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180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains

If you're planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what's on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that's causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.
According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out.
The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.

Toyota, Ford and Honda again top Consumer Reports Car-Brand Perception Survey

Consumer Reports has released its annual Car-Brand Perception Survey, and the list looks awfully familiar. The top six brands are identical to last year's results, with Toyota, Ford and Honda continuing to occupy the podium. All told, Toyota walked away with 133 points, putting it 15 ahead of second-place Ford. Honda jumped 26 points this year, narrowing Ford's lead to just four points in total.
Consumer Reports polls buyers from across the country on how they see multiple brands in seven categories, including quality, safety, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation and environmentally friendly/green. Researchers then combine the findings to come up with the total brand score.
While value and performance remain important to buyers, CR found quality and safety are still on top when it comes to significance. Scion and Mitsubishi found themselves at the bottom of the pack with the worst score of all, tied at just six points. Ram, Fiat and Mini filled out the lowest five with scores of seven, eight and 10 points, respectively. You can read the full press release below for more information, or head over to the Consumer Reports site.

Ford open to diesel, hybrid or electric Mustang? [w/poll]

The Ford Mustang may not be the first vehicle that comes to mind when you think of environmentally-friendly forms of transportation. The arrival of the turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the new Mustang could do a lot to combat that perception, but the EcoBoost engine may just be the tip of the iceberg in that regard.
Speaking with Ford powertrain boss Bob Fascetti at the reveal of the new Mustang in Australia, GoAuto reports that the Blue Oval automaker is considering offering its latest pony car with a diesel, hybrid or even electric powertrain in the future.
"We're not looking at diesel at the moment, but given where we need to go with fuel consumption we are looking at all our options," said Fascetti. Other options could include a nine- or ten-speed automatic transmission to replace the current six-speed unit in order to help improve fuel economy and emissions for the Mustang, although figures for the current lineup have yet to be revealed.