2006 Saturn Vue Floor Center Console Gray 2604821 on 2040-parts.com

Mazda outlines weight-loss program

Mazda Motor Corp. will reduce its vehicle weights by at least 220 pounds beginning in 2011, with a combination of lighter-weight materials, smaller vehicle footprints and new engineering processes, a top executive says. The typical Mazda vehicle has gained 80 pounds with each successive redesign, “mostly in larger tires and wheels, and safety equipment,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president of product development and quality for Mazda North American Operations.

Toyota recalls Toyota Avensis & Lexus IS 250

Toyota recall the Avensis & Lexus IS 250 Toyota must have a sinking feeling of deja vu today, as the spectre of last year came back to haunt. 2010 was the year of the Toyota Recall, with millions of cars worldwide recalled to address the ‘Throttlegate’ issue of sticky accelerator pedals. But today’s recall announcement is not in that league, affects less than 20,000 cars in the UK (although over 1 million worldwide) and there have been no reports of any accidents relating to the recall in the UK.

Mercedes-Benz has big plans for small cars

Breaking outside its American position of rear-wheel-drive luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will launch its new front-wheel-drive architecture in the United States in the next three years in the form of a coupe, SUV and possibly a small wagon or compact hatchback. Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, said Mercedes is developing at least four models based on its MFA, or Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture. "We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.," Schmidt said in an interview.