Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday about 270,000 cars sold worldwide–including luxury Lexus sedans–have potentially faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls of top-selling models.

Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the Toyota was considering withdrawal again for repairs. The problem is, there are on a machine that can suddenly die.

The automaker has been working to patch up its reputation after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of unintended acceleration and other defects.

Toyota recognized if until now there have been no reports of accidents caused by machinery. Nor does it say in the production of recall candidates. Including an investigation that has been done related to the problem.

According to Toyota, the test is performed the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. They found the fuel leak during a hit on side at a speed 80 km/hours. Tests carried out by contractors appointed by the NHTSA. Leakage occurs when a car spinning after the collision.
Toyota Tests conducted did not show any leak, but Toyota continued to hold on to government test results. Toyota also asked dealers to stop selling this luxury hybrid car.

Of the 270,000 vehicles with engine problems, some 180,000 were sold overseas and the rest in Japan. They include the popular Crown and seven models of luxury Lexus sedans.

“The world’s largest automotive companies” are trying to rise from recall associated with unintended acceleration and other problems. The U.S. Government even Toyota fined up to $ 16.4 billion because it was too late to recall. This is the highest penalty ever undertaken of the United States government.

In the aftermath of the recalls, Congress is considering an upgrade to auto safety laws to toughen potential penalties against automakers, give the U.S. government more powers to demand a recall and push car companies to meet new safety standards.

It seems the waves of recalls don’t seem to stop. After recent news of the massive recall by Chrysler, we now have the GM recall 2010. The recall affects 1.5 million SUVs and trucks from GM(General Motors) which have faulty windshield wiper fluid systems. It may not sound too dangerous but it can lead to fire!

The voluntary recall, which affects 2006-2009 Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, GMCs, Hummer and Saturns, involves a problematic electronic heat system that was the subject of another massive recall in 2008.

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1.4 million of the affected vehicles are in the U.S. The Detroit Free Press reported these were the models included in the recall by GM: “…Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Hummer H2; the 2008-2009 model year Buick Enclave and Cadillac CTS; the 2007-2009 model year Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Saturn Outlook and the 2009 model year Chevrolet Traverse.”

To remedy the problem, technicians will disable washer-water heater and will pay each owner $100 to make up for the loss of the convenience feature. The system, made by a now-defunct supplier, was designed to spray heated water to clear icy windshields.

“This was a unique technology available from only one supplier, and that supplier has stopped manufacturing, which left no opportunity to collaborate on an improved design,” said Jeff Boyer, executive director of safety for GM. “We want to be clear that the voluntary payment to customers is for the loss of the feature, not the recall.”

GM said it knows of five engine fires caused by the system, but no accidents or injuries.

In the 2008 recall, the heating system was experiencing short circuits that caused under-hood fires, which was remedied by installing an inline fuse. This recall involves a different problem altogether, which prompted GM to opt for removing the systems.

The coolest Mercury we’ll never get to see?

That would certainly be the planned Mercury version of the next Ford Focus. Speculation has been–and we tend to believe it–that it would have revived the name Mercury Tracer. It would have been the first small Mercury in many years.

Ford executives told Lincoln Mercury dealers in February that they will be getting a new small car, an offshoot of the next Ford Focus. In 2009, Ford showed off the Lincoln Concept C at the Detroit auto show–and yesterday confirmed that it will go on sale. That is the Concept C in the photo above. We suspect that a variant of the C would have become that new Merc.

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Mercury has come to that big garage in the sky, and there’s a convoy behind it of what could be more disappearing brands.

After 71 years, the Mercury brand will vanish from the market with little more than a whimper, by the end of the year. The brainchild of automotive pioneer Edsel Ford , Mercury had become little more than an afterthought on the automotive sales charts in recent years, a costly and irrelevant distraction that company officials, after years of debate, finally decided to do away with.

The move is one more step in CEO Alan Mulally’s One Ford strategy which previously resulted in the sale of foreign luxury brands Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Jaguar, and will allow the Detroit-based carmaker to put a “laser focus” on rebuilding the struggling Lincoln brand, which has steadily lost ground to luxury leaders like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and arch-rival General Motors’ Cadillac marque.

The ongoing automotive sales slump has made it increasingly difficult for automakers to maintain brands that don’t deliver, say industry analysts. Several other once-solid nameplates, such as Suzuki and Mitsubishi, are struggling and could be pulled, at least in the U.S. market, suggests Jim Hossack, of AutoPacific, Inc. And plenty of others are on life-support in Europe and Asia.

