Sales of new imported vehicles in Japan grew 2.1 percent in 2017 from the previous year to the highest figure in two decades, with relatively expensive cars gaining popularity amid the country's recovering economy, an industry body said Thursday.

A small number of U.S. troops were injured this week during a skirmish with Russian forces in northeastern Syria, American officials said on Wednesday, underscoring the risk of simmering tensions between the two rival powers in a hotly contested part of the country. Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, said the injuries were a result of a collision between Russian and American vehicles, and not any exchange of fire. The officials said four troops were showing mild concussion-like symptoms and were receiving medical attention at their base in Syria. Videos of the encounter that emerged on Twitter on Wednesday appeared to show Russian and Americans vehicles speeding in an open field, with a Russian vehicle ramming an American vehicle, and a Russian helicopter flying low over U.S. forces. The altercation, which happened on Tuesday, is the latest clash between Russian and American ground patrols in northeastern Syria after the United States withdrew from much of that area before a Turkish cross-border offensive last fall.

Toyota says it will start equipping models with technology to talk to other vehicles starting in 2021, as it tries to push safety communications forward. The company says most of its U.S. models should have the feature by the mid-2020s.

The new favorite vehicle of Tej Parker (played by Ludacris) you'll see shredding ice this weekend in The Fate of the Furious isn't just some vehicle production designer's dream. But it's safe to say its screen-test went pretty well. SEE ALSO: New'Dunkirk' footage is a heart-pounding Christopher Nolan master class In this behind-the-scenes video clip (above) that Mashable can exclusively debut, we see the Ripsaw in action. Hard, ruthless, punishing action, brought to you by Fate director F. Gary Gray & Co., who clearly weren't afraid to put it through its paces. The Ripsaw was developed by Maine-based Howe & Howe Technologies, which specializes in lightweight military-grade vehicles.

Ford has issued a recall for certain 2020 to 2022 model Corsair, Escape and Maverick hybrid vehicles over concerns that they could catch fire. According to UPI, the recall affects 100,689 vehicles in the US, all with 2.5-liter hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric engines. The automaker told the news agency that in the event of an engine failure, the affected vehicles could release a significant amount of engine oil and fuel vapor. Both substances could then accumulate near the vehicles' ignition sources and cause a fire under the hood or melt the components inside. Ford said engine failures involving the recalled vehicles are caused by isolated manufacturing issues.