No doubt in an effort to bolster its image during a brutal period of media and consumer scrutiny over the way it has handled recalls affecting more than 8.5 million vehicles, Toyota is offering free at-home pickup of recalled vehicles. Toyota will also pay for transportation expenses incurred by owners during the fix time, as well as provide rental cars -- again, at no charge -- for customers while their cars are being repaired. The services, according to Toyota executives, will be specifically tailored on a case-by-case basis. 

Ford will tout its redesigned 2011 Super Duty pickup as the “most capable, fuel-efficient” heavy-duty truck on the market in a national advertising campaign that launches in April.

The Super Duty, which goes on sale that same month, offers Ford's all-new, 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel engine. It will have 735 lb-ft of torque, 390 hp and “class-leading” fuel economy, Ford said. That's 85 lb-ft and 40 hp more than the 2010 pickup.

Ford also will offer a 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine with 385 hp and 405 lb-ft--85 hp and 40 lb-ft more than the current 5.4-liter V8 gas engine.

 

The auto industry is still feeling the effects of 2009 in a big way. While last year left heavy hitters like General Motors and Chrysler bankrupt and bowed before Congress, it also saw a few unlikely stars shine above the rest. Two of those were Hyundai and Kia. The Korean automakers actually saw a sales increase as buyers migrated from the faux luxury of domestic manufacturers to more economical offerings with otherworldly warranties. While Kia is gearing itself toward a more youthful market with cars like the Soul and Forte Koup, Hyundai seems to have its heart set on moving up in the world. Need proof? Look no further than the upcoming hybrid version of their Sonata sedan. 

One thing that's been a nagging question in the back of my mind while reading about the congressional hearings regarding Toyota defects is: Since Akio Toyoda is the grandson of the founder, also surnamed Toyoda and the for whom the company was named, where does the spelling with a "t" come from?

Turns out, there are several reasons for the change.

Sakichi Toyoda was originally in the textile business with Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd., which he established in 1926. When he branched out into the automotive world, he decided to use a similar format for the name of his new company. To that end, he created a contest, open to the public, for a new logo design, which you can see after the jump. 

Batteries are big and heavy.

Therein lies one of the most vexing problems currently facing electric vehicles and hybrids. A battery powerful enough to propel a car must, due to current technological limitations, be quite large; it must also be pretty heavy; that weight requires more power to move the vehicle, which shortens the range. (The almost complete lack of a charging station infrastructure in this country doesn't help matters when it comes to range anxiety and the like.)

Volvo is trying to solve that problem. They're hardly alone in the quest, of course, nor is their approach -- ultracapacitators to supplement the battery -- groundbreaking; many companies are working on an ultracapacitator solution. (Ultracaps, as they're sometimes called, can quickly store and discharge energy).

What is novel, though, is the idea to integrate the ultracapacitators into the structure of the vehicle itself. 

General Motors will wind down its Hummer brand after a proposed sale to China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. Ltd. fell through.

Tengzhong “was unable to complete the acquisition,” GM said Wednesday in a statement. The Chinese company was waiting for Chinese government approval of the sale.

PRESS RELEASE: Hummer Sale to Tengzhong Cannot be Completed; wind down of HUMMER business to begin

DETROIT -- General Motors today announced that Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. (Tengzhong) was unable to complete the acquisition of HUMMER. As a result, GM will begin the orderly wind-down of the HUMMER operations.

 

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.