It’s time for Lincoln to stand and deliver.

Let’s face it: If Ford hadn’t announced it was closing Mercury, nobody might have noticed the brand’s departure. It’s been decades since Mercury was anything more than a way to spread Lincoln dealers’ overhead over more cars.

Lincoln hasn’t set the world on fire either, but it lives to fight another day.

While industry insiders have speculated for years that Mercury might be on its way out, Ford CEO Alan Mulally–who has been leading the company on a triumphant turnaround–might stand the best chance of convincing dealers and the Ford family that now is the right time to kill it.

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The Dearborn automaker is intensely reviewing its premium brand, which has been suffering from a lack of new products, a person familiar with the discussions said Thursday. The company’s board is expected to make a decision on the brand in the months ahead.

The Mercury brand, created by Edsel Ford in 1939, was recently championed by Elena Ford, Edsel’s great-granddaughter and the director of Ford’s global marketing, who helped bring new products to the brand earlier this decade.

In 2004, she helped unveil the Mercury Montego sedan, a vehicle that is no longer sold, and like most Mercury models, was a revamped version of a Ford product–in this case, the old Ford Five Hundred.

On Thursday, Bloomberg News first reported that Ford’s top executives are preparing a proposal to kill Mercury to be presented to directors in July.

Mercury had been expected to get a compact car, the Tracer, which had some believing the brand would live, but those plans are now in limbo, a person familiar with the discussions said.

In Washington, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said: “As you know, we continue to evaluate all of our models … But we have nothing new to announce today.”

Mercury would be hard-pressed to survive in its current state unless Ford were prepared to invest in fresh product for the brand.

Last year, consumers bought just more than 92,000 Mercury cars and trucks–mostly the Milan midsize car and Mariner SUV.

That sales volume is barely enough to support an entire brand, experts say. By comparison, Ford sold twice as many Ford Fusion midsize cars as the entire Mercury brand sold.

“Mercury is a forgotten brand,” John Wolkonowicz, an auto analyst with IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass., told Bloomberg. “Many Americans probably already think it has been discontinued.”

Never before has there been a 3 Series that can do what the 320d can and yet deliver such outstanding fuel economy. Let me get the point across here, being green, fuel efficient and polluting less are at the top of the agenda for most car companies these days and BMW is no different.

Driving tests have revealed that BMW’s latest car is not only fun to drive but also very fuel efficient. The car managed to complete more than 1000 miles on a single tank of fuel. The main reason for giving such a nice performance is BMW’s Centrifugal Pendulum Vibration Absorber. This feature ensures that fuel use is minimal and there is no fuel wastage.

The car also has other features like regenerative brakes, stop-start, lowered suspension and aerodynamic alloys which decrease the amount of air resistance. Despite all this the car feels and drives like a regular BMW 320D. The Company maintains that the car is designed to perform well and offer an element of fun despite offering exceptional fuel efficiency.

The Munich based manufacturer hasn’t made much of a fuss over its EfficientDynamics technologies but it’s now showing up across nearly all BMW models. The idea is simple, instead of just focusing on hybrid or full-electric cars (which BMW are developing regardless), why not first get the basics right.

For example the use of brake energy regeneration, electric power steering, auto start-stop (on manual models only), lightweight engineering, low-resistance tyres, low-friction oils and better aerodynamics all go a long way to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Experts feel that the car will be liked by normal car users as well as enthusiasts. It also emits very low levels of CO2 which will further enhance its appeal. It will also be liked by people who want a good car but also care for the environment. The car’s features will be especially appreciated by environment experts.

The car develops 163hp between 3500rpm to 4200rpm and 265 lb-ft of torque from 1750rpm to 3000rpm. It reaches 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds apart from a top speed of 137mph. It is also equipped with special aerodynamically designed Michelin Energy Saver tires.

The new Nissan LEAF–the name is not an acronym but signifies purity and greenness–is a fully electric-powered car which Nissan says is the world’s first affordable zero-emission vehicle.

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When the Nissan Leaf all-electric five-door hits the market it will be priced competitively against the Opel/Vaunhall Ampera, known Stateside as the Chevrolet Volt, once tax incentives are taken into consideration. Sales of the Leaf is set to begin before the end of the year on mainland Europe, with the UK and Ireland starting up in early 2011.

