Honda redesigned its compact crossover for 2012, and the new model did better in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash testing than the previous version. NHTSA gave the 2012 CR-V five stars out of five versus last year's four star-rating.

There's a certain sadness when we see an old, abandoned vehicle being slowly eaten by nature. Dying an "organic" death can often be an artful statement, though, as the machinations of humans and their large equipment is no match for the ongoing assault that nature yields when things linger for years. It's beautiful and cryptic at the same time.

From the headlines-we-never-expected-to-see file: "Stick shifts popular again..." Yes, we thought manual transmissions were on their deathbed, what with every carmaker bemoaning low take rates and reports that Volkswagen has decided to do away with them in both its Audi R8 sports car and throughout the range of Lamborghini models

Honda demonstrates the 2013 Fit EV, always pushing the limits when it comes to technology and the environment.