1985-1987 Kawasaki Ninga Zx600 Rear Wheel on 2040-parts.com

Akio Toyoda waves family flag, heir makes crisis personal challenge

The reclusive Akio Toyoda is taking the rare step of waving the family flag, as the scion to Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding dynasty tries to steer the world’s largest car company out of a spiraling safety crisis. In testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Toyoda pursues a rare personal tack on the emergency, saying “my name is on every car.” “As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name,” Toyoda says in prepared comments circulated ahead of Wednesday’s committee hearing in Washington. “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.” The intimate reflection is a departure for Toyoda, who has spent most of his career sidestepping public discussion of his lineage.

AUTO SALES: GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota drag industry to 36% decline

General Motors, Ford Motor Co., American Honda and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. all reported sales declines of more than 31 percent in December as the U.S. auto industry capped its worst year since 1992.

Vauxhall's World Environment Day Initiative

By Ben Oliver Motor Industry 05 June 2007 06:43 Vauxhall is using World Environment Day to launch its latest green initiative - a hefty £1000 discount off your new car if you agree to scrap your old one. The incentive applies to all makes of trade-in, but only if you’re buying one of Vauxhall’s most efficient Corsa, Astra, Meriva or Zafira models. Which means no discounts on a VXR8.