Embattled automaker is staring down another massive recall. The safety action affects 1.53 million Toyota and vehicles globally, with the U.S. making up around 740,000 of that total and about 600,000 units coming out of the company’s home market of Japan.
Stateside, models covered under the recall may have a faulty master cylinder seal in the braking system that could leak fluid, triggering a warning lamp and/or potentially resulting in reduced braking capability. Toyota models covered under the recall include the 2005-2006 and 2004-2006 (non-hybrid only), while Lexus service bays will open their doors for 2006 model year GS, IS and cars and crossovers.
In all, Toyota has called back over 10 million vehicles this year, with the most recent action being the /Matrix . Thanks to everyone for the tips.
*UPDATE:Official press release added .
Source: Reuters via Image: Rusty Jarrett/Getty for NASCAR]
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute have released their findings on insurance losses on vehicles built between 2007 and 2009. The data covers until May of this year, and splits the losses into a total of six categories: collision, property damage, comprehensive, personal injury, medical payments and bodily injury. With each category, vehicles are then separated according to their size.
Surprisingly enough, the top three vehicles with the lowest insurance losses during this reference period are all sports cars. The convertible took top honors as having the lowest instance of loss, followed by the and hardtop ChevroletCorvette. And what about the highest losses? The top three in that category over all are the , and .
The IIHS and HLDI rate vehicles on a scale where 100 points is considered average. A higher score is equated to a higher insurance loss and vice versa. Hit the gallery to see models with the highest and lowest average losses in each category.
The Gogogear.com Hyundai Genesis Coupe – Click to enlarge
SEMA vehicles come in two main flavors: dropped and Dubbed, or race-prepped and rimmed. This from GogoGear.com Racing obviously falls into the latter, and it “emphasizes racing reliability and high-end performance capabilities.” Not only that, but it apparently took some help from ’s California Design Center to create the yellow and silver paintwork.
GogoGear.com says “the aim” is to get the engine to produce 330 horsepower and 280 pound-feet, which shouldn’t be a problem. A Ground Control suspension keeps it appropriately snug to the bitumen, and StopTech brakes keep speed under control when corners approach. After we get a close look at this one at SEMA, it’ll be competing in next year’s U.S. Touring Car Championship, and there’s a chance it’ll show up at Time Attack events. More information can be found in the press release after the jump.
Yamaha VMax by Hermès – Click above for high-res image gallery
Anyone who’s anyone knows that motorcycles and leather go together like gin and tonic. But usually the leather’s on the rider. Yamaha evidently figured it was time to turn that particular convention on its head, and teamed up with no less prestigious a clothier than Hermès to pull it off.
Now as you may recall from the – or for that matter from their or – the French fashion house knows a thing or two about trimming a motor vehicle. So they started with the Yamaha VMax, the very epitome of the muscle bike. With its four-cylinder engine and brushed metalwork, the VMax is about as mean as they come, until Hermes came along and decked it out in fine buffalo skin, covering everything from the head lamp to the exhaust pipe.
The special VMax was just recently unveiled at a motorbike show in Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately it’s a one-off creation at the moment, but it’s not the first time the two powerhouses have collaborated: go back fifteen years and you’ll find evidence of Hermes having similarly worked its magic on the Virago, the first Japanese V-Twin cruiser to give the likes of Harley-Davidson a run for its money.
isn’t the only company out there working on the next-generation rotary engine. According to China Car Times, Chery is also dabbling in Wankel technology. The company isn’t so much interested in bringing non-piston love to The People’s Republic so much as they are finding a more efficient way to charge the batteries in an extended-range EV. If CCT’s intelligence is accurate, the plan is to use an 800cc Wankel as a sort of internal-combustion lifeline so that if an electric car’s batteries go dead the driver won’t be walking home. The strategy is in line with what we’ve seen from the .
Chery has already worked up a prototype or two using electron-powered QQ3 models. China Car Times says that the vehicles can drive up to 93 miles on battery power alone. Throwing in the new Wankel has extended the vehicle’s range by as much as an additional 43 miles. As of right now, there are no specifics as to whether or not Chery plans to bring the range-extended QQ3 to market.
