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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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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."

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.

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.

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”.

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.

A pair of black and white sketches outlining the shape of what appears to be a hatchback model and a statement from Infiniti's Vice President, Andy Palmer, in 2010 saying that the brand is exploring the development of a new entry-level vehicle, is all we get about the Japanese luxury brand's new concept car that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.

However, we'll remind you during the September 2010 announcement, Mr. Palmer had shown a more revealing teaser rendering of an all-electric model capable of seating up to five passengers, which he said would enter production in 2013.

At a special event held in Paris, French automaker Peugeot released the first details on its new 908 endurance racecar, with which it will participate at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). Codenamed 90X, the competition model features an all-new 550HP 3.7-liter V8 diesel engine that replaces the 2010 908 HDi FAP's 5.5-liter V12 oil-burner and complies with the new regulations introduced for 2011, including the demand for a “shark fin engine cover”.

A selection of one hundred Rolls Royce cars from all eras and generations including examples of Silver Ghosts, Silver Clouds, Silver Shadows and Silver Spurs, took to the streets of London on Sunday, February 6, to celebrate the centenary of the brand's famous hood mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The hood ornament, also called "Flying Lady", was first fitted to Rolls-Royce models in 1911. It was designed by Charles Sykes and legend has it that the figurine was inspired by Eleanor Thornton, a co-worker of Sykes at the time.

*BMW X6 Press Photo

An unnamed 20-year old man in a BMW (reportedly an SUV model) was arrested by police in Montreal on Saturday for driving 240 km/h or 150 mph on the A-720 highway in a 70 km/h or 44 mph speed zone. And here's where the story gets a bit more interesting as not only is this one of the worst cases of speeding in the country's history, but according to the police, the BMW did not belong to the young man. Some Canadian newspapers are even suggesting the man may have been a hotel valet that took the car for a late night spin on the highway.

With its three ads programmed to air during the Super Bowl XLV later in the day (Sunday, February 6), Hyundai wants to show the American public that not all compact cars have “uninspired design, cramped interiors and limited innovation”, as marketing portrays them. Two out of the three advertisements showcase the 2011 Elantra sedan, while the third features the 2011 Sonata Hybrid. Videos available after the break.

Speaking at a J.D. Power forum in Detroit, General Motors North American President Mark Reuss announced that Chevrolet will unveil two new models at the upcoming 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which kicks off on February 9. Mr. Reuss said one of the models will be a new vehicle based on the Camaro-platform, however, he declined to divulge further details about the car.

"It will be fun," Mr. Reuss told reporters in regards to the Camaro-based model. "I'm not going to give you guys any product information other than what I gave (in the presentation.) I'd ruin the whole show."

Now, the inevitable question that arises is, what are the two models Chevy is planning to introduce in Chicago?

Speaking at the J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Roundtable, Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne today told reporters that the two companies could merge into a single entity based in the U.S. in the near future. Until then, Chrysler first has to refinance its government loans and launch an initial public stock offering, but Marchionne hopes that both will happen this year.

“Who knows? In the next two or three years, we could be looking at one entity. It could be based here”, said Marchionne. The companies are considering various “alternatives and scenarios. First we need to integrate them operationally and then look at governance”, he added.

Good news for Porsche owners in America who'd like to have their sports cars and SUV models tuned by Techart as the German company has finally opened a US headquarters in Irvine California. "The new subsidiary ensures a faster product supply to all its customers and sales partners," Techart said in a statement.

The latest news to come out of Toyota's BTCC camp is that Dynojet Race Team’s Avensis racer will have under its hood a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger adapted from one of the Japanese firm's road-going range. The engine is currently under Toyota GB-funded development at the Northamptonshire laboratories of engineering consultancy X CTech. It will feature a turbocharger as well as a number of internal revisions, which will all help boost output from around 140bhp in road specification to 300bhp or more.

It seems that the VW Group will do just about anything to become the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. After announcing a €51.6 billion (US $70.3 billion) investment plan last November, the Germans also want to showcase their future intentions at the Geneva Motor Show in March, by displaying up to seven concepts.

sport cars

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

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

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

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

Honda President Reportedly Confirms NSX Successor based on the HSV Racer

2011 Ford Explorer Receives its First Recall

New 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid Rated at 29 mpg Combined

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

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

Suzuki Recalling Grand Vitara and SX4 in the States

Geneva Preshow: Infiniti Outlines New Concept for Entry-Level Model

Peugeot Releases First Details on New 908 Le Mans Racer with V8 Turbo Diesel

100 Rolls Royces Take to the Streets of London to Celebrate Centenary of 'Spirit of Ecstasy'

Canadian Joy Rider Takes BMW for a Spin, gets Caught going 240km/h - 150mph

Hyundai to Challenge “Marketing Conspiracy” with Super Bowl XLV Ads

GM President Says Chevrolet will Debut Two New Models at Chicago Including a Camaro-Based Car

Marchionne: Fiat and Chrysler Could Merge into a Single Entity in a Few Years

Porsche Tuning Specialist TECHART Opens U.S. Subsidiary in California [Mega Gallery Alert]

Dynojet Toyota Avensis BTTC Racer to get 2.0-liter Turbo Engine with 300HP

VW Group to Display Up to Seven Concepts at the Geneva Show

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