02-06 Cadillac Escalde Center Console Wood Grain Cup Holder With Ash Tray on 2040-parts.com

Toyota recalls 550,000 vehicles for steering issue

Toyota has recalled 550,000 vehicles around the globe for a potential defect that could impact steering capabilities. The fix involves a replacement for the crankshaft pulley on V6 engines. Toyota said if the problem isn’t corrected, the belt for the power steering could become detached from the pulley, making it tough to steer.

Update: Google self-driving car is really just a transportation pod

Google will launch its own fleet of autonomous vehicle prototypes – with no steering wheels and no gas or brake pedals – as the technology giant begins a new phase of its self-driving car project. Google designed the car and plans to have about 100 test vehicles that are fully autonomous with extra safety features, company co-founder Sergey Brin said during a conference Tuesday hosted by technology blog Re/code in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. > See how Google's autonomous car navigates city streets here The New York Times reported Tuesday night that a Detroit-area manufacturer is building the cars for Google, which declined to name the manufacturer, according to the Times' story.

Michelin design contest inspires young minds

The College for Creative Studies in Detroit held its 24th Michelin Design challenge, in which Michelin sponsors a design and development project for one of CCS' transportation design classes. The competition works like this: CCS and Michelin get together to develop a theme, then CCS picks which transportation design class will work on the project. The idea, Michelin says, is to celebrate and promote the kind of vehicle design that highlights original thinking and innovation.