U.S. Transportation Department opens probe of 2010 Toyota Prius brakes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is opening a formal investigation of the 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid to determine whether the vehicle suffers momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over bumpy surfaces. NHTSA, an agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has received 124 consumer complaints, including four reports of crashes.

Mercedes Ener-G-Force: The shape of SUVs to come

The Mercedes Energ-G-Force, which will debut at the Los Angeles auto show, could be the shape of Mercedes SUVs to come--if you like it. “If people really like it and reaction is good then yeah, we might have to think of making it happen in reality,” said designer Huey Lee, who was part of the team that penned the Energ-G-Force at Mercedes' Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, Calif. Metalcrafters built the carbon fiber composite roller you see here.

2011 Kia Magentis / Kia Optima revealed

Kia has revealed the 2011 Kia Optima / Kia Magentis ahead of a reveal at the New York Motor Show in April You might reasonably expect that Kia are teasing the 2011 Kia Magentis (or Kia Optima, as it is in the US) ahead of a reveal at the Geneva Motor Show. After all, every other car maker is at it at the moment. But Kia are teasing this ahead of the next big motor show after Geneva – the 2010 New York Motor Show – which isn’t until April.