Reports out of Europe suggest that Fiat SpA, the 114-year-old Turin, Italy-based automaker, has a headquarters move to the U.S. under consideration.

If it happens, the move would likely occur after Fiat's planned merger with Chrysler Group.

It would be a stunning and unprecedented decision in the automotive industry, experts said, because of Fiat's obviously deep Italian roots.

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"To say that Fiat is pretty entrenched in Italy would be an understatement. There is a culture that has been baked in there," said Mike Wall, director of automotive analysis for IHS Automotive.

"There would be a healthy resistance to this from Fiat workers, Italian shareholders and the Italian government," Wall said, but he added that there were some sound reasons behind a potential headquarters move.

"You look at where Fiat's profits are being generated, and it's here, in North America," Wall said.

For a closer look at the reasoning behind the potential...

Most compact sport-utility vehicles scored poorly on an insurance industry test that measures damage from front-end collisions with fixed objects such as a tree or pole.

Of the 13 models tested, only the Subaru Forester earned an overall rating of “good.” The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was the second-highest-scoring model, receiving an “acceptable” rating. The rest were rated “marginal” or “poor.”

Among the worst tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was the Nissan Rogue.

“The structural performance of the Nissan Rogue is one of the worst IIHS engineers have seen. The front pillar of the Rogue's door frame was pushed so far inside the occupant compartment that it was almost touching the driver seat,” said the insurance industry trade group, which examines automotive safety issues.

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But the recently redesigned Forester fared well. Although video of the test collision shows the...

Used car sales were down overall in the first quarter of 2013, but certified pre-owned cars are more popular than ever, Edmunds.com says.

Sales of certified pre-owned cars or CPOs, as the auto industry refers to them, were up 6.2% in the first quarter, to 483,109 vehicles, Edmunds said.

Used car sales overall dropped by the same percentage over the same period to 9.7 million vehicles.

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CPOs also accounted for 21% of used car sales in the first quarter of 2013, which was the highest percentage ever, Edmunds said.

The qualifications for certified pre-owned status differ from company to company, but they all have gone through at least a 100-point inspection and come with the added reassurance of extended warranties, Edmunds said.

Experts said there were many reasons for the increasing popularity of CPO cars. For one thing, they offer cautious consumers a less costly alternative to a new car.

A brand new 2013 Acura TL will cost about...

This is the Mercedes-Benz you’re familiar with.

After spending the early part of 2013 introducing new small cars like the CLA and the all-electric B-Class to the U.S. consumer, the German automaker returned its attention on Wednesday to a car with deep ties to its image as a luxury marque: the S-Class.

Mercedes unveiled a completely redesigned version of the car, which is set to go on sale in September as a 2014 model. It’s the sixth generation of the venerable sedan that’s been on sale since 1972.

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"The S-Class is not just a technological spearhead for Mercedes-Benz, but for automotive development as a whole," the company said in a statement.

Hyperbole aside, the all-new S-Class does feature groundbreaking technologies such as a camera-based adaptive suspension, LED lighting throughout the entire vehicle, and an interior that Mercedes expects to become the industry benchmark.

The car’s dimensions change very little from...

Millennials are possibly the first generation who could sing the Beatles classic "(Baby You Can) Drive My Car" and really mean it.

Millennials are the children of baby boomers and Generation X, and they are radically altering the way the nation connects, warns a new report by U.S. PIRG, the national office of the Public Interest Research Group.

The driving miles logged by those ages 16 to 34 in 2009, for example, was 23% lower than it was for the same age group in 2001, according to the report.

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The report, titled "A New Direction: Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America's future," has serious implications for the nation's transportation funding, which relies heavily on gasoline and diesel tax revenues.

Driving less mean buying less gasoline and diesel, which means there is less to tax.

At the same time, the U.S. PIRG report says that federal government projections on future driving trends are too...

Subaru is recalling almost 5,400 cars to correct a problem that can cause a loss of steering in the vehicles.

The automaker is recalling 5,379 Outback and Legacy cars from the 2013 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the inner and outer shafts of the steering column can become disconnected. That would cause the cars to lose the ability to steer, the agency said in a statement.

No crashes or injuries have been reported as a result of the defect, said Michael McHale, a Subaru spokesman. The issue was brought to the company’s attention by two separate owners who each experienced a loss of steering control at low speeds without further incident, McHale said.

Owners of affected cars, which are built at Subaru’s Indiana plant, are being notified, the company said. Dealers will replace the steering column at no charge.

Subaru is urging owners of affected cars who do not feel comfortable or safe driving their vehicles to the dealer for the needed work to...

Classic car events with tours or rallies are nothing new. One touring the largest military base on the West Coast is.

For the first time ever, Camp Pendleton will open its gates for auto enthusiasts to tour its 125,000-acre facility on June 21. The Rallye Basilone Historic Tour, which will raise money for three Marine Corps charities, is the inaugural event of the three-day Orange County Collector Car and Motorcycle Week.

Formerly known just as the Dana Point Concours d’Elegance, organizers are hoping to raise the event’s profile by extending it to a three-day "automotive celebration." Friday’s tour will be followed by a festival on Saturday and the 31st annual Dana Point Concours on Sunday.

"Sooner or later, we’re going to make this a week-long event," said Jeff Spellens, president of the Dana Point Concours d’Elegance. His nonprofit organization hopes that within five years the event will be five days long, similar to the higher-profile Pebble Beach...

Ducati has built and brought to market another extremely successful piece of engineering with the new Hypermotard SP.

Beautiful to look at and exhilarating to ride, the dramatically updated 2013 model of the Italian company's supermoto bike is fast and fierce, and equal parts demanding and rewarding.

It's basically a race bike, which means it's not a cozy mount for a cruise up the coast. The ready-for-the-track set-up means stiff suspension, an unforgiving seat, increased seat height, plenty of engine heat and a muffler growl that will wake the neighbors.

In other words, it's awesome. I enjoyed my first hour on this bike as much as I've enjoyed any ride this year.

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The original Hypermotard was introduced in 2005 to draft off the popularity of a kind of racing known as Supermotard, or Supermoto. Fought on a short, twisty track that's half flattrack and half TT, with a dash of motocross thrown in, the races demand nimble handling and extremely...

Italian supercar maker Lamborghini got selfish recently in its hometown of Sant’Agata Bolognese.

The company, which is spending 2013 celebrating its 50-year anniversary, unveiled the one-off Egoista to a cheering crowd of more than 700 owners Sunday. The group had gathered from around the world for a week-long celebration of Lamborghini’s heritage.

At the gala concluding the trip, a laughing Walter De Silva drove the single-seat car on stage amid a theatrical introduction complete with clouds of smoke and flashing strobe lights.

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De Silva is the head of design for Volkswagen Group, which owns Lamborghini. It was his team that oversaw the design of the Egoista.

"This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum," De Silva said. "It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises."

Hence the name, De Silva explained. Egoista is Italian for...

Honda's overhaul of its luxury Acura brand will include a redesigned and electric-augmented NSX supercar, which will be built in a $70-million refurbished plant in Marysville, Ohio.

Acura sales in the U.S. were up 14% in the first four months of the year, to 48,852 vehicles, but that was still only good enough to rank it fifth among luxury brands, behind Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota's Lexus brand, and General Motors' Cadillac brand.

Experts said the previous iterations of the NSX created a so-called halo car that brought attention to the entire Acura line. The automaker is hoping that will happen again with the new version.

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The NSX has been the kind of car that "adds luster and excitement to the Acura brand," Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said in an interview.

"It will bring people into the showrooms, not so much to buy, but maybe to look," Nerad added. "And if they look and then buy an ILX or an...