Government Probe Finds no Link Between Electronics and Unintended Acceleration in Toyota and Lexus Vehicles

A 10-month long probe done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA found no link between software-driven throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles. The investigation concluded that the previously suspected sticking accelerator pedals and loose floor mats are to blame for the unfortunate incidents, which allegedly caused some 89 deaths.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas”, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

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Government Probe Finds no Link Between Electronics and Unintended Acceleration in Toyota and Lexus Vehicles

A 10-month long probe done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA found no link between software-driven throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles. The investigation concluded that the previously suspected sticking accelerator pedals and loose floor mats are to blame for the unfortunate incidents, which allegedly caused some 89 deaths.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas”, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

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Lincoln Shakeups Continue as Ford Lays Down the Law for its Luxury Brand

After rejuvenating Ford and euthanizing Mercury, FoMoCo is finally ready to take its top-tier brand seriously. This means it will set standards for Lincoln by taking cues from true premium marques.

Ford recently spoke with its remaining 1,100 Lincoln dealers and spelled out a plan - or provided them with an ultimatum - that will hopefully please and attract customers while allowing for time to re-characterize and rebuild the ailing luxury brand. If these requests aren't met by October 1st, Ford just won't think dealers are committed enough to continue selling Lincolns.

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Lincoln Shakeups Continue as Ford Lays Down the Law for its Luxury Brand

After rejuvenating Ford and euthanizing Mercury, FoMoCo is finally ready to take its top-tier brand seriously. This means it will set standards for Lincoln by taking cues from true premium marques.

Ford recently spoke with its remaining 1,100 Lincoln dealers and spelled out a plan - or provided them with an ultimatum - that will hopefully please and attract customers while allowing for time to re-characterize and rebuild the ailing luxury brand. If these requests aren't met by October 1st, Ford just won't think dealers are committed enough to continue selling Lincolns.

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What a Tease... Acura Lifts the Veils off 2012 TL Sedan's Buttocks

In less than 24 hours from now, Acura will debut the facelifted 2012 TL at the Chicago Auto Show, but just to keep us on our toes, the Japanese automaker partially lifted the covers off the mid-size sedan's rear end. We're pretty sure that most readers are interested in what's happening on the other end of the car, but for now, it'll have to do.

From this end, we see that the model pictured here is the TL SH-AWD. Compared to the 2011 version of the car pictured below, the facelifted model gains a new bumper with a less fussy design while it also loses the quad exhaust pipes in favor of twin trapezoid-shape outlets. And well, that's about all we can see. Aside from the cosmetic changes, expect to see some minor refinements to the TL's hardware.

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What a Tease... Acura Lifts the Veils off 2012 TL Sedan's Buttocks

In less than 24 hours from now, Acura will debut the facelifted 2012 TL at the Chicago Auto Show, but just to keep us on our toes, the Japanese automaker partially lifted the covers off the mid-size sedan's rear end. We're pretty sure that most readers are interested in what's happening on the other end of the car, but for now, it'll have to do.

From this end, we see that the model pictured here is the TL SH-AWD. Compared to the 2011 version of the car pictured below, the facelifted model gains a new bumper with a less fussy design while it also loses the quad exhaust pipes in favor of twin trapezoid-shape outlets. And well, that's about all we can see. Aside from the cosmetic changes, expect to see some minor refinements to the TL's hardware.

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Hyundai Preparing New Elantra Coupe, Azera and Genesis R-Spec with 429HP V8

After registering record sales in 2010, Hyundai seems committed to an all-out offensive with the company reportedly planning to launch a coupe version of the 2011 Elantra and the new Azera sedan in the U.S. within the next year or so. According to an Autoweek report, the news was broken at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco, where the Korean automaker also showed its dealers a photo of the upcoming coupe.

“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”

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Hyundai Preparing New Elantra Coupe, Azera and Genesis R-Spec with 429HP V8

After registering record sales in 2010, Hyundai seems committed to an all-out offensive with the company reportedly planning to launch a coupe version of the 2011 Elantra and the new Azera sedan in the U.S. within the next year or so. According to an Autoweek report, the news was broken at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco, where the Korean automaker also showed its dealers a photo of the upcoming coupe.

“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”

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Honda President Reportedly Confirms NSX Successor based on the HSV Racer

According to reports from Japan, Honda President Takanobu Ito has stated that the company is has restarted development on a high-performance sports car that will be positioned as the successor of the critically acclaimed NSX. The announcement was made on Friday, at a press conference detailing Honda’s 2011 motorsport involvement.

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Honda President Reportedly Confirms NSX Successor based on the HSV Racer

According to reports from Japan, Honda President Takanobu Ito has stated that the company is has restarted development on a high-performance sports car that will be positioned as the successor of the critically acclaimed NSX. The announcement was made on Friday, at a press conference detailing Honda’s 2011 motorsport involvement.

