2013 Honda Civic Gains NHTSA Five-Star Safety Rating

The 2013 Honda Civic sedan has earned the highest safety rating of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker announced Thursday. This adds to the top honors the 2013 Civic received from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program, the Civic sedan received a five-star overall vehicle score despite scoring four stars in frontal tests. It received five stars in side-impact crashes and has a four-star rollover rating.

The 2013 Civic sedan and coupe previously received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from IIHS, which included a top score of Good in the stringent new small-overlap frontal collision test. Honda noted that the Civic sedan and coupe are the first and only small cars to earn the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ rating; however, IIHS is still implementing the new test, and in the past, we've seen additional vehicles added to the organization's award lists.

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2013 Honda Civic Video

The Honda Civic has returned from a rather snoozy 2012 rested and ready to excite. Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek says Honda's return to the drawing board for 2013 has paid off, most notably on the inside. High-quality materials and impressive standard features like a backup camera, Bluetooth connectivity and smartphone integration with Pandora Internet Radio join classed-up exterior front and rear styling. Lackluster wheel covers on the base LX model and a fun-to-drive deficit compared with competitors are the Civic's weak spots, but if you weren't offended in 2012, you’ll be charmed in 2013. Watch the video above.

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Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Honda Civic

Honda took its compact car back to the drawing room after only one model year, and the much-needed update makes the Civic competitive again, says Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek. More standard features, nicer cabin materials and an appealing price tag launch the Civic back to the head of the compact class for 2013 — which is great, because we'll be spending a lot of time in the sedan this year.

2013 Honda Civic Review

Dodge to Introduce 2013 Dart GT at Detroit Auto Show

Chrysler has announced that yet another new trim level is joining the list for its 2013 Dodge Dart lineup, and it's set to be introduced next week at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new Dart GT will join the SE, SXT, Rallye, Aero and Limited trims, building off the Limited model and going in a decidedly sporty direction. It goes into production in the spring.

The GT will feature a frankly impressive list of standard equipment, including a two-tone leather interior, automatic climate control, Chrysler's 8.4-inch touch-screen, dual exhaust, a unique sport suspension, 18-inch wheels, heated steering wheel and front seats, and special exterior trim. The only powertrain will be the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine making 184-horsepower, delivered through a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed automatic with manual-shift function.

2013 Honda Civic Video

After taking flak for a complete overhaul that failed to impress last year, Honda wisely returned to the drawing board and developed the heavily redesigned 2013 Honda Civic. Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder says the hasty do-over was worth it, as the Civic looks better, feels better and just plain is better — that says a lot for the best-selling compact sedan.

More 2012 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Honda says exterior updates mean the Civic will perform better in crash tests. A retuned suspension, refined interior materials and a standard backup camera should also bring in new buyers. The Civic will start around $19,000 when it hits dealerships this week. Check out the video below.

2013 Honda Civic: Photo Gallery

Although the industry panned Honda's 2012 update to its Civic, sales of the best-selling compact remain strong. A revised-for-2013 model should make Civic even more competitive in the segment.

More 2012 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

More interesting exterior styling — including a new bumper and a more sculpted hood — and an interior full of more upscale materials are the big changes for 2013. The result is a more polished look outside and a more uniform one inside.  Check out more photos below.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: May 2012

Toyota dominated the sales landscape last month, with May sales up nearly 90%. That's versus a weak May 2011, when Japan's earthquake and tsunami had shoppers thinking Toyota, Lexus and Scion showrooms would have few cars in stock. It actually wasn't the case, noted Toyota spokeswoman Carly Shaffner; Automotive News data show Toyota maintained higher inventory in May 2011 then it did this past May, but the perception dried up demand and the automaker lost a third of its sales. Last month, it more than made them back: Camry and RAV4 sales more than doubled, Corolla/Matrix sales jumped 87.5% and Prius sales tripled. Even sales for the Lexus RX, which topped last month's Buzz Index, gained 82.1%.

Toyota wasn't the only mover.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2012

Eight of March's 10 best-sellers returned to the table in April, but one of the newbies may surprise you. In March, an incentive-heavy Nissan Altima fell just 1,517 cars short of the redesigned Toyota Camry, clinching the No. 2 best-selling car position. Incentives remain high, but Altima sales dropped drastically enough to knock it off the top 10 list. Instead, shoppers drifted toward the Honda Accord and Toyota Prius.

The Accord, one of April's two newcomers, gained 25.6% last month, snapping three months' sales malaise to fall just 1,435 cars short of the hard-charging, recently redesigned Camry. The shift surprised us, given the Accord is in its final year before a redesign while incentives are about the same as a year ago.

There's little surprise that the Prius' sales catapulted 101.7% despite gas prices leveling off this month. Three new Prius variants — a subcompact Prius c, larger Prius v and rechargeable Prius Plug-in — accounted for 76% of that rise. Strip those away, however, and even the original Prius handily outpaced its year-ago sales.

Honda Moves Up Civic Update

Honda is accelerating its plans to update the Civic, Automotive News is reporting. Although it's selling pretty well, Honda's redesigned-for-2012 Civic has been panned by critics, tarnishing the brand image of this perennial compact-class benchmark.

Earlier reports suggested that Honda was planning a midcycle refresh sometime in 2013, but Honda officials at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas announced that an updated Civic will come out this fall, just 18 months after the new one debuted.

With the 2012 redesign, the Civic got fresh styling, a new specific high-fuel-economy model and, many argue, a cheaper interior and overall feel. It sounds like Honda's update to the Civic will address those faults. Details haven't been released, but Honda has said the changes will be "significant."

Honda Pulls Forward Major Changes to Civic to This Fall (Automotive News)

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2012

After capping 2011 with four decent months, the auto industry hit 2012 running. Analysts expect auto sales to outpace 2011 figures anywhere from 6% to 10%, which could make 2012 the best sales year since 2007.

January enticed consumers with total incentives — including financing offers, automaker and dealer cash, and trade-in bonuses — amounting to 16% off the average car’s MSRP, CNW Marketing Research reports. That beats January 2011, when shoppers saw only 13.5% off the average MSRP.

Shoppers took advantage. January sales jumped 11%, beating Tuesday’s expectations. This marks the best annualized month since 2009, Automotive News reports. Chrysler, Nissan and Hyundai-Kia saw double-digit sales gains, with GM the only top-seven automaker to post a loss.