The issue with the 911 is because there could be interference with the coolant and fuel line, which in some cases could mean that the fuel line could become disconnected to the connector, if this happens then fuel could leak causing a misfire or in some cases the car could stall, which could be dangerous in certain situations and could even catch fire.

Those who have affected vehicles will be notified by Porsche and have their car booked in to be repaired for free, this should begin in April. For those who fear they have an affected model should contact Porsche on 1-800-767-7243. More details can be found by visiting the NHTSA website.

As for BMW the issue is much worse because there are 1.3 million vehicles being recalled due to a potential issue with the battery-cable cover, we are told that this is one of the largest recalls for the German automaker. There are cases where the cable cover that is inside the trunk/boot could be fitted incorrectly, if this is the case then there could be a failure with the electrical system, which could lead to a possible fire risk.

BMW 5 and 6 Series built between 2003 and 2010 could be affected so you are advised to contact your local dealer or customer service in your region; thankfully there have been no reports of injury. Those affected by the recall will be notified by BMW soon and the free fix will only take 30 minutes to resolve. Again more details on this recall can be found by heading over to the WSJ.

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We already knew what the car was going to look like from some concept images, but was finally nice to see the first pictures of Citroen’s flagship model on the streets ahead of its big unveiling during the Beijing Motor Show. The images that you can see either here or in one of the videos below gives you the chance to see the actual first shots, and it’s easy to see that the DS9 has been inspired by the concept C6-based Metropolis.

There have already been a few production DS models for Europe, these are the DS3, DS4 and the DS5; all are good in their own way but nothing like the DS9. We have yet to receive any firm details on specs, what the interior will look like or even price – let’s hope that Citroen feel a little generous next month.

According to one report we should expect a spacious interior, well they need to because this car will be aimed at the Chinese business market. This is a shrewd move by Citroen because it’s a known fact that the Chinese auto market is growing at an alarming rate and big automakers need to stay ahead of the game, as Chinese car manufactures are also trying to prosper, even if their vehicles are inferior – for now.

Back to the car itself, we do expect the DS9 to be powered by a 2-liter V6 engine but will get additional power from an electric motor, the two should be able to deliver around 460bhp and give off just 70g/km of CO2 emissions, which would be pretty impressive for such a large car.

Because the DS9 is still in the concept stage a number of things that you see in those images and videos may not make it to the production model, two things that could be lost are those wing mirrors and even those awesome looking wheels – well they’re not practical for the business market. However, we do expect the design of the DS9 to stay pretty much the same – well we hope.

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The company is making a total of two recalls that is affecting almost 700,000 vehicles, and according to The New York Times the recall is down to a steering wheel flutter and a trace of silicone grease. This latest recall by the company is affecting 187,000 Venzas manufactured between 2009 and 2011 and Camrys manufactured in 2009.

There are also 495,000 Tacoma pickups that were made between 2005 and 2009. The issue affecting the Camrys and Venzas is down to a trace of silicone grease that may affect the stop lamp switch, which may lead to a number of problems that include the failure of the brake light. It can also stop the vehicle from starting, and prevent the automatic transmission out of the park position.

It was found that the grease was building up on the gloves of the workers building the vehicles who later touched the stop lamp switch. The Tacomas are being recalled because the driver’s air bag may not work in the event of an accident. The company started looking into the problem after receiving a number of complaints from owners who had to pay out for repairs to the warning lights were activated, but the vehicles were not covered by the warranty.

Owners complained to the NHTSA as it was costing up to $800 to fix the problem, and the company eventually found that a steering wheel flutter was causing friction on a cable, which in turn affected circuits used for the air-bag assembly. This would then mean the warning lights would illuminate, and if left untouched could also mean the air bag not triggering in an accident.

The company has said they will refund owners that have already paid out for a repair, and can claim the money back if they have proof of the work being done, and also promised to contact owners about a fix for the issues.

Do you own one of the vehicles involved in the recall?

More About: Toyota Recall 2012

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The company is all set to reveal its new model at the Geneva Motor Show that gets underway next week. According to an article over at CNN Money the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is set to replace the 599 as the car maker’s top of the range offering. Currently the 599 has a starting price of around $310,000, so for the majority of us we will have to keep dreaming of that big lottery win.

Ferrari’s new model will be driven by a 730hp 6.3 liter V12 power plant, and will get the F12 Berlinetta to 60mph from standing in around three seconds, which is the quickest time of any Ferrari. The new model will also have a top speed of 211 mph.

The F12 Berlinetta is not just about speed though as it is also more fuel efficient to the tune of thirty percent compared to the 599. This will help the car achieve around 17 miles for every gallon when be used in the city as well as the highway. The new model is a mid-front-engined coupe, with the V12 engine being positioned in the car as far back under the hood as possible. This has been done to maximize the cars balance and center of gravity.

Ferrari is also promising great space and comfort inside the car even though it has an overall smaller size. Meanwhile the company has seen record sales and profits with 7,200 cars being sold around the world last year, with almost 2,000 of those sales in the US. Do you like the look of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta?

