Honda Stepwgn 1997 Front Left Door Glass [1913230] 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.

How Fisker fell apart

At last week's politically charged congressional hearing on the troubles of Fisker Automotive, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that the company had "no business acumen" and that "taxpayers have effectively subsidized luxury novelty vehicles for the likes of Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore." Ouch. Republicans eager to score points against President Obama had a field day last week with Fisker.

New Jaguar XE launch – watch it LIVE on Cars UK

New Jaguar XE launch – watch it LIVE on Cars UK (below) The new Jaguar XE launch is finally upon us, and you can tune in to Cars UK live at 7.15pm UK time (2.15pm EDT) to see exactly what Jaguar’s take on the BMW 3 Series has to offer. Despite tonight being the official reveal, we already know quite a bit about the new XE. Underpinning the new XE will be Jaguar’s new aluminium iQ Al platform – which will also underpin the Jaguar SUV when that arrives – promising less weight than the 3 Series and better economy thanks to its lower weight.