Toyota announce another recall which will affects nearly a quarter million cars in the Lexus luxury models.   Toyota is recalling 90,000 cars in Japan and may recall another 137,000 in the U.S. market at a later date.

Toyota did not specify the make or mode of the Lexus, but stated that there is a faulty valve spring which cause certain V8 and V6 engines to stall in traffic.

Toyota recently halted sales of the Lexus HS 250h hybrid and is recalling 13,000 vehicles sold due to a possible fuel leak in a rear end collision.

April 2010 US Auto Sales showed sizeable gains over depressed 2009 levels.  Ford and Nissian Motors led the way with double digit gains posting sales increases of over 25 pct. GM sales showed a positive increase of last year April sales figures.

Consumer confidence returned as Government stimulus packages helped stem the Greatest Recession in the post WW II era.  Expensive consumer items such as automobiles were hit hard as buyers curtailed spending as panic set in.

Recent gains in the stock market and a glimmer of hope that unemployment has stabilized helped April sales with large gains.

Ford, who did not require a bailout package, showed favorable quarterly profit of over $2B USD.  GM fared just as well by repaying bailout loans years ahead of schedule.

Approximately 167,000 Acura TSX vehicles made between ’04 – ’08 are are among the latest set of recalls issued by automobile manufacturers.  The affected TSX cars were sold in the US with the 2.4L inline 4-cylinder engine.

The power steering hose could crack causing fluid to leak onto a hot exhaust component which potentially cause smoke or fire.

Acura will replace the power steering hose, o-ring gasket and power steering fluid at no cost to the TSX owner.  Owners of affected cars will be notified of the recall starting at the end of May 2010.

For more recall information please visit: http://owners.acura.com/recalls/

Photo: alex4981

The LA Times reported an interesting story today where despite all the bailout money the US Taxpayers have given them, automakers don’t understand what we really want.

GM, Chrysler don’t get it – Los Angeles Times

After receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bailouts over the last few months, General Motors and Chrysler returned to Washington on Tuesday to shake their chrome-plated tin cups again.

In addition to begging for billions more in bailout funds, the automakers presented the Treasury Department with plans for how they will repay — eventually — their taxpayer-funded bailouts and get back on their feet.

Americans need cars that go farther on a gallon of gasoline, pollute less and save money at the pump.

Even if we give them more money — and we will — automakers need to embrace the will of the people.  If automakers meet California’s clean law to reduce polluting hydrocarbons, we will see more efficient automobiles that will withstand future gas price increases.

But this takes time.  It takes many years to develop a test a new car.  It’s something that is not done over night. America is to impatient to wait until 2015 for these cars.  The question you have to ask, will American automakers still be around by then?

Toyota announced at the Detroit Auto Show that it plans to sell lithium-ion battery plug-in hybrid vehicles to fleet customers in the US by 2010.

The plug-in hybrid typically plugs into a normal 120V or 240V outlet outfitted in household’s garages and charges the battery for the next days commute.

Read the full story

The Toyota Motor Corporation announced that they have started producing their best-selling Toyota Camry has in St. Petersburg Russia.

The initial plan for 2008 is set to produce 20,000 vehicles although the plant has the capacity to produce over 50,000.

Toyota invested over 200 million USD forming the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia (TMMR) and will employ approximately 600 employees at the start of production.

The latest creation of Toyota Motor Corporation namely Toyota Camry has been said to come fitted with moisture analyzers meant to check the humidity level of the air being emitted by the air conditioning system inside the vehicle. All of the intricate spare parts are coupled with the relevant multimeters to ensure smooth function of each part. Also, a map sensor is there to monitor and respond to every turn the driver makes.

So you just got a stock V6 Mustang and you want to make it faster. Well there are a few things you will or should know before you consider this. As im sure a few older gents on here would back me up on this post so here we go.

