Mercedes W116 Middle Dash Board Air Vent Lever, Opener 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.

MOTORPOINT GETS A NEW TRAINER

MOTORPOINT has appointed Minty Singh as its new training manager. Minty joins the Derby-based car supermarket giant from British Gas, where until recently she was the Renewals Manager within its Business division, responsible for a team of 50 advisors. She started her career as a foreign language teacher at her former school in Loughborough.

Bristol in administration: sale expected in days

Bristol Cars could be sold within days, as the administrators are in exclusive talks with one bidder, CAR has learned. Several parties expressed an interest in the failed car maker, which collapsed into administration on 3 March 2011. Recovery specialist RSM Tenon is handling the sale and has reported a flurry of interest in Bristol Cars.