VW may be top car seller this year; Hybrid drivers safer

Volkswagen logos sit in a production line at the company's headquarters in Germany. (Fabian Bimmer / The Associated Press)

VW may take world's No. 1 title this year
Some forecasters are predicting that Volkswagen will become the world's No. 1 carmaker this year — far ahead of the company's goal to take the title by 2018. VW has ridden a sales boom in China and other emerging markets in recent years, has grown through acquisitions and is expanding rapidly in the U.S. For the first nine months of 2011, VW reported 6.2 million vehicle sales worldwide, while Toyota reported 5.8 million and General Motors reported 6.8 million. Some forecasting firms, however, cut sales from Chinese automaker Wuling from GM's number because GM is a minority stakeholder.

— New York Times News Service

(Toyota)

Study: Hybrid drivers suffer fewer injuries
Hybrids are safer than conventional cars — or more dangerous, depending on whether you are behind the wheel or crossing the street, according to a recent study.

Occupants in hybrid vehicles suffered 27 percent fewer injuries in crashes than those who were involved in accidents in conventional cars, says the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The study suggests that the increased weight of hybrids may contribute to a decrease in injuries. Automakers say driver behavior may also play a role. "The [hybrid] driver is typically not as aggressive," says David Lee, a Toyota representative.

But the same study also found that hybrids, which tend to be quieter, cause more pedestrian accidents than their nonhybrid counterparts. The risk of injury is 20 percent greater than from conventional gas models.

— The Associated Press