1. What are your long term goals for this new car?

2. What is your current budget to spend on this car?

3. Do you want to make it a daily driver? Trailer queen? or road course?

4. What is you basic knowledge of vehicles and electrical systems?

5. Do you have the time?

Alot of people want the fastest car, the best looking car or the loudest car. That is becuase everyone who owns a mustang gets the itch. And im not talking about down there, im talking about the power itch, the speed itch, the ability to take that corner at 55 and come out running. With most major bolt on mods, you can do them yourself with some specialty tools and a good set of hand tools. Some require welding, which most places can do for a flat rate of “X” amount of dollars where “X” is the hourly shop rate.

Now were going to get into the specific mods.

CAI- Cold Air Intake.

There are many different type of CAI available on the market. The fender well CAI places the air filter in the fender well to get cool air as it rushes under the passenger headlight. This is an excellent first mod, because all you need are some hand tools and the instructions.

Plastic vs. Metal

These are the two types of materials CAI come in. Some people like the metal chrome brushed ones because it adds a nice look under the hood. Unfortunately Metal heats up from outside sources(ie., engine bay) and internal friction of the air passing through it. Plastic on the other hand stays cool because it is not a conductor of heat. the engine bay heat or air friction will not cause this intake to heat up.

Mass Air Sensor and Housing

This is the peice that is inside your stock air box, and is, in my opinion, one of the bottle necks on the intakes today. The Mass Air Sensor, or MAS, measures the amount of air comming into the engine and sends that information to the ECU, where the ECU does its thing and tell Mr. Fuel Injector’s how much fuel to dump in accordance to the Air Fuel mixture. Lets say you have a 3″ (76.1mm) CAI and a stock MAS. You’ll be pulling in alot of air fairly quickly @ Wide open Throttle, or WOT. Lets do a in home test, if you have a cylindrical container about 6-12″ long get it. If it is open on both ends, blow threw it, and what happened? The air came out the other side with no problems, right? Now cover up 1/3rd of the other end and try again, little harder? Same concept on your intake. Still need convincing? Have you ever tried to vacuum up something to big for the vacuum? kinda struggled didn’t it? exactly.

Throttle Body

This is one of those black sheep parts where bigger isnt better. 99+ Stock I think has a 65mm Throttle Body, or TB from now on. If your not turbo, supered or No2′ed this mod shouldn’t be in the future until after a Power Adder, or PA.

Headers

Well, once again this is another mod that doesn’t really do anything for your vehicle unless you have significant mods and are going for a PA in the future, otherwise, youll get some hourse of “Fun”

Exhaust

The second mod most people will do if not the first on their mustang. When concidering an exhaust you have to take into account that a V6 will never sound like a V8, its impossible unless you buy 2 more cylinders. The stock V6 exhaust comes out of each exhaust manifold and “Y”‘s into on right after the catalytic converters. When buying a kit, you can either look for one that is complete, meaning comes with the Y adapter and passenger side hangers for the muffler and tailpipe. Or you can piece together one for a few bucks cheaper and hope it all fits. My advice, dont go cheap, becuase you get what you pay for. Which brings me to backpressure. When your choosing your exhaust make sure you dont go over 2.5″ or else youll lose backpressure. without backpressure the V6 will hate you and will not run right at all. You can go bigger then 2.5″ if your Turboed or Supercharged, other then that I wouldnt recommend it.

Exhaust Tips

We can get this one from our axis the ricers. Exhaust tips dont add HP they add noise, it is more of a placebo effect when you add 3.5″ tips on your 2.5″ exhaust, you think it is faster becuase the box says “adds upto 5 RWHP!!!” well it doesnt. But when you get in your car sounds louder then it did before, so you think its faster.

Under Drive Pulleys

There are a few out there some are cheap and some are expensive. What to look for when buying a set is the hardware they come with, instructions and a package deal. RPM-Outlet has 42% MotoBlue Underdrive Pulleys, or UDP from now on, for around $208 shipped. If you have a big stereo in your car, I would say 2000-5000Watts, you really want to be carefull of the UDP’s. They will slow your accessories a certain %, and could affect your cooling, charging and Air Condition. They wont affect every car, but there is a possibility. Steeda and ARP have some 25% UDP which are a little more expensive and, well your paying for the name mostly. Installation is about a 1-2 hour job depending on your mechanical level. Hint: A pulley Puller helps installation.

