Harley Davidson 50mm Throttle Body on 2040-parts.com

Toyota Prius Recall: 5,000 UK cars affected – 242,000 worldwide

5,000 2009 Toyota Prius (pictured) are being recalled Toyota has had a bit of a nightmare with recalls in recent years, and the news that they’re now having to recall 242,000 Prius models from 2009 worldwide is another financial, and logistical, problem for Toyota. But in truth, the recalls are about car makers now taking responsibility for faults in their cars which become apparent long after warranties have expired, and that’s no bad thing. The Prius models affected are those built between March 2009 and October 2009 (you can check if your car is affected here) and the UK has 4,947 cars on the road that need to be looked at by Toyota’s dealers.

Aston Martin DBS, Virage, V8 Vantage Dragon 88 at Beijing

Aston Martin whipped the covers off a trio of Dragon 88 special editions at the 2012 Beijing motor show - with local-market China-aimed versions of the DBS Volante, Virage coupe and V8 Vantage S coupe. And if you're wondering why Aston is focusing so much of its energies on China, remember this: it is opening 11 - eleven! - new dealerships here in 2012, as it taps into the new found wealth and sales opportunities in this growth market.

Schumacher & Rosberg: A pregnant pause

Michael & Nico compete to help a pregnant damsel in distress. Those crazy Germans, they do like to josh with us. Since Mercedes now has an all German team we wonder if they’re trying a bit too hard to prove there’s a human face to the team, and it’s not all just Teutonic and robotic (and not, as yet, stunningly successful).