Hurth 630 A Marine Gear. on 2040-parts.com

Akio Toyoda waves family flag, heir makes crisis personal challenge

The reclusive Akio Toyoda is taking the rare step of waving the family flag, as the scion to Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding dynasty tries to steer the world’s largest car company out of a spiraling safety crisis. In testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Toyoda pursues a rare personal tack on the emergency, saying “my name is on every car.” “As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name,” Toyoda says in prepared comments circulated ahead of Wednesday’s committee hearing in Washington. “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.” The intimate reflection is a departure for Toyoda, who has spent most of his career sidestepping public discussion of his lineage.

BMW 3-series (2012) goes all-wheel drive

BMW's latest 3-series model is gaining all-wheel drive in an effort to win over buyers otherwise seduced by Audi's Quattro drive. The option is part of a wider extension of the BMW 3-series range, which will include a hybrid, and the ever-popular M Sport trim design. Is rear-wheel drive dead at BMW?

Garmin's Glass Cockpit

Consumers want in-car navigation—it's a popular feature. Yet once they have it, they're often dissatisfied. Nearly half of them downloaded apps to supplement the system in their car, according to a 2012 Garmin.