA has received cited humid or rainy conditions when these problems allegedly occurred.
These technical service bulletins have allowed dealers to address a "condition related to moisture accumulation in the charge air cooler during extended highway cruising at constant throttle in humid or damp conditions," AN reports, citing NHTSA documents. Furthermore, the TSB outlines details for "reprogramming the powertrain control module with the latest calibration and installing a new CAC and air deflector plate."