Toyota Recalls Fuel-Cell CarsThey're the first cars on the road that use hydrogen for fuel and now, six Toyota fuel-cell vehicles are the first cars of their kind to be recalled. Toyota was compelled this spring to recall all six of its experimental fuel-cell vehicles because of a potentially hazardous leak in the cars' fuel tanks. Four cars in Japan and two testing in California are affected by the recall, which was ordered after a car in Japan had a leak during refueling. Fuel-cell vehicles extract the energy from the chemical interaction of hydrogen and metal membranes to power vehicles. Some experts question the timeline, but car companies say we'll be driving more fuel-cell vehicles by the end of the decade.
Diamante Movin' On Up From Oz To IllIn the car business it's called "doing a Nissan" and Mitsu is the latest company trying a full-on extreme makeover to its big sedans. Japan's fifth-biggest car company says the next Diamante will share its undergear with the 2004 Galant shown earlier this year at the Chicago auto show. And by doing that, Mitsu makes it possible that the Diamante will be built in the U.S. and not in Australia as it is now. Mitsu is borrowing a page from Nissan, which has redone its platform strategy to pull multiple vehicles off one set of mechanicals, like the Maxima and Altima. In Mitsu's case, the list of spin-offs from its Project America kit keeps growing: the Galant, Diamante and Endeavor crossover will be joined next year by an all-new Eclipse sport coupe.
Xg350 Rubs Right WayWhile they tweaked the Santa Fe into better shape, Hyundai also gave some love to the very plain XG350. You might recognize the new grille and headlamps from some other more established brands - we see major Weber hibachi in the front end - but at least the profile is pure Lincoln LS. Or Mitsubishi Diamante. Or (fill in the blank here). For 2004, the brake rotors are bigger, the spare tire is full-size, and leather seats are now gratis. That's all very nice, but what the XG350 really has going for it is plenty of interior room, especially in the artificially lengthened L model, and a pleasant ride/handling combination that will make your business partners sort of envious of what is essentially a Korean Buick Century.
Clear Lenses Get Fined The clear lenses that look phat on sport compacts don't look so good to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA says that some of them don't meet government safety standards, and it's making some manufacturers of the parts pay. Earlier this year the agency fined American Products Co. $650,000 for making thousands of lenses that were out of compliance. APC says its products meet the rules and all its taillights are legit-and that the whole disagreement was a matter of interpreting the rules.
Fast And Furious Draws FireThose Fast and Furious movies draw big crowds and now the whole street-racing phenomenon is drawing the ire of a big California insurance lobby that thinks the movies and carmakers are glorifying speed. The Insurance Information Network of California says speed is a factor in 29 percent of all fatal crashes, and a director of the agency tells USA Today that sport brands like Mazdaspeed put too little emphasis on safety and too much on speed. The agency says that as a result of the shift in performance down to the compact class, buyers could start to see premiums rise on cars as pokey as stock versions of the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Matrix.