Ferrari 458 Challenge testing at Monza – Click above to
The curves. The Power. The… Ferrariness. It’s hard to get too much of the , and, luckily, we’ve come across some video of the race-ready testing at Monza. The four-minute flick only shows a few angles of the pride of Maranello, but what we can guarantee is crisp images, ridiculously perfect exhaust melodies and a powerful desire to drive a 458 on track. At a few points it looks like the 458 Challenge isn’t being pushed too hard, but every now and again we would catch a glimpse of the glowing red front brake rotors, assuring us that the driver is giving the lighter, lower 458 a considerable workout. to enjoy the video for yourself, if only to hear just how wonderful the Challenge sounds.
Both and have announced fairly sizeable recalls. Chrysler is bringing a total of 26,397 cars, trucks and vans back to dealers to replace a faulty power steering line the company says could cause an engine fire. The hoses have been found to separate from the crimped end thanks to a change in the type of materials used in the hose’s manufacturing process. The Detroit News reports that as of right now, Chrysler isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries that have arisen as a result of the problem. The recall covers the and as well as the , , and as well as the .
Meanwhile, Volvo is recalling 9,746 vehicles due to faulty airbags. Certain 2010-2011 , , and models have been found to have faulty wiring connectors attached to the clock spring in the driver side steering wheel. That fault may cause the vehicle’s airbag to fail to deploy properly. Workers will repair the problem with a metal shim.
A is quite an enticing piece of machinery. is building just 500 examples of its 2011 911 GT2 RS and – unsurprisingly – they’re all spoken for. The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six powered can run from 0-62 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. If there’s enough room, the car will keep accelerating until it hits 205 mph. It’s an amazing piece of German engineering and the price tag is an equally amazing $245,000.
Want to see one in action? Stop drooling all over the images in the gallery and take a look at the video .
2011 Infiniti EX – Click above for high-res image gallery
The biggest news for ’s 2011 model year lineup may be the all-new , , and , but that doesn’t mean the rest of the automaker’s portfolio sails into the new year unchanged. The smaller , for example, gets a host of new updates including a seven-speed automatic transmission, larger wheel choices and more standard technology.
Curiously, Infiniti is still offering the EX with its smaller 3.5-liter V6, even though the majority of its products now use the more powerful 3.7-liter mill. Still, with 297 horsepower on tap, the EX35 should continue to be a surprisingly engaging steer, and with a new seven-speed gearbox in place, fuel efficiency should be improved for 2011, especially in the all-wheel drive models.
From there, all EX models now come standard with 18-inch wheels (a 19-inch set is available with the Deluxe Touring Package), dual-zone automatic climate control and new exterior paint options including Arctic Blue (pictured). Other changes for 2011 include Active Blind Spot Warming being added to the EX’s technology package and a revised premium package that encompasses both the upgraded Bose audio system and around-view camera system.
The 2011 EX is making its way to dealerships as you read this, priced from $34,150 (*excluding destination fees). A top-end EX35 Journey AWD will set you back $37,750, drastically undercutting the price of ’s new (and admittedly larger) that we . for the full list of 2011 EX changes in Infiniti’s press release.
Top Gear arrives in Israel – Click above for high-res image gallery
The fellas over at Top Gear have been to just about every nook and cranny in Great Britain and criss-crossed continental Europe in all manner of train, plane and automobile. They’ve driven to the North Pole, scaled an active volcano, crossed the Sahara and traversed South America. They’ve driven through Vietnam, Dubai, Japan, the southern United States… nearly everywhere we can think of, really. Except Israel. But now they can cross the Holy Land off their collective bucket list as reports and photos come in from the tiny Eastern Mediterranean country showing Clarkson, Hammond and May taking in the desert sun.
Apparently filming a new episode in their epic series of cross-country adventures, the Top Gear crew was spotted crossing westward over the border between Jordan and Israel in a dingy trio of roadsters: Richard in a Fiat Barchetta, James in a Z3 and Jeremy in a , complete with retrofitted hookah. (Just for tobacco, of course.) The cars appear to be accompanied by a convoy of support vehicles for the production and camera crews, and undoubtedly had to jump through a lot of hoops to get there as the border is typically open only for foot traffic.
We’ll be ordering up some fallafels and tuning in to Arutz Shtayim just as soon as we know when the episode will air to see how James, Richard and Yirmiyahu manage to get themselves out from in between the Dome of the Rock and a hard place. In the meantime, check out the spy shots (courtesy of forum member Dark-Shadow) in the gallery below and the () from our friends over at Walla! Cars for a closer look at how the blokes are single-handedly re-instituting the British Mandate. Ashrecha for the tip, Nat!
