Toyota: Fixes are working on recalled vehicles

Toyota maintains that the fixes being made to correct unintended acceleration in millions of recalled vehicles are sufficient. But at a press event Monday, company officials said they are willing to bring in as many independent researchers as needed to resolve the issue once and for all. “We don't think there is a ghost issue out there,” said Kristen Tabar, general manager of electronic systems at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Up in smoke: Smokey Yunick's garage burns

Legendary NASCAR mechanic Smokey Yunick closed the "Best Damn Garage In Town" long before he died in 2001. But the main concrete-block, tin-roofed building on Beach Street in Daytona Beach, Fla., remained a stop on the NASCAR history trail for visiting faithful until Monday night, when fire destroyed the building. The building housed Yunick's office and a medium-size garage and more recently served as office space for Carbon Press, the publishing company that Yunick's daughter, Trish, operates and which produces products that include Yunick's salty 1,100-page autobiography and biographies of other racing personalities.

Nissan strengthens Brazil connections with new design studio

Nissan has opened a new design studio in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Located within Nissan Brazil's headquarters, Nissan Design America – Rio (NDA-R) is operated as a satellite of the firm's studio in San Diego, California. Since November 2013, Robert Bauer has been leading a small team at NDA-R with two Brazilian designers: one color and trim designer and one exterior designer.