Catless Downpipe on 2040-parts.com

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.

Aston Martin Cygnet planned for 2011 production

Aston Martin said on Monday that the Cygnet--a reworked version of the Toyota iQ city car--will go into production in 2011. The Cygnet, which was shown as a concept car at the Geneva motor show in March, is just less than 10 feet long. "Our customers need a small car for urban and city use and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality," said Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez.

Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series and SLS AMG GT get UK price

The lesser of the two new offerings, the new SLS GT, will cost from £165,030 and gets an extra 20bhp over the standard SLS, taking its output to 591.bhp, with power driven to the rear wheels through the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed ‘box, with 0-62mph taking 3.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 199mph. If it matters, official economy is 21.4mpg and emissions 308g/km. Standard specification includes nappa leather and Alcantara for the AMG performance steering wheel, designo black leather with red stitching, AMG mats, B&O BeoSound AMG, red seat belts, 19″ alloys at the front and 20″ alloys at the back, carbon fibre mirrors, red brake calipers and AMG GT badges.