According to NHTSA, what was initially reported as 6-10 complaints of Toyota owners experiencing unintended acceleration problems after having their vehicles serviced for the recent recalls has now grown to over 60 complaints. Toyota is currently recalling 5.4 million vehicles due to possible floor mat entrapment, and an additional 4.1 million vehicles with accelerator pedals that can stick.
While the next generation Mercedes SLK is still 2 years away from its debut, we finally have truly revealing photos that show Mercedes hard at work on new the SLK. Previous shots taken at Nurburgring featured heavy cladding on the hood, but now the car is nearly bare. Insiders say the next SLK will debut sometime in 2012.
BMW’s M division has already been caught by our spy photographers while doing testing of their seriously fast M5 sedan at Germany’s legendary Nurburgring, and now we caught the super saloon testing in the winter landscapes of Sweden. While other photos have shown this prototype with fabric covering the front end, that camouflage is not present in our photos.
Our spy photographers have captured another Kia testing in the extreme cold of northern Sweden. The Kia Forte hatch is expected to come to market in 2012, sharing many components with the already released Kia Forte sedan.
Today Toyota released pricing for the all-new 2011 Avalon large sedan, as well as the 2011 Sienna minivan equipped with the new Auto Access Seat for ease of access for disabled passengers.
While speaking at the Geneva Auto Show, a confident Carlos Ghosn, Nissan-Renault alliance head, spoke of the coming year and his planned dominance of the EV market. Ghosn pointed to competitors speaking of concept cars, while he has a tangible product that he believes will have no competition in the market.
During a recent interview, Tata executives admitted that there is still more work to be done overhauling the Jaguar brand. Also revealed in the interview – Jaguar is considering the addition of an entry-level small car.
Toyota has announced that it will be utilizing $250 million in funding in order to fund transition support for the 4,700 workers at the plant that will be closing on April 1, 2010. Toyota is still negotiating with NUMMI regarding the allocation of the funding, but hopes to reach an agreement before the plant closes.
The Toyota Prius is now the top-selling car in Japan for the 10th straight month, despite the negative publicity surrounding the recalls. In the month of February alone over 27,000 Priuses were sold in Japan, garnering roughly 10 percent of all sales.
Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram production start dates have found their way onto the Internet far ahead of their planned releases. Among the tidbits of information leaked are confirmations of name changes, and contradictions to past information concerning the order of new model releases.
Ford has announced the official fuel economy numbers for the 2011 Mustang V6, and in doing so, stakes a claim to producing the world’s first car to produce over 300 horsepower while also achieving over 30 miles per gallon (EPA). The 2011 Mustang 3.7-liter V6 with six-speed automatic is officially rated at 305 hp and 31 highway miles per gallon.
In the wake of multiple Congressional hearings regarding 8.5 million recalled Toyota vehicles, U.S. officials have said that adding a brake override system to all future cars may be a suitable solution to avoiding similar problems down the road.
Of the major automakers, Chrysler has certainly had a rough year or two due to aging products and vehicles that the market has largely deemed uncompetitive. But Chrysler is now reporting a potentially devastating problem due to a supplier constraint – Jeep is short on hardtops for its still performing Wrangler hardtops.
GM has confirmed, GM’s vice chairman, Bob Lutz, is scheduled to retire from his adviser position as of May 1, 2010. Lutz had previously intended to retire prior to GM’s entrance in bankruptcy, but decided to put his plans on hold to help the automaker return to profitability.
Nissan has just announced that it will be issuing voluntary recalls for two separate issues that can affect many of its SUVs, trucks and one minivan. The first recall involves a brake pin that can become disengaged and result in a loss of braking – the second issue involves potentially faulty fuel gauges in high-mileage vehicles.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has listed a recall for the 2010 Mazda CX-9. The recall involves vehicles with front-seat heaters that can fail during extreme cold.
Yesterday General Motors announced a bevy of changes to both the personnel and the structure in which they fit into – today GM has announced another major management position change. Selim Bingol has been appointed to the position of vice president of communications, effective March 8, 2010.
Following up the 2008 REVOLTE concept, French automaker Citroen has revealed the SURVOLT concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Citroen describes the SURVOLT as a combination of “high-fashion, extravagance and more than a hint of motor racing punch.â€
Citroen’s reborn DS3 has spawned its first major limited edition model, the DS3 Racing. Although hardly true to the DS’ heritage as a sophisticated cruiser aimed at well-heeled buyers, the new DS3 is nonetheless inspired by Citroen’s rally victories.
The Geneva Motor Show just couldn’t be complete without an outlandish concept from Swiss car maker Rinspeed. Following the company’s zaZen, sQuba, E2 and iChange concepts, Rinspeed debuted its new “UC?†concept.