Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota have a commanding lead in car brand awareness, as determined from interviewing car owners for the 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey.

The people have spoken: Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet excel over other brands in the minds of adult car owners, though the brand’s advantages are less this year than in the past. These are among the findings of the 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Electronics are infiltrating everything we use, and the halls of 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here in Las Vegas are now home to the manufacturers and suppliers of the consumer electronics that we call automobiles. Amid acres of gizmos, Delphi displayed their “MyFi Connecting with Safety Vehicle”—an electronic smorgasbord of what is possible in today’s connected car.

Among the central themes at this year’s Detroit auto show was the rise of the mainstream plug-in hybrid. My colleagues who attended the show point to another key theme: the resurgence of American automakers in their hometown, with Detroit brands making the biggest splash with mainstream models. Either way, call it an American sunrise.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of 19,600 Volvo C70 and S60 sedans today. The agency says certain models of those Volvo cars have mislabeled spare tires, a violation of federal safety standards.

In such a large, diverse country as America, long-distance road trips feel like a birthright. But going the distance coast-to-coast isn’t for just any jalopy. It requires a good, safe, reliable car that excels in comfort and other factors. In anticipation of the long weekend, the Consumer Reports’ Cars team has been debating which model is the best road trip car, and below we present our picks.

With the long-weekend fast approaching, the Consumer Reports’ Cars team has been talking about the joys of the open road and what is the best car to experience it. With the Auto Test Center overflowing with dozens of vehicles in various stages of testing, this is a very real, and common, discussion for us. We’ve gathered up our personal picks for the best road-trip car in hopes that their considerations and selections point you in the right direction when choosing a car with true vacationing potential.

Volvo introduced its latest concept car this week at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, revealing another look at the company’s future design intent. As Volvo seeks to nudge its product portfolio further upscale, the You sedan concept illustrates how touch-screens can be adapted to streamline the interior appearance.

The majority of American consumers are not open to buying a car from a Chinese or Indian manufacturer. Such automakers looking to break into the U.S. market face challenges in brand awareness and acceptance, according to a new study by GfK Automotive, a global industry research firm.

As summer winds down, many families are preparing to send their teens off to college. Cruising off to the world of academia, it is important to make a smart decision on a reliable car that can be counted on for errands and journeys home. We maintain a list of the best cars for teens that can be a good guide, but the Cars team has additional thoughts on cars specifically for college. Below are our personal picks for campus duty.

Low-speed crashes happen every day. Forward collision avoidance systems are designed to prevent such rear-end collisions. A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that these systems are working to prevent about a quarter of these frequent crashes.

Volvo is recalling 7,558 S60 vehicles from the 2012 model year because of a potential problem with the fuel pump which could lead to engine hesitation and stalling even if the fuel gauge indicated up to a quarter tank of gas. Under certain driving conditions this could lead to a crash.

Since purchasing our 2012 Volvo S60 T5, we’ve had lots of time and miles behind the wheel to get acquainted with Volvo’s latest sedan. So far, our $35,100, front-wheel drive, 250-hp T5 hasn’t disappointed us.

Volvo has raised the curtain at the Shanghai Auto Show on a concept car enigmatically named Volvo Concept Universe, hinting at what the next-generation S80 flagship sedan might look like. And, well, it looks like a big luxury coupe. It’s got a long hood and a high tubby trunk, something like the Jaguar XJ-L. A long concave style line running fore and aft above the rocker panel provides a horizontal reference point and all the corners are rounded off.

When you sell a house, you usually spend some time sprucing the place up before putting it on the market. Ford probably didn't plan to sell their Volvo division to the Chinese car company Geely last year when mapping...