Honda Accord 01-02 Driver Wheel Air Bag, Passengers Dash Airbag, on 2040-parts.com

Chrysler reportedly set to expand Toledo assembly plant

The Chrysler Group is planning to expand its Toledo, Ohio, assembly complex, adding a second shift and more than 1,100 jobs to the operation that currently builds the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro SUVs, the Toledo Blade newspaper reported Thursday. The $365 million investment could be the first of several major expansions to Chrysler's Toledo operations, which also include production of the Jeep Wrangler at the nearby Toledo North Plant, the newspaper reported. The automaker disclosed the plans in documents filed in a city tax application that will be discussed by local officials at a meeting Thursday night, the report said.

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.

Mazda’s suitcase car is three-wheeled perfection

A lot of people complain about the fact that the future started years ago, and, yet, no one’s produced a viable flying car. That disappointment is misplaced. The real tragedy is that Mazda never mass produced the suitcase car.