LA Motor Show 2013 preview guide

According to the show's organisers, the 2013 LA Motor Show is the 'mother of all shows' - how wonderfully American! It runs from 20 November to 1 December at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and although it's not the biggest motor show on Earth, it does boast a fair number of world debuts and 'first reveals' – many of which we’ve rounded up in the following gallery. Tickets cost $10 (£6.22) during the week and $12 (£7.47) at weekends.

Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.

Nissan 370Z GT Edition launched

The black or white Nissan 370Z GT Edition It’s not always the first thing that springs to mind when  you think about Nissan, but they have had a fair chunk of success in GT racing, going all the way back to the ’70s. So with the ‘Limited Edition’ being one of the car makers’ favourite marketing tools, there is a certain logic in looking back to the ’70s for inspiration for the latest limited edition Nissan 370Z – the Nissan 370Z GT Edition. For those old enough – or for Nissan Z Car nutters – the retro graphic on the side will bring to mind the early Datsun 240Z.