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NHTSA investigating Toyota Prius hybrid for steering-shaft concerns

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday it will look into whether steering shafts in Toyota Prius models spanning from 2004 through 2009 model years are defective. According to the Detroit News, NHTSA has already recalled the Toyota Prius twice for steering-shaft problems. In 2012, 669,000 Prius vehicles from 2004-2009 model years were recalled to replace the steering-shaft extension assembly.

New 2011 / 2012 Ferrari 612 is 4×4 Shooting Brake

The 2011 / 2012 Ferrari 612 will be a 4x4 Shooting Brake (render by Vandenbrink design) Last month we had an email in from Argentina pointing us towards spy shots published by Autoblog Argentina which seemed to be of an all wheel drive Ferrari 612. Which tied in very well with the story we ran over a year ago when we reported that a 4×4 platform for the next Ferrari 612 was a certainty, just six months after we reported Ferrari were working on four wheel drive hybrid propulsion system. But the Ferrari 4×4 setup is very different to the permanent all wheel drive system used by Lamborghini.

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.