Archived Auto News and Events for February 2010

GM Will Entertain Offers While Shuttering Hummer
Although a Chinese machinery maker's effort to purchase Hummer from General Motors collapsed, offers by previous bidders are now being reconsidered before the line is shut down for good.

Consumer Reports Issues Annual Top Ten
Although Toyota is enduring more than its fair share of bad publicity with key executives including CEO Akio Toyoda testifying before a Congressional committee, the Lexus 460L claimed top honors as best overall vehicle in the annual Consumer Reports list of the Ten Best Cars.

Internal Toyota Document Points to Slow Safety Response
An internal document from 2009 seems to indicate that Toyota Motor Corp. saved in excess of $100 million by pressing regulators in the United States to accept an inexpensive fix for unintended acceleration issues in given models.

Toyota President Agrees to Appear Before Congressional Committee
In a reversal of his previous position, Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., has now agreed to testify before a congressional committee next week as part of an ongoing investigation of his company's recent safety issues and recalls.

Tesla Employees Killed in Plane Crash
A private plane owned by an executive with Tesla Motors crashed on the morning of Wednesday, February 17, 2010 near Palo Alto, California killing all three people on board.

Mercury to Gain Small Model Built on Focus Platform
Ford's Mercury brand will gain a new member of its line-up, built on the same platform as the Ford Focus. The new Mercury will debut in 2011 and may be called the Tracer.

Fiat Gambles on Resurgence of Russian Auto Market
A new joint venture between Fiat S.p.A. and Russian Sollers will be backed by $2.76 billion in subsidized loans from state-controlled Russian banks to revive the nation's faltering automotive industry.

Congress Widens Toyota Probe to Include NHTSA
The Congressional probe of Toyota's safety issues has widened, with a request by the House Energy Committee for five leading insurance companies to provide regulators with reports of unintended acceleration incidents going back to 2000.

Toyota Plans Recall of Prius Hybrid
According to a report in the Nikkei business daily, embattled Toyota Motor Corp. will recall the Prius hybrid in the United States, China, Japan and more than 50 other countries to address a problem with the brakes slipping.

With Prius Recall Contemplated, Toyota in a State of Crisis
Toyota's nightmare of faulty equipment and worse public relations continues as the company considers a recall of the 2010 Prius hybrid in the United States and Japan over brake issues that have prompted investigations in both countries.

Toyota Execs Deny Electronics Related to Sticking Accelerators
Although Toyota has apologized to its customers and begun a program to repair a sticking accelerator that led to both a recall and a halt in production, the company's problems may not be over, with the U.S.

Toyota Announces Accelerator Fix
Toyota Motor Corp. has announced the development of a fix for the accelerator issue on the 2.3 million vehicles it recalled on January 21. Drivers will be able to seek repairs at dealerships beginning this week, some of which will be open 24 hours a day to work on the repair.