Snoway Snow Plow on 2040-parts.com

Kia recalls 7,000 cars

KIA IS recalling more than 7,000 of its UK models due to a possible seatbelt problem. The recall affects 5,787 Sportage models and 1,432 Soul vehicles and concerns a possible fault with the vehicle's seatbelt pre-tensioner. Kia said that although it was not aware of any injuries resulting from this possible fault, discovered as a result of monitoring of customer vehicles, it was concerned that some pre-tensioners might not work properly due to a faulty piston within the mechanism.

News watch June 2012: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Friday 29 June 2012• As predicted, BMW and Toyota today announced the next stage of their cooperation to jointly develop powertrains, lightweight technologies, fuel-cells and future platforms (BMW and Toyota)• Today's announcement follows the initial agreement signed in December 2011; in March 2012, BMW and Toyota signed a binding agreement to work together on lithium-ion battery research and for Munich to supply Toyota with diesel engines from 2014 • Now Toyota and BMW have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the electrification of car powertrains, research into lightweight technologies, develop fuel-cells and to consider future vehicle architectures – 'for a sports car, for example'• Renault will cut 300 jobs at its Flins plant near Paris, it announced today. The factory builds the Clio and is preparing for the new Zoe ZE too (Automotive News Europe)• Ford has warned its pre-tax operating profit in the second quarter will be 'substantially lower' than before.

Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept edging towards production

The Volkswagen Beetle Dune frolicking on the beach Back at the Detroit Motor Show in January, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept arrived as the perfect accessory for an outdoor lifestyle – especially if you’re in Southern California. Riding higher than a regular Beetle, with big wheels and a rack on the back for surf boards, sand boards or skis, the Beetle Dune Concept looked very close to a production car. Now, with Summer upon us, Volkswagen has released some new photos of the Dune concept frolicking around sunny locations in Germany and pointing firmly towards a production version.