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2011 Ford Explorer Receives its First Recall

Ford's freshly launched 2011 Explorer SUV has received its first safety recall for a problem concerning the second row of seats. The recall affects approximately 1,658 Explorers made between July and December of last year.

According to a filling with federal safety regulators, the manual recliner mechanisms of the second row seats may "have components that are out of dimensional specification". The NHTSA said that in the event of a crash, "the seat back may not provide the required strength, increasing the risk of injury."

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2011 Ford Explorer Receives its First Recall

Ford's freshly launched 2011 Explorer SUV has received its first safety recall for a problem concerning the second row of seats. The recall affects approximately 1,658 Explorers made between July and December of last year.

According to a filling with federal safety regulators, the manual recliner mechanisms of the second row seats may "have components that are out of dimensional specification". The NHTSA said that in the event of a crash, "the seat back may not provide the required strength, increasing the risk of injury."

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New 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid Rated at 29 mpg Combined

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) fuel economy figures for Infiniti's all-new M35h are finally out. According to the government agency, the Japanese brand's first-ever hybrid model returns an estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg on the combined cycle.

For comparison, the conventional M37 with a 330HP 3.7-liter V6 is rated at 18 mpg City and 26 mpg Highway, while the M56 that is powered by a 420HP 5.6-liter V8, at 16 mpg City and 25 mpg Highway.

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New 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid Rated at 29 mpg Combined

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) fuel economy figures for Infiniti's all-new M35h are finally out. According to the government agency, the Japanese brand's first-ever hybrid model returns an estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg on the combined cycle.

For comparison, the conventional M37 with a 330HP 3.7-liter V6 is rated at 18 mpg City and 26 mpg Highway, while the M56 that is powered by a 420HP 5.6-liter V8, at 16 mpg City and 25 mpg Highway.

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Marchionne gets Nasty, Tells VW Boss Piech to go and Fix SEAT Instead of Eyeing Alfa Romeo

Speaking at the J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Round-table in San Francisco, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne bluntly reiterated that the Italians won’t sell Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group, or anyone else for that matter.

“As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands-off. I told him. I will call him and I will email him”, Marchionne said.

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Marchionne gets Nasty, Tells VW Boss Piech to go and Fix SEAT Instead of Eyeing Alfa Romeo

Speaking at the J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Round-table in San Francisco, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne bluntly reiterated that the Italians won’t sell Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group, or anyone else for that matter.

“As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands-off. I told him. I will call him and I will email him”, Marchionne said.

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F1 Driver Robert Kubica Injured in Rally Crash, May Save his Arm After Emergency Surgery [with Video]

While competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in Italy, Polish Formula 1 star Robert Kubica was involved in a horrendous crash on Sunday, as he lost control of his Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car and left the road at high speed. The Lotus-Renault team driver was airlifted from the scene and underwent successful emergency surgery at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure.

Kubica has suffered multiple fractures to his right arm and hand with initial reports saying that he could lose the functionality of his limb. Fortunately, the operation went well, according to Dr. Mario Igor Rosello, who told reporters that Kubica, awakened form an induced coma, was able to move his fingers, which is “an encouraging sign for the rest of the recovery process”.

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F1 Driver Robert Kubica Injured in Rally Crash, May Save his Arm After Emergency Surgery [with Video]

While competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in Italy, Polish Formula 1 star Robert Kubica was involved in a horrendous crash on Sunday, as he lost control of his Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car and left the road at high speed. The Lotus-Renault team driver was airlifted from the scene and underwent successful emergency surgery at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure.

Kubica has suffered multiple fractures to his right arm and hand with initial reports saying that he could lose the functionality of his limb. Fortunately, the operation went well, according to Dr. Mario Igor Rosello, who told reporters that Kubica, awakened form an induced coma, was able to move his fingers, which is “an encouraging sign for the rest of the recovery process”.

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Suzuki Recalling Grand Vitara and SX4 in the States

More than 32,000 Suzuki Grand Vitara and SX4 vehicles are being recalled in the United States over an improperly manufactured component of the tension adjuster pulley that could cause the drive belt to either slip or come off and lead to engine overheating or stalling.

Suzuki said the recall concerns the 2009-2010 model year Grand Vitara SUVs equipped with 4-cylinder engines; 2011MY Grand Vitara vehicles produced prior to October 17, 2010; 2010MY SX4s and 2011MY SX4s manufactured before October 14, 2010.

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Suzuki Recalling Grand Vitara and SX4 in the States

More than 32,000 Suzuki Grand Vitara and SX4 vehicles are being recalled in the United States over an improperly manufactured component of the tension adjuster pulley that could cause the drive belt to either slip or come off and lead to engine overheating or stalling.

Suzuki said the recall concerns the 2009-2010 model year Grand Vitara SUVs equipped with 4-cylinder engines; 2011MY Grand Vitara vehicles produced prior to October 17, 2010; 2010MY SX4s and 2011MY SX4s manufactured before October 14, 2010.

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