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News watch December 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourFriday 30 December 2011• Fisker has recalled all 239 Karma plug-in hybrids manufactured between 1 July and 3 November this year to fix a glitch in its battery. Supplier A123 Systems says the problem affects the battery's cooling system, but Fisker is adamant no customers have complained and this is a precautionary step (Automotive News)• Supplier Continental says business looks brisk in the first quarter of 2012, thanks to strong demand in the US and Asia (Automotive News Europe)• Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda is gradually changing the culture at Japan's biggest car maker, according to the Detroit News.

Volkswagen has plans for yet another Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle is on its way back, and this time around, it will be focused more on driving dynamics than on efforts to resurrect the past. Expected to appear in concept form at the Los Angeles auto show late this year, the second-generation version of the modern-day Beetle goes on sale in the United States in May 2011. A convertible with a fabric top will follow about a year later.

Air-powered car edges closer to reality

FANCY a car that runs on thin air? We all would, and Peugeot is almost ready to turn it from science-fiction to science-fact. The firm is ready to actually demonstrate its Hybrid Air technology, where a 208 supermini runs partly on petrol and partly on compressed air, resulting in astonishing fuel economy figures topping 140mpg.