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The recall was announced today and will include the 2008 and 2009 model with 45,000 vehicles in total, the models in the list are the Odyssey EX-L and Touring vans. Owners of the affected vehicles will begin to receive notification from March 13, which does seem a little too long to wait for those who are now worried their support rods on their tailgate could fail.

The risk could be serious because if the tailgate does come down on someone’s head it could cause an injury, without these struts taking the weight of the tailgate they are very heavy and will fall with a great amount of force.

According to a recent article there have been two incidents where injuries have occurred, thankfully both were not serious. Honda reports that this is a manufacturing flaw where gas can leak from the struts, so you are advised to be careful if you have reason to believe you have an Odyssey minivan that could be affected by this recall.

Once Honda put the recall into effect owners can check out recalls.honda.com or call (800) 999-1009 and select option 4. If your vehicle has been identified as a faulty model then all you need to do is visit your local Honda garage to get the problem fixed for free. The Odyssey has been involved in two recalls in the past couple of years one in 2010 and another in 2011, the former was for a braking issue (see video below) and the second for windshield wiper issues.

As for the ATVs the list of VIN models can be seen in an article here, which is the two-wheeled drive 2012 Honda FourTrax Rancher. There have been four incidents involving the weld failures on the suspension arm, there have not been any serious injuries expect for a sprained wrist. It’s good news to hear this but we cannot help but fear something worse could happen if action was not taken; you are advised to visit this website or call (866) 784-1870.

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The vehicle itself is ideal for your everyday needs but for those who plan to travel a little further or wishes to purchase or deliver a few extra items, then the Smart Fortwo ED is not the vehicle for you. It’s for this reason why Rinspeed decided to give the small car another axle to make the electric Smart Fortwo appealing to a far greater market.

This add-on could be perfect for Pizza delivery companies or those of you who love to partake in winter sports. This is still in concept form and will be on show during the Geneva Motor Show next month, but we have to warn you that Rinspeed has teased us with concepts in the past only to leave us wondering why they never made it to production.

The Dock+Go is like an extra energy pack, which will either be fitted with extra batteries or a range extender. The third axle is said to drive the second axle and in doing so will also charge up the internal batteries on the car itself and what extra power you have left from the auxiliary batteries can even be used to power your home or you could sell it back to the national grid – in theory anyway.

The Dock+Go is not all about giving you a greater range but also about proving extra storage space and could be modified to keep those pizzas warm or other products cold. The new Fourtwo that will be docked with the concept rear axle will also have a few upgrades, such as a 12.1-inch monitor on the dash and a new Harman soundsystem with gesture control. We do hope to see this concept on the streets soon because it would be a crime not to see this make it to production.

Let’s say for arguments sake that the Dock+Go does become a reality how much would you pay for the two vehicles and what would you do if you had one? For more details on this visit eMercedesBenz.

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The 2012 auto shows have already kicked off and Geneva is just the next in line but is considered to be one of the most important, as the European market is big business and the fact that some of the best automakers reside there as well. There will be a total of 260 exhibitors showing off new and concept models and the press will be able view 70 conferences before the public even get to see these models, although they will feature them heavily on their online publications.

It’s so hard to tell what the standout vehicles will be this year but you can bet they will all be trying to outdo each other, but it’s already easy to see there will be a handful of models that will be generating more interest than others, although this will depend on taste, needs and budget.

One such model is the new GranTurismo Sport and while it’s not a replacement for the aging model we have to consider this a stepping stone, the latest addition will replace the current S model and will come with an improved 4.7-liter V8, which goes from the current 434hp to 460. It’s not just under the hood that has been improved the front fascia now has a far more aggressive look, as does the grille and air apertures. The interior will also see a few improvements such as a new steering wheel and front and rear seats as well, there are currently no details on a release date or price.

Ferrari has been doing all they can to try and make their cars more fuel-efficient but that doesn’t mean they have forgotten their roots, and the upgraded California is proof of this. The guys over at Maranello have worked their magic to give us a lighter more powerful version of this sexy looking car, having shaved off 30 kilograms of weight and increased power by another 30 horsepower. The New Ferrari California will now hit 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds but we cannot put it all down to the upgrades mentioned above, the new ECU and exhaust manifold also play their part as well. Europe will get the refreshed model first with other markets following later.

While it’s easy to get lost in what the big boys will be showing off we have to remember that these shows are more for the typical consumer, so it stands to reason why the 2012 Kia Cee’d could be of interest to everyday drivers. We have to admire how far this automaker has come in the past five years because in the past their designs have been a little on the boring side, but looking at the new Cee’d is like looking at what Ford is now doing. This small hatch might not have the same kind of performance upgrades as other models coming to the show, but it’s hard not to appreciate beauty when you see it. The interior has also seen an upgrade but not as much as we had hoped, although we still see it as a vast improvement on the current model.

The Geneva Motor Show would not be what it is today without the concepts that we get to see, and the press will have a field day with two models coming to the event in a couple of weeks. The first is the Infiniti hybrid sports car concept, which they have named the Emerg-E. There are currently no official images but there have been one or two computerized models leaked and it’s easy to see why Infiniti does not want to spoil the surprise, but we do know the car will use a combination of an internal-combustion engine and an electric powertrain. The system will be similar to what the Fisker Karma uses and not the Prius, so should achieve much better performance than the latter – well it has to with a design like what we expect.