The car will cost purchasers in the Netherlands €32,839, which likely includes sales tax, as it also includes the Dutch government’s elimination of vehicle registration and road taxes for vehicles that fit into specific environmental standards. In Portugal and Ireland, the price will total €29,955, which includes about €5,000 in government incentives from either country, and no-cost road tax.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., the price will be £23,350, which currently translates to several thousand euro lower than the aforementioned companies, as the British Pound is in a slump. By contrast, speculation suggests that the Ampera will cost about €28,000, though this has yet to be officially revealed.

“Nissan leads the industry by being the first automaker to offer an affordable zero-emission car. It’s a pure electric vehicle, with no tailpipe emissions and very low running costs,” said Nissan exec Simon Thomas. “Nissan LEAF may look similar to a compact family car, but its smoothness, acceleration and handling will surprise and impress drivers and passengers alike.”

The automaker chose Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the U.K. as its launch markets because those nations already have tax reduction laws in place for purchasers of very low or zero-emissions vehicles. The car will be released on the rest of the European market before the end of 2011.

“Nissan LEAF is a tremendous accomplishment–one in which all Nissan employees can take great pride,” said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “We have been working tirelessly to make this day a reality–the unveiling of a real-world car that has zero–not simply reduced– emissions. It’s the first step in what is sure to be an exciting journey–for people all over the world, for Nissan and for the industry.”

Richard Petty and Junior Johnson have known since October that they would be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23.

In 1984, team owner Richard Childress felt he was ready to build consistently impressive cars for Dale Earnhardt, and they became partners for a second time. The result was one of the best alliances ever at NASCAR’s top level.

Earnhardt and Childress won their first championship together in 1986, and Earnhardt won $1 million in a season for the first time.

Another championship followed in 1987 and a fourth in 1990. Earnhardt also won the Cup title in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994.

Earnhardt became known as the Intimidator, a nickname that sold truckloads of T-shirts.

Although few of his contemporaries admitted to buying into the Intimidator persona–and none would admit being intimidated by him, Earnhardt often validated the thinking that he would do anything to win. He smashed Terry Labonte on the last lap to win a race at Bristol.

He engaged Geoffrey Bodine in a classic series of “Southern boy versus Yankee” duels. He sent Rusty Wallace into a spectacular flipping crash at Talladega. He tangled with Georgia golden boy and fellow fan favorite Bill Elliott on the high ground of The Winston All-Star Race.

“He was good, but he had a lot of people who would just pull over and let him by because he had hit so many of them,” said retired driver David Pearson, who raced with and for Earnhardt. “He liked to have killed Rusty Wallace four or five times. When it came down to it, he was going to hit you or knock you out of the way and say he didn’t mean to or something like that. A lot of times, he’d spin people out when he didn’t have to.

“I borrowed some rims from him one time. He said, ‘You better put them on pretty good because I’m going to knock them off.’ He knew who he could run over.”

In an odd twist of history, the driver who finished 23rd in the 1975 World 600, one position behind Earnhardt in Earnhardt’s Cup debut, was Childress. A few years later, they would join forces to form one of the most potent teams in NASCAR history.

“To be part of Dale’s career and to watch the things he accomplished and the things he did to help carry our sport to another level, I think the Hall of Fame is well-deserved,” Childress said. “I’m just honored to have worked with him all those years.”

NASCAR is still in the process of putting together the induction ceremony, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 23 in the ballroom adjacent to the Hall of Fame.

The facility officially opened to the public Tuesday.

“Me and Junior were just talking about it,” Petty, a seven-time Cup champion, said while attending the opening ceremonies. “I said, ‘You write me one, I’ll write you one.’”

Porsche announced today that will initiate a worldwide recall for all Panamera copies sold until April. We are talking here about 11,324 cars and the problem is related to seat belts that can accidentally detach in certain conditions.

According to Porsche’s press release, the Panamera’s front seat belts could fail, and detach from their anchoring system if seats are placed in the nearest position to the board. The issue targets the seat belt’s clamping mechanism, which can determine the seat belts to detach easier. Porsche said in the official press release that the tensioning system no longer functions at the normal parameters and that this is the reason of the seat belts failure.

“There have not been any accidents,” the spokesman told AFP.

The Panamera, which in Germany sells for between 75,899 euros ($A109,600) and 135,154 euros ($A195,168) for the Turbo, was launched as Porsche’s newest model range alongside the Boxster, the Cayman, 911 and the Cayenne.

