China has introduced new regulations, starting in 2027, requiring all car doors to open manually from both sides. Electric door handles can malfunction in a crash or battery failure.
Cars
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Back seats aren’t as safe as they should be. A crash test is trying to help
Better engineering has made the front seat much safer in head-on collisions. But the back seat hasn’t kept pace. It’s a problem one vehicle safety group is trying to solve.
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Electric vehicles had a bumpy road in 2025 — and one pleasant surprise
A suite of pro-EV federal policies have been reversed. Well-known vehicles have been discontinued. Sales plummeted. But interest is holding steady.
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Can Americans learn to love tiny, cheap kei cars?
President Trump recently embraced kei cars, tiny vehicles that are popular in Asia but hard to get in the U.S. Kei car enthusiasts are delighted — but doubt whether much will change.
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Built to spill: The life of a crash test dummy
Automotive crash test dummies are born in Ohio, brought to “life” near Detroit, and then sent around the world to make cars safer.
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Ford pulls the plug on the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck
Ford says it is “following the customer” in discontinuing its large electric pickup, which was well-received but never profitable. Ford will keep the Lightning name alive as a plug-in hybrid.
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Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards
At a White House this afternoon, President Trump said he was terminating “ridiculously burdensome” fuel economy rules. It’s part of a series of changes relaxing or eliminating rules promoting cleaner cars.
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The female crash test dummy has been a long time coming — but she isn’t here yet
After years of limbo, the U.S. government has given the green light to a crash test dummy based on the female body. But will it be used right away? Not so fast.
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Why car insurance costs have soared (and what drivers are doing about it)
Car insurance premiums have increased at twice the rate of overall inflation. They’ve stabilized, at least for now, but more than half of Americans say the costs are painful.
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The devil’s in the detailing at haunted Halloween car washes
Haunted car washes have become a national phenomenon, with hundreds of Halloween-themed locations around the country.