Finally Jeep is to show off three models the first two are concepts intended for production, while the other is a special edition model. The Jeep Grand Cherokee (if it goes to production) will come with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine and have a sporty exterior and interior and a number of different technologies to make driving both safer and easier. Second up there will be the Jeep Compass, which is considered to be a compact off-roader but if we had to choose then we would have to go for the special edition Jeep Wrangler Mountain because it looks so raw. If you ever want an off-road vehicle to stand out in the crowd then this is it, but most of this is due to the Gecko green color.

These are just a handful of what the press will get to see two days sooner than the public at the Geneva Motor Show 2012, but if these are not to your liking then maybe the videos below might be of more interest to you?

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It’s not just the auto industry that will suffer if the price of oil keeps rising the economy will as well because consumer confidence will be knocked. The US economy is still in a very weak state and it was thought that trouble in Europe would be the biggest threat, but things will soon settle now that a deal has been reached to help bailout Greece.

There could not be a worse time for the price of a gallon of gas to go up because the Auto Shows are now in full swing, and they need consumers to not have to worry if they will be able to afford to run a new vehicle, which could deter them from making a purchase. However, this could work in the favor of the more fuel-efficient vehicles but then again you will have to pay a higher price for these, which could cause an issue.

Barack Obama will not be happy because this latest news will be used against him in the run up to the Presidential Election, some will say this is out of his control while others could suggest it because of his party’s policies that have brought this on in the first place.

We have learned from an article here that the national average in April could increase to around $4 to $4.25 per gallon, this could beat the previous all-time high of $4.11 back in June 2008. If this does happen then consumers will not only be affected but also businesses as well because their gas bills could begin to soar out of control, which is something the Obama administration does not want.

There’s another worst-case scenario because some analysts are predicting prices could increase to $5 per gallon, which if happened would do serious damage to not only the US economy but the rest of the world as well. Having said that there seems to be a consensus that the price of a barrel of oil is about to hit its peak and could begin to fall once again, but don’t expect the price you pay at the pump to fall right away because we are always the last to see a benefit.

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Things were looking pretty good for the California-based company until the U.S. Department of Energy decided not to give them the full amount of the intended $529 million loan, and because they were around $336 million short the automaker had to layoff 65 workers. Analysts will have varying views on this; some will say things are fine while others suggest this is the end for Fisker.

Autoblog has been reporting that the Obama Administration could be to blame for reducing the loan amount but could they really go out of business without the loan? It’s hard to feel sympathy for an automaker because of the bailouts other carmakers have had in the past, and while this comes out of taxpayers money it’s always Joe public who ends up paying in the end.

While the idea of the Fisker Karma and Nina are great for the environment we have to wonder why they should be given such treatment from the government, then again isn’t it better to help a company such as this compared to a multi-billion dollar company like General Motors?

Fisker has only been around since 2007 and the thought of helping a company out that is looking to the future is surely worth the risk, although when you consider how much Fisker is asking for their models it does leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Maybe Fisker is going about it all wrong, instead of trying to get loans from the DOE they should start canvassing for more private investors who share the same vision as the automaker. However, they need to be careful because they are already in trouble with one investor who is now trying to sue them.

There is one other issue that the Karma has, which could be affecting interest from other investors and that’s the thought of achieving the same fuel economy as the Prius hybrid. While Toyota’s vehicle will not be able to achieve the same kind of speeds some drivers would rather trade this off when compared to the cost, and this could be the main reason why investors are slow in coming forward.

More About: Electric Vehicles, Fisker Automotive

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The first of the two limited edition models is still in the planning stage and so there have only been a few renders, and this is for the Jon Olsson Lamborghini Aventador. Many of you will already know that the Gallardo had already seen this treatment, so it’s time to see what the latest Raging Bull will look like with the signature ski box and camouflage finish.

If we do see a version of this car then it shouldn’t be long before it makes an appearance, as Olsson may want to show it off before he begins the Gumball 3000 rally in May, although he will be also showing off his Rebellion R1K Ultima as well.

The second Special Edition Lamborghini Aventador is the one from RENM Performance, and it’s easy to see this will not be just a paint job and a fancy ski box. This German tuning company has breathed their magic to make this one truly special aftermarket custom job.

Some of the features include a Inconel/titanium exhaust with both road/race spec, revamped ECU and an improved air intake to give the Aventador between 7 to 10 percent more power. Because these custom jobs are all done by hand the performance of each one will vary a little, but if you are looking for more power then you can also change to a higher-grade fuel as well.

Because of the extra power RENM has had to lower the suspension and make a few revisions to the aerodynamics, which means that you will have a better performing car that will still stick to the road like glue – well as long as you don’t try to push it too much.

We currently have no figures on how much faster this version will be but it could be around 383km/h going on a 10 percent increase. However, we have to remember that a 10 percent increase in power will not make it go that much faster, as the air is much thicker at that speed and requires a huge performance increase just to gain an extra 15km/h.

More About: Lamborghini, Lamborghini Aventador, Supercars

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