Toyota’s recall of 470,000 vehicles in Japan announced recently comes as the car industry’s most admired manufacturer faces a string of setbacks.

But although large, the recall is by no means massive - nor especially unusual - by industry standards. In August Ford Motor said it was recalling 3.6 million of its cars, pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicles in the US due to problems with speed control deactivation switches.

These, Ford said, might “under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke or burn”. Last month, Toyota’s two biggest Japanese rivals, Honda and Nissan, both announced much smaller vehicle recalls in the US.

Toyota last week said it was recalling its Crown saloon and some other models in Japan for engine, steering and other problems, but said there were no reports of accidents related to the defects.

Larger recalls are always embarrassing for carmakers, who have a habit of communicating the news late on Fridays in hopes they will pass with minimal notice. They also cost carmakers money and cause friction with dealers, who must make available space and time that most would rather devote to selling new vehicles.

For Toyota, which reached its leading position by selling consumers around the world reliable cars, the issue is central to its business.

In an interview with the Financial Times this year, Katsuaki Watanabe, Toyota’s president, described the company’s quality concerns as nothing less than an “emergency”.

The recall caps a rare difficult patch for Toyota, especially in the US - its biggest market - where its reputation for good quality and environmental friendliness have recently come into question.

Last week, the Consumer Reports magazine said it was dropping three Toyota vehicles, including the six-cylinder version of its Camry - America’s top-selling car - from its list of recommended vehicles on reliability concerns.

Separately, nine environmental groups are lobbying Toyota to drop its opposition to a draft fuel-economy bill approved by the Senate. The carmaker has also seen three defections of senior executives from its US operation in the last two months.

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Japanese car maker Suzuki has recalled more than 3,500 cars sold in Australia to fix a potential problem with a gear selector cable.

Suzuki Australia said the recall applied to Liana models built between January 2001 and January 2006 and equipped with a manual transmission.

“Suzuki Australia will implement a safety recall campaign to replace the retainer clip following some reports of failure which led to the manual gear selector malfunctioning,” the company said in a statement.

“In the case where first gear is selected rapidly, with a high degree of force, the retaining clip may repeatedly strike the gear selector housing bracket and could ultimately dislodge or break.”

Suzuki said the replacement clip was of a different design that would not strike the bracket under the same conditions.

The company said it was in the process of contacting Liana owners affected by the recall to arrange to have the clip replaced.

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Saab Aero X Design Concept
Geneva Motor Show, 27 Feb 2006

Conceived as a study to explore future design directions, Aero X innovative features preview an enhanced design language that will inspire future Saab products.

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Cadillac CTS Redesigned for 2008

Inspired by the Cadillac Sixteen concept, the new CTS embodies design reach and precision and offers a new powertrain lineup featuring six-speed transmissions and a new engine.

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Better Gas Eninges
HCCI

How the new HCCI engine works to improve fuel economy.

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OS ANGELES / NEW YORK – Chevrolet fuel cell electric vehicles will be seen on the streets and driveways of Los Angeles, New York City and Washington D.C., beginning today, in the largest market test ever of its kind.

Customers in suburban Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. will begin driving more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive deployment plan dubbed “Project Driveway.” It constitutes the first large-scale market test of fuel cell electric vehicles anywhere.

A variety of drivers – from regular families to celebrities – will have free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle and the hydrogen fuel it needs to make electricity onboard. The average family will get one of the vehicles for three months and be required to report their experience to Chevrolet.

“These families volunteered to be part of something big,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “They care about the environment, and they want to help solve our nation’s energy issues. They are pioneers, and we are pleased they have joined our team.

“Drivers will provide regular, candid feedback about their use of the vehicle in their daily lives, the vehicle’s performance and their personal preferences, which is key in defining our product and market introduction plans for fuel cell electric vehicles.”

General Motors Corp. will apply what it learns to the advancement of electric drive vehicles. One example is the Chevrolet Volt with GM’s E-Flex system. The “E” stands for electricity; the “Flex” for the many ways to make and store electricity on board. These technologies reduce emissions, lessen the country’s dependence on oil and move toward sources of energy that can be replenished or renewed – wind, solar, plants, geysers, waves or even garbage.

“What we learn will directly influence future electrically driven vehicle generations and ultimate market acceptance,” said Dan Hancock, GM Powertrain vice president, global engineering. “With Project Driveway, GM is demonstrating its commitment to electrically driven vehicles – whether the source of the electricity comes from a lithium-ion battery or a hydrogen fuel cell – as the answer for helping take the automobile out of the environmental debate and reducing our dependence on petroleum. The Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle demonstrates an important milestone on our pathway to electrically driven vehicle development.”

Enabled by GM’s fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system, the Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle is a fully functional crossover vehicle. It is expected to meet all applicable 2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and is equipped with a long list of standard safety features including driver and passenger frontal air bags and roof rail side-impact air bags; anti-lock braking system (ABS); StabiliTrak stability enhancement technology and OnStar.

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