Auto Mobiles

Toyota is "finalizing a program" to replace the gas pedals recalled in the United States, said company spokesman John Hanson on Saturday.

A class action lawsuit has been launched on behalf of 215 Canadian General Motors dealerships whose businesses were closed last year as part of the bankrupt automaker's massive restructuring.

Unions representing auto workers in Belgium yesterday accused General Motors of breaching an agreement to build a small sport utility vehicle at its Antwerp plant, and said they had filed a lawsuit against the US carmaker.

Toyota manufactured shoddy product and now must pay the Piper. Tags - Junk, Cover-up, Oriental, Mess, Defect, Defunct

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Toys/Games

You know what we like almost as much as real cars? Toy cars. It's gotten to the point where there mere existence of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and the like seem like an ongoing conspiracy to suck an extra few bucks out of our wallets with every trip to the store.

Furthering that belief is Hot Wheels' new Kmart promo, wherein if you buy 20 cars from the basic assortment (they need to match certain SKUs, just FYI), you can then mail in your stack of receipts to receive the special edition '62 Corvette you see above. (A gallery of more detailed pics can be seen at HotWheelsCollectors.com.) It arrives on a special blister pack that notes its collector's edition status, and is even shipped in a Kar Keepers protective case to help ensure that the heavy-handed employees at your local sorting station don't wreck it in transit.

To qualify for the promotion, you must buy your 20 eligible Hot Wheels cars between Feb. 10 and Mar. 10, 2010. Additional details, official rules, etc. are available at HotWheelsCollectors.com. Now please excuse us - there's a Jackson burning a hole in our pocket, and a Kmart within easy driving distance.

[Source: HotWheelsCollectors.com]

Attention Kmart Shoppers: Buy 20 Hot Wheels, get a cool '62 Vette by mail originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Approximately 90,000 Peugeot 107 and Citron C1 minicars have been added to the list of afflicted models.

Filed under: Motorcycle

The upper-middleweight naked bike segment, which currently has entrants from the likes of BMW, Aprilia and Ducati, is about to get an good ol' injection of Japanese know-how as Yamaha readies its upcoming new FZ8 for production. Yamaha apparently sees room for a machine that splits the difference between the smaller FZ6 (and FZ6R) and the full FZ1 naked literbike.

As far as we're aware, Yamaha has confirmed neither the FZ8 nor its fully-faired FZ8R sibling for North America (we'll keep you posted), but it seems possible the models could make it Stateside if there's sufficient interest... which is why we're bringing you this initial official image of the FZ8. So, what do you think?

Judging from the photo, the FZ8 appears to be based on the current FZ1, and internet rumors suggest the 800cc mill will be a downsized version of the former R1 engine with an identical stroke and smaller bore. We'll know soon enough - the official unveiling is scheduled for March 12 - but in the meantime, enjoy the teaser.

[Source: Yamaha, Asphalt & Rubber]

Yamaha pulls the covers off 2010 FZ8 naked sportbike originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Government/Legal, Japan, Recalls, Toyota

With Toyota's woes seemingly multiplying by the day, you knew it was just a matter of time before the lawyers arrived on scene. Cue two law firms, Parker Waichman Alonso and the Becnel Law Firm, that are joining forces in a bid to sue Toyota's pants off.

The suit hopes to attain class action status and is "intended to benefit all residents of the United States who purchased a Toyota vehicle of model years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and/or 2010 that is subject to the recalls." How many cars is that? We don't have a total off the top of our head, but considering the Camry has been the best selling car in the U.S. for all six of those years, and the Corolla has been number three or four over the course of that same time frame, we'll go ahead and say the answer is a staggeringly large number.

But hang on one minute: Since all the affected cars have been recalled by Toyota and will (eventually) be repaired, what could the two law firms possibly be suing ToMoCo for? Away we go:

[Parker Waichman Alonso] and the [Becnel Law Firm allege] that, as a result of these recalls, Toyota owners lost the use of their vehicles, and sustained, among things, economic losses and severe emotional distress. The complaint charges Toyota with breach of implied warranty and negligence, and seeks compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages for the Class, as well as equitable and declaratory relief. It also asks the Court to enjoin Toyota from implementing any fixes in the accelerator pedals of the subject vehicles without approval from the NHTSA.

There you have it. And yes, they really did mention emotional distress.

[Source: The Auto Channel | Image: Corbis]

ThrottleGate: First class-action lawsuit filed against Toyota over pedal recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials

After gathering real-time transaction data from 8,900 automotive franchisees across the U.S., J.D. Power and Associates predicts new-vehicle retail sales will have declined for January 2010 compared to one year ago. January's new-vehicle sales are expected to come in at 500,900 units, which represents a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 7.9 million units. In January of 2009, the SAAR was 8.8 million units. December 2009 was a particularly strong sales month - thanks to heavy marketing and aggressive incentive programs - making it a tough act to follow. To wit:

"January is typically a weak selling month, but this month is particularly impacted by December's strong close and extra selling weekend," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, the sales pace has been improving as January continues, which is an encouraging sign for the recovering industry."

Not to be confused with new-vehicle retail sales, fleet sales are expected to increase significantly when compared to the same slow period last year. When fleet- and new-vehicle units are combined, the month's outlook is more promising. According to J.D. Power, total sales for January 2010 are projected at 659,000 units, up nine percent from the same month last year. Carried forward, the global marketing firm is predicting 2010 total vehicles sales at 11.5 million - and these numbers may be even higher as the industry recovers, thereby loosening credit and improving leasing availability. Check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading J.D. Power data suggests January U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decline from last month

J.D. Power data suggests January U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decline from last month originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vehix.com Would you find a Scion xB with a barbecue in the back useful? Or view multi-colored mood lighting inside a Ford Fusion as a must-have item? While these features are fun - and better suited for our "5 Car Technologies We Can Live Without" article - we're talking about technologies we saw at the Los Angeles Auto Show that are big on ...