Porsche is targeting 20,000 Panamera sales a year and is counting on the car to boost growth and profits after the global recession sent the global luxury auto industry into reverse.

Volkswagen in December acquired a 49.9 per cent stake in Porsche’s sports car operations for 3.9 billion euros ($A5.63 billion) as part of a complex merger expected to be finalised in 2011.

The recall is the latest blow to automakers after recent accelerator and brake problems tarnished the reputation of Japan’s Toyota.

Porsche said all 11,300 Panameras would be brought to the mechanic to fix possible faulty seatbelt tensioners.

European automotive holding Porsche SE controls 51 percent of Porsche AG, with the remainder held by Volkswagen.

The news could prompt VW to take action. Martin Winterkorn, who serves as CEO of both Volkswagen and Porsche SE has repeatedly said that the better a brand performs, the more autonomy it gains within the overall group.

Ford Motor Company reported that it swung to a 1st quarter profit of $2.1 billion, 50 cents per share, from a loss of $1.4 billion, or 60 cents per share, a year earlier.

According to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters, the average Wall Street estimate called for earnings of 31 cents per share.

“The Ford team around the world achieved another very solid quarter, and we are delivering profitable growth,” the chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, said in a statement. “Our plan is working, and the basic engine that drives our business results—products, market share, revenue and cost structure—is performing stronger each quarter, even as the economy and vehicle demand remain relatively soft.”

Revenue increased to $28.1 billion in the first quarter of 2009, during the heart of the recession.

Ford also continued a trend of surpassing expectations on Wall Street, where analysts had projected a first-quarter profit of 31 cents a share, excluding one-time items. On that basis, Ford’s profit was 46 cents a share, or $2 billion.

The company earned $1.2 billion from its automotive operations, compared with a loss of $2 billion in the first quarter a year ago. Ford Motor Credit earned $828 million, compared to a $36 million loss.

The automaker earned $1.2 billion in North America, compared with a $665 million loss a year ago. Ford said it planned to build 625,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada in the second quarter, 9 percent more than the first quarter and 39 percent more than the year-ago period.

“This is a more encouraging start to the year than we anticipated,” Ford’s chief financial officer, Lewis W. K. Booth, told reporters at Ford’s headquarters. “The fact that we’ve got our cost structure under control is also helping the bottom line.”

However, Mr. Booth said the company does not necessarily expect each of the next three quarters to be as strong as the first, particularly if an improving economy leads to higher interest rates later in the year.

“It would be unwise to think of $2 billion as a running rate for the year,” he said.

Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports warned car shoppers not to buy the sport utility vehicle because handling problems could lead to rollover accidents during sharp turns.

Toyota said Tuesday it had asked dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own tests on the GX 460. About 6,000 GX 460s from the 2010 model year have been sold since the vehicle went on sale in late December, and an estimated 1,600 of the SUVs are at dealerships.

“We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified,” said Mark Templin, Lexus vice president and general manager.

The decision to stop selling the SUV is the latest blow to Toyota’s tarnished safety reputation after the recall of millions of cars and trucks over gas pedals that are too slow to retract or that can become stuck under floor mats. The GX 460 is not covered by the pedal recalls.

But it reflects Toyota’s attempt to respond more quickly to safety concerns after federal investigators accused the automaker of dragging its feet on recalls to address the faulty gas pedals. Toyota faces a $16.4 million fine from the Transportation Department and has until April 19 to decide whether to contest the penalty or accept it.

Toyota said about 6,000 GX 460s from the 2010 model year have been sold since the vehicle went on sale in late December and an estimated 1,600 of the SUVs are at dealerships.

Consumer Reports is closely read by many car buyers before choosing a new car or truck. In January, it pulled its “recommended” rating on eight vehicles recalled by the automaker due to faulty gas pedals.

The magazine said the Lexus problem occurred during tests on its track. In a standard test, the driver approached a turn unusually fast, then released the accelerator pedal to simulate the response of an alarmed driver. This caused the rear of the vehicle to slide outward.

In normal cases, the electronic stability control should quickly correct the loss of control and keep the SUV on its intended path. But with the GX 460, the stability control took too long to adjust, which could cause a rollover accident if one of the sliding wheels were to strike the curb or another obstacle, said Gabriel Shenhar, Consumer Reports’ senior auto test engineer who was one of four testers who experienced the problem.