2011Dodge Journey – Click above for high-res image gallery
As continues its effort to drastically refresh the majority of its product portfolio in short order, we’re seeing a raft of updated interior refinements and powertrain enhancements making their way across the full range of Pentastar vehicles. The big news for most of these vehicles is better interior quality, and no place is that more apparent than on the 2011 . Have a look at and compare that with . On face value alone, this looks to be a massive improvement.
Updated interior aside, the 2011 Journey receives revised suspension geometry, better tires and an overhauled steering system in an effort to make things more engaging from behind the wheel. In the biggest development of all, Chrysler’s new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is under the hood, delivering 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. V6 models also receive a more aggressive lower front fascia, 19-inch wheels and LED taillamps.
Pricing has not been released as of this writing, but we’ll have those details closer to the 2011 Journey’s on-sale date near the end of this year. For now, read Chrysler’s own words about the updated Journey in the press release and check out the high-res gallery below. Thanks to all for the tips!
2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery
The has finally, successfully, made the leap from science fiction to fact. Quite a bit has changed in the nearly four-year journey from the 2007 Detroit Auto Show to last week, when let us drive a production-spec car. The Volt may not be the stuff of Blade Runner, but it’s a technologically advanced showpiece for GM, and the first widely practical electric vehicle, ready and waiting for mainstream acceptance.
Give GM credit for building the Volt during the most miserable turn of events in the company’s long and storied history.
But first some basics: The Volt is a four-passenger, compact hatchback. While there’s considerable controversy over whether or not to call it a plug-inhybrid, that’s how we’ll be referring to it, following the lead of the . GM prefers “extended-range electric vehicle,” which is somewhat misleading, since the Volt is only an electric vehicle for the first 25-50 miles. In EV mode, the Volt’s electric drive system draws power exclusively from a 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack, at all speeds up to its 100-mph maximum. Once the battery gets drawn down to 35 percent of its capacity, the Volt’s gasoline engine fires up, spinning a generator to produce more electricity.
Of all the changes GM’s engineers have wrought since the first Volt concept, the most controversial has to be the design of the transmission, which GM kept a secret until last week. GM has been saying all along that the Volt was driven purely electrically, but as it turns out, this is not exactly the case. At highway speeds in extended range mode, the Volt’s gasoline engine is actually clutched together with the electric drive system inside the vehicle’s transaxle. There’s no point in belaboring the controversy beyond saying that the design is 10-15 percent more efficient, according to GM. Since efficiency is pretty much the whole point of the vehicle, we’re satisfied, even if we’re not happy that we (along with the rest of the media) were misled. However, it’s time to move on and focus on evaluating the Volt as a vehicle, and to that end, it’s an amazing piece of machinery.
Ford Start Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
If the rumors circling the internets concerning the Ford Ka are to be believed, the tiny three-door may be looking at the end of the line… eventually. Inside Line is reporting that is making bigger waves about bringing a production version of its to market as a replacement for the Ka, and the new car is likely to come packing a tiny EcoBoost three-cylinder engine under the hood. Word has it that the direct-injection, turbo 1.0-liter could be good for as much as 120 horsepower all while going easy on the gasoline.
The production version of the 2010 Beijing Motor Show starlet is expected to carry a price tag of $13,000 and bow in markets like India, South America and China before spreading to the rest of the globe. As of right now, there’s no indication as to whether or not the Start will show up in the U.S., but it could prove to be a viable competitor to the likes of the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper. Of course, the rumors say that the Start isn’t slated for production until 2014, so this could all be smoke and mirrors. Besides, there’s no clear indication that even if the production car is Start-based, that it won’t be called the Ka when it arrives.
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Live photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 AOL
Audi Autonomous TTS Pikes Peak Demo – Click above for high-res image gallery
Good news, Las Vegas-bound Audiphiles: Your favorite four-ringed German automaker has announced that it will have an official presence at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. As you might expect, latest technology will be featured prominently, including some sort of new Audi “After Sales and electronics products that enhance connectivity and entertainment.”
Also on the show floor will be the firm’s along with an Custom Spyder by STaSIS Engineering, equipped with a supercharged version of Audi’s 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine putting out an impressive 710 horsepower. Finally, the company plans to show off its latest extreme sports Audi gear, whatever that means.
Naturally, we’ll be coming at you live from Las Vegas, but in the meantime, feel free to peruse the official press release .
All the fancy new technology buried deep inside the guts of today’s latest crop of cars and trucks needs some serious software magic to function properly, and Microsoft is one of the leading suppliers of bits and bytes in the automotive realm. Carmakers like , , and are all using software sourced from the Redmond-based tech giant.
