Volkswagen Jetta Engine Brain Box Electronic Control Module; 2.8l 97 on 2040-parts.com

Toyota: Runaway Prius accounts ‘inconsistent' with testing

Toyota is challenging the accounts of a motorist whose Prius sped out of control last week in San Diego, calling his reports of the incident “inconsistent” with the initial findings of the company. Toyota released the results after two days of testing on a 2008 Prius hybrid that sped out of control last week in California, and it maintained that the car's brakes and throttle functioned properly. The now-infamous incident occurred on March 8, when a Prius driven by James Sikes was reported in a 911 call to be speeding uncontrollably.

2014 Porsche Cayman gets a performance-testing iPhone app

To promote the new 2014 Cayman, Porsche has cooked up an iPhone app called “Cayman Code of the Curve.” You're probably already rolling your eyes at the prospect of another automaker app that is little more than a downloadable advertisement, but this seems to be something different -- the app is designed to record your driving performance in real-time and then share results with friends. Porsche enthusiast site flatsixes.com has an exclusive first look at the app, which is still in development but is reported to be coming “soon.” Based on preliminary screenshots provided by Porsche, the app instructs users to set up a variety of courses -- cone slalom, autocross and reaction-time challenge courses are shown -- then uses the iPhone's internal accelerometer and GPS receiver to track and record your performance. You'll also be able to use the app's “record your curve” function to share favorite drives with friends on Facebook.

Pininfarina Nido microcar brings safety, spunk to exhibition in Japan

The Pininfarina Nido, the quirky pedestrian-friendly microcar from the 2004 Paris auto show, is being dusted off for another showing. This time, it will appear as part of an exhibit to bring Italian culture and innovation to Japan. The event runs from Sept.