Your Acura dealer is generally your link between you and that Acura you have your eye on. For instance, you may be able to get a discounted special price using a dealer closer to your location. Before plunking down for a new car, do the research; a car is a huge investment. This is easy if you already know what make vehicle you want. Also, bear in mind that after paying for the car there are other costs involved, registration and licensing being just two.

When you go to your Acura dealer, remember that he wants your business. Knowing this and the fact that there are other dealers out there will take away the stress of shopping for a new car. Before even venturing inside the dealership, get quotes from other dealers for the same vehicle and let the dealer know that you have this information. Showing that you did your homework will enhance your bargaining power. You may even get quotes over the telephone or internet from the Acura dealer you will be visiting.

Don�t feel bad about bargaining, the sticker price is not the best price that the vehicle can be sold for. Ask questions if you are unsure of terms used and what you are getting for your money. The following tips can help you in getting the best deal:

Visit Edmunds.com and look for the True Market Value of the car you want. Calculate the advertised rebates (if any). Ask them for their best price based on what you know

Finally, if you are not comfortable doing business with a particular dealership or salesperson, take your business elsewhere. You cannot function at your optimal level if you are not comfortable with the person you are dealing with. Once you are satisfied that you are being offered a fair price, it’s time to seal the deal.

According to Don Rosen Imports, Porsche will launch a base version of its Cayman sports coupe priced at $49,400 in Europe and the United States on July 29.

Just like the more powerful Cayman S, it is derived from Porsche’s Boxster but the new model will this time share the soft-top roadster’s same mid-mounted 2.7-liter, six-cylinder engine instead of having its own.

The Cayman S was positioned to fit between the Boxster S and Porsche’s base 911 Carrera, the new Cayman will perform similarly to the Boxster but have the fixed roof of its more powerful sibling the Cayman S.

The base version Cayman will deliver a little extra horsepower of 245, allowing it to reach a top speed of 160 mph and finish the 0-62 mph sprint in 6.1 seconds. By comparison, the base Boxster’s top speed is 159 mph and it requires 6.2 seconds to hit 62 mph from a standstill.

In the Porsche Cayman S, Boxster S’s 3.2-liter flat six has been upped to 3.4 liters for duty in the Cayman S, and power has been upped accordingly to 295 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque, increases of 15 hp and 19 lb-ft.

The Cayman also gets stiffer springs, thicker anti-roll bars, different front-end styling, and new bodywork aft of the doors. The biggest difference, however, is in the driving. According to Porsche, the new steel roof doubles torsional rigidity; the handling and chassis communication are better than ever. [PRWEB]

Strange Development is planning to release their strut tower brace for the Ford Mustang GT coupe and convertible by mid April 2006. They are currently developing other suspension components, including a strut tower brace utilizing the same technology but made specifically for the V6 model Mustang. The GT owners can’t have all the fun.

The handling benefits of strut tower braces are enormous, and until now the additional performance was worth the additional weight. Mustang enthusiasts no longer have to compromise. Strange Development’s engineers developed a strut tower brace made from an aircraft aluminum alloy that makes your chassis stiff without adding unneeded weight. Strange Development’s strut tower brace is three times lighter than a conventional brace weighing in at 1.6lbs (26.3oz). [PRWEB]

Ford Motor Co. is offering 0 percent financing on the Ford Escape Hybrid for the first time ever.

Buyers in California and Washington, D.C., can finance the Escape Hybrid for no interest for 60 months. The offer begins Wednesday and runs through April 3.

California and Washington, D.C., are Ford’s two hottest hybrid markets, Ford spokesman Monte Doran said. “The real purpose is that we are continuing to raise awareness of the Escape hybrid,” he added.

The 0-percent offer cannot be combined with any of those other incentives.

Buyers in California and Washington can pick either zero-percent financing or rebates on the Escape Hybrid, which runs on both a traditional engine and a battery-powered motor, Doran said. The offer, which began on March 16th, ends in three weeks. [PRWEB]

See also Hayward Ford