5:43 Ring & Pinion For Ford 9" on 2040-parts.com

Akio Toyoda waves family flag, heir makes crisis personal challenge

The reclusive Akio Toyoda is taking the rare step of waving the family flag, as the scion to Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding dynasty tries to steer the world’s largest car company out of a spiraling safety crisis. In testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Toyoda pursues a rare personal tack on the emergency, saying “my name is on every car.” “As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name,” Toyoda says in prepared comments circulated ahead of Wednesday’s committee hearing in Washington. “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.” The intimate reflection is a departure for Toyoda, who has spent most of his career sidestepping public discussion of his lineage.

New Mercedes CLA photos & new Mercedes 4MATIC 4WD – UPDATED

We have the first official photos of the new Mercedes CLA and news of a new Mercedes 4MATIC 4WD system for Mercedes’ smaller cars. The new Mercedes CLA – the baby CLS based on the new A Class and previewed by the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe we saw at the Beijing Motor Show - will arrive at the Detroit Auto Show in January (and be followed by the CLA 45 AMG at Frankfurt in Autumn 2013), and will come with a new Mercedes 4MATIC four wheel drive system. To herald the arrival of the new CLA and the new 4MATIC system, Mercedes has released details of the new 4MATIC system and sent us the first official photos of the production CLA – albeit with the usual swirly black and white camouflage – to illustrate where their new 4WD system will arrive.

Morgan's eco car

By Ben Barry First Official Pictures 15 March 2007 05:05 Morgan Life Car: the lowdown Morgan, that most traditional of British brands, has announced it will launch a zero-emissions car called the Life Car at next year’s Geneva show. Based on the regular Aero chassis, the Life Car is part DTI-funded and involves partnerships with Oxford University and a company that developed fuel-cell technology for military applications – such as providing medical teams with power during conflicts. The Life Car is predicted to weigh 600kg, have a small fuel cell delivering 33bhp and, erm, no brakes.