Ford recalls more than 465,000 vehicles

Ford Motor Co. said it is recalling more than 465,000 vehicles in several popular models -- including the 2013 Ford Fusion sedan -- after discovering problems with fuel-delivery modules, engine-block heaters and missing steering-gear parts. A Ford spokeswoman said today that three different recalls for several of its best-selling cars were sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week.

Volvo testing new safety features

Volvo outlined three new technologies that it says will help make the Volvos of the future a good deal safer: autonomous driving, “Intersection Support” and animal detection. Volvo says it's tailoring technologies to the way people drive, by which it means poorly. The company claims that “surveys from three different research institutes in the United States reveal that modern drivers spend 25 to 30 percent of their time behind the wheel doing other things, such as focusing on mobile communication.” Volvo's new technologies are said take this into account and “provide the driver with the right support at all times.” By using a camera and radar, future Volvos will be able to follow the car in front while driving in slow traffic using an autonomous-driving function.

A first look at the Audi TT RS plus

Audi is taking aim at the new Porsche Boxster and its yet-to-be-revealed sister model, the upcoming second-generation Cayman, with a spectacular 174-mph version of the TT RS, pictured here officially for the first time. Called the TT RS plus, the powered-up coupe and roadster pairing is set to join what is shaping up as a formidable display of new Audi models--including the third-generation A3 and the RS4 Avant--at the Geneva motor show in early March. The centerpiece of the new range-topping TT is a tuned version of Audi's turbocharged 2.5-liter, five-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine as used by the go-fast TT RS, the RS3 Sportback and the limited-production A1 quattro.