Today marked Day One in a two-day Congressional hearing focusing on the mountain of safety issues -- with unintended acceleration at the forefront -- which Toyota has yet, it seems, to account for.

The main attraction at the hearings was Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, who, despite initially deferring the chance to testify, appeared before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after a formal invitation was issued.

Toyoda began his testimony with a prepared statement, which he delivered in English, in which he personally apologized for "any accident that Toyota drivers have experienced," and promised that "Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to restore the trust of our customers." Toyoda switched to speaking Japanese and using an interpreter for the remainder of the hearing. 

Honda is bringing a three-wheel, one-person battery-electric concept to the Geneva auto show. It's called the 3R-C, and it's Honda's vision of what a green urban commuter car could look like.

This is for close-quarters maneuvering, so it's not big. The battery-electric drivetrain is mounted low in the chassis, which makes for a low center of gravity and improved stability.

 

I’ve been to a half-dozen driving schools. I’ve had the great fortune of one-on-one instruction and tips from some awesome race drivers, from 24 Hours of LeMans winners like Hurley Haywood to Indy racers Scott Goodyear and Roberto Guerrero.

           

But I don’t think I’ve ever learned as much about car control as I did in a reclaimed gravel pit in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, home of Team O’Neil Rally School. That’s where O’Neil (a former national rally-racing champion) and his merry band of instructors will teach anyone -- from budding racers to teenagers who haven’t earned a driver’s license -- how to be a better, stronger, safer driver. Faster, too, at least if we’re talking driving in dirt, mud or snow, the preferred surface for rally drivers and their intrepid, navigating co-drivers.

 

With Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda appearing before Congress tomorrow, those who have been following the recall fiasco in which the company now finds itself can expect some answers. One answer that has remained elusive, though, is whether or not faulty electronics, or at least electronic interference, could be responsible for unintended-acceleration issues.

Toyota's James Lentz, of course, has repeatedly said that electronics are not to blame; a former lawyer for the company is bringing a lawsuit alleging that electronics are precisely the problem; and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has questioned the company repeatedly and is looking into interference as a potential cause for a number of problems. 

General Motors today completed the sale of its Swedish Saab brand to Dutch luxury sports car maker Spyker Cars NV, marking the first successful sale of one of its four unwanted U.S. brands.

The transaction combines Saab Automobile and its 3,400 employees with Spyker Cars and its 110-plus workers.

“Saab's future is now secure,” Spyker CEO Victor Muller said in a statement. “We will be concentrating all of our efforts into reviving Saab and transforming it into a sustainable and profitable company with the confidence to be bold.”

The sale saves Saab from what appeared to be doom after Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg Group AB backed out of a planned purchase in November. But Spyker--whose logo bears a Latin phrase that translates, “For the tenacious, no road is impossible”--made an offer during Saab's wind down.

 

On a day that saw finalization of one sale of a former General Motors brand (Saab, to Spyker; more on that later today from AutoWeek), the drawn-out sale of another badge -- Hummer -- has run into serious problems.

According to the New York Times Dealbook blog, and re-reported by their automotive Wheels site, the deal is close to collapse due to "hostility from Chinese regulators and bank financing problems."

The $200 million sale, to the Chinese company Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., was supposed to be completed by September; since then GM has repeatedly extended the deadline, which now stands at the end of this week.

However, thanks to China's newfound focus on environmental issues, Tengzong has failed to win regulatory approval for the deal. 

The finish line is in sight for development of the next McLaren supercar, the MP4-12C. The project has entered the final phase of testing with a new round of prototypes that feature significant advancements from last year.

McLaren released film on Tuesday of two versions of the new testers, called the XP8 and the XP10, which it says are in the "beta phase" of development. They move the project closer to production guise with a new version of the M838T twin-turbo engine, transmission with new gear ratios, an improved cooling package, new suspension geometry and upgraded electrical architecture. The 3.8-liter V8 is expected to make about 600 hp and work in tandem with a seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox. The weight should come in at less than 3,000 pounds. Look for a sticker of about $230,000 when the car goes on sale in 2011.

 

Despite temporarily suspending recommendations for a whopping eight recalled models (a first in the magazine's history), Consumer Reports is reporting that Toyota has placed third in its 2010 Automaker Report Cards. (A carmaker's score is "based on the average of its vehicles’ overall scores in Consumer Reports’ road tests and their average predicted-reliability ratings from Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Survey.") The Toyota Prius remains the Top Green Pick, despite recent recalls to address braking issues.

Toyota places behind fellow Japanese carmakers Honda and Subaru, which take the one-two spots for delivering best all-around quality for American drivers. On the opposite end of the spectrum, beleaguered Chrysler has fallen off further than even last year, ranking dead last. According to the magazine: "Most models from the manufacturer have noisy, inefficient, unrefined powertrains; subpar interiors; and poor visibility."