Windows Embedded Automotive 7 introduces new technologies such as Silverlight, which allows for 2D and 3D graphics improvements, and Tellme speech technology, which allows real-time text-to-speech technology and the ability to respond to text messages using spoken input.
Another interesting tidbit officially revealed by Microsoft today is that the touchscreen information hub (shown above) is, in fact, powered by Windows Embedded Automotive technology. Drivers will get a navigation system along with an electricity charging station locator, a power consumption monitor and in-car climate monitoring. Want more? Check out the full press release .
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Jarno Trulli Chronograph – Click above for high-res image gallery
Audemars Piguet has a long history of sponsoring F1 drivers. Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya – race-winning drivers for top teams both – have acted as the brand’s ambassadors. As has Jarno Trulli. But the Swiss watchmaker has chosen a heck of a year to honor the Italian driver with his own timepiece.
A former Formula Three national champion, Trulli’s been in F1 since 1997. Although he’s only won one Formula One grand prix, there are only 102 people in the whole world – living or dead – who could say that. Jarno’s also landed on pole position four times, the podium 11 times and scored over 246 points in his career so far. And that’s nothing to cough at. But this season has by far been his worst yet.
After several seasons driving for such teams as Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and , this year he’s driving for the struggling newcomers at Racing. As a result, he was unable to start one race, unable to finish another six, and of those he has finished, he’s been unable to score a single championship point this year. Some season to mark with a commemorative special edition, but does that make this timepiece any less of a jewel? Hardly.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Jarno Trulli Chronograph, though long-winded in name, is about as slick as they come. It’s got a forged carbon-fiber case, a ceramic bezel, titanium fixtures, red luminous indices and hands… the works. Inside is a 59-jewel automatic movement with no fewer than 365 parts, a 60-hour power reserve and a 22-carat gold oscillating weight that’s been covered in anthracite to numb the bling factor. In other words, as dark a horse as the driver it’s named after. Only 500 examples will be made, offered initially at the company’s boutique in Tokyo where it was launched during this year’s Japanese Grand Prix before it goes global.
2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery
There are plenty of in the annual sustainability report recently released by . By and large, the company is as ecologically-minded as a multi-national corporation can be, but as we’ve touched on before, not everything is as squeaky clean as it could be. The has earned itself as one of the greenest vehicles on the road – a perception that the company’s report confirmed by detailing the fact that over its lifetime, the Prius is likely to emit much less carbon dioxide than other comparable vehicles.
Unfortunately, that truth is offset a bit by the fact that the vehicle performs marginally worse than average when it comes to the emissions generated to build hybrid. Specifically, Toyota cranks out extra nonmethane hydrocarbons and particulate matter, thanks specifically to the manufacturing of the car’s electric motor and battery pack. Those two pieces require larger amounts of energy and materials, snagging the Prius lower than average ratings across all five manufacturing emissions categories.
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Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 AOL
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Researchers in Germany say they’re now one step closer to bringing the nightmare fantasy of unmanned driving to life. A group of scientists have created a vehicle they call the MadeInGermany or MIG. Users can call up the vehicle via their smart phone or iPad and it will automatically chart the quickest and most efficient route to the user’s destination sans driver. Using an array of sensors, the vehicle generates a 3D image of its surroundings, helping it to navigate around pedestrians, other vehicles and bicyclists. Should the user decide to take control of the vehicle, they can operate the controls via that same smartphone or other mobile device.
The researchers say that their system will make car sharing more feasible, thereby reducing the number of cars in cities like Berlin by as much as much as 80 percent. Call us skeptical…
Zenvo ST1 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Zenvo ST1 and Dartz Kombat are coming the to U.S., both brought to you by Indiana importer Red Sea Distribution. The Danish-made coupe will set you back $1,225,000. That price might seem steep for a dressed-up Corvette – even down to the 7.0-liter V8 – however, underneath that fiendishly gorgeous body the engine has been upgraded to a twin-charged, 1,104-horsepower monster that’ll get you to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. And they’re only making 15 of them per year.
The Dartz Kombat comes in at a much more palatable $225,000, and while you can’t get that anymore, you can get all kinds of amour and perhaps even armament that will protect you from, well, everything bar a direct asteroid hit. You can check them both out in the gallery of high-res photos below, and figure out your ordering preferences after reading the press releases post-jump. Hat tip to Alexis
