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Sports fans vote Indy 500 the top 'bucket list' event

Just days away from the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500, the so-called "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" has been selected as the "Best Bucket List Sports Event" by sports fans. Or at least those sports fans polled by USA Today. In case you're unfamiliar with the concept of a bucket list, it's a compilation of cool stuff you've gotta do before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

News watch December 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourFriday 30 December 2011• Fisker has recalled all 239 Karma plug-in hybrids manufactured between 1 July and 3 November this year to fix a glitch in its battery. Supplier A123 Systems says the problem affects the battery's cooling system, but Fisker is adamant no customers have complained and this is a precautionary step (Automotive News)• Supplier Continental says business looks brisk in the first quarter of 2012, thanks to strong demand in the US and Asia (Automotive News Europe)• Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda is gradually changing the culture at Japan's biggest car maker, according to the Detroit News.

Corvette-powered Karmas coming in 2014

VL Automotive, a Detroit venture backed by former General Motors' vice chairman Bob Lutz, is moving ahead with plans to convert Fisker Karma from hybrid power to Corvette power. Lutz told Automotive News on Thursday that the company has bought 25 unsold Karmas and has settled a dispute with an Asian investor that prevented VL from accessing the codes that operate the Karma's infotainment system. "Without getting those codes, it was close to impossible to get a working car," Lutz said.