Complaints to a database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the popular Toyota Prius hybrid grew by nearly 1,000 in just over a week.
On Monday, Transportation Department spokeswoman Olivia Alair said NHTSA is quickly gathering information to help guide the governments examination of sudden acceleration, the Prius braking system and other safety issues.
Toyota Motor Corp. has recalled 8.5 million vehicles globally during the past four months because of problems with gas pedals, floor mats and brakes, threatening the safety and quality reputation of the worlds No. 1 automaker. The government typically receives a surge in complaints following - - - - >

“India will play a pivotal role in Toyotas global expansion plans,” Vice Chairman Kazuo Okamoto said today at the Delhi Auto Show. “The time has come for us to strategically accelerate our growth here.”
Toyota, General Motors Co. and Honda Motor Co. all unveiled new models at the show, threatening Suzukis goal of maintaining a 50 percent share of a market likely to double by 2015, according to the government. Automakers are boosting investments in India and China, likely the worlds biggest auto market last year, as - - - - >

“There will be more choices and some of Suzukis market share will be eaten up,” said Puneet Gupta, a New Delhi-based analyst at consultant CSM Worldwide Inc. Maruti, the Indian unit of Hamamatsu, Japan-based Suzuki, may lose up to 5 percentage points in the next two years, he said.
The carmakers will unveil the models at the Delhi auto show starting tomorrow to attract Indias 50 million middle-class consumers. Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG are all building plants and introducing new cars in - - - - >

The 62-year-old engineer, who designed the Fiat diesel engine in the 1990s that became an industry standard and powers some of Europes most energy-efficient cars, has a new invention he says will cut fuel consumption by at least 10 percent. His work is at the heart of the Fiat technology that Chrysler said was worth $10 billion when they formed the alliance.
“We needed to do something radical with the gasoline engine,” Rinolfi said in an interview at Fiats research center in the northern city of Turin, - - - - >

The central government intends to combine the nations 14 largest automakers into 10 by 2011 as part of plans to curb competition and create larger players able to invest in developing more sophisticated vehicles. Consolidation will only be possible if local authorities are prepared to endanger jobs and taxes by surrendering control of carmakers set up under Communist reforms dating back to the 1950s.
“The provincial governments are a tremendous obstacle for industry consolidation,” said Michael Dunne, managing director of JD Power & Associates China, an automotive - - - - >

In crash tests released Tuesday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart “fortwo,” Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant leg and head injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger, mid-size vehicles.
“There are good reasons people buy mini cars. Theyre more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests,” said Adrian Lund, the institutes president.
Automakers who manufacture the small cars said the tests simulated a high-speed crash that rarely happens on the road. They also said the tests rehashed past insurance industry arguments - - - - >