GM Replacing 120-volt Charging Cords on Most Chevy Volts, but Don't Call it a Recall

All owners of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and some of the 2012 model will soon be notified by GM to replace their 120-volt charging cords with new ones after certain consumers complained about overheating problems. GM spokesman Randal Fox told Reuters that he did not know the total number of the vehicles affected, but said it was fewer than the 11,000 or so Volts sold so far in the States. He also made a point to note that this was not a safety recall.
"It's just an effort to offer a more consistent charging experience. It's not a safety recall. It's more of a customer-satisfaction program," Fox said.
"We made some enhancements to the design to add some durability and reliability. For example, GM increased the cord's cable size to enhance durability," he added.
In most cases, Volt owners will receive the new cords when they bring their cars in for the battery enhancement's to address safety concerns over fires, according to Fox. He added that the new 120-volt cords will not change recharging time and the swap does not involve the 240-volt cords.

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Mercedes to Drop R-Class from its U.S. Lineup

It's official: some seven years after the presentation of the U.S.-built R-Class, Mercedes-Benz's multi-purpose crossover model will be gradually phased out in the States as there won't be a 2013 model, however, it will continue to be offered in overseas markets.
Mercedes-Benz USA spokesperson Chrisitan Bokich confirmed the news to Carscoop and added that company's three other SUV/crossover models including the GLK, M-Class and the larger GL, cover the market's needs.
"It's true that there will be no model year 2013 R-Class in the U.S. Over the years since the R-Class was introduced, we have expanded our light truck model offering significantly and these vehicles are outselling the R-Class to the extent that we can no longer make the business case for continuing to offer the R-Class," Bokich told us in an email today.
We also asked Bokich about Mercedes-Benz's future plans in the segment, and even though he wouldn't comment on a replacement for the R-Class, he did confirm the presentation of a new GL model at the upcoming New York Auto Show in April.
"Here in the U.S., our top-volume premium light trucks are the M-Class, GL, and GLK models (as you probably know, we're gearing up right now for the world-premiere of the new segment-leading GL at the New York Auto Show.) While we're not commenting on the future of the R-class after this generation, the car will be on sale in other markets, including its main market China and even Canada, Mexico, and other European markets - just to name a few," said Bokich.
Nevertheless, even if Mercedes decides against building a successor to the R-Class at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant, the production of the next generation C-Class at the factory will more than compensate for the loss.

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Subaru Kicks Off Series Production of BRZ

Subaru held a special ceremony today at its Gunma factory in Ota-city, Japan, to mark the series production start of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (named GT 86 in Europe) rear-wheel drive coupes. The presidents of both companies attended the event. The factory, which will produce both models as well as the Impreza by March 2013, underwent several changes to cope with the extra capacity.
The two Japanese automakers first agreed on business collaboration in October 2005, and after expanding their ties with new agreements related to development and production in April 2008, they began designing the coupe models, the production versions of which were presented at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show last December.
At the ceremony, Toyota's President Akio Toyoda said: “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the ceaseless efforts of all FHI people and staff who were involved in the development, production and preparations for both models. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 would not have been successfully developed without collaboration between FHI and TMC."
Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, the president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, which is Subaru's parent company, said: "The car symbolizes our corporate strategy in two significant aspects: good progress of our alliances; and advancement of our “select and focus” approach."

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Lamborghini Says it's Extremely

For the short amount of time it spent to design and build the one-off Aventador J (just six weeks, according to Lamborghini designer Filippo Perini), the Sant'Agata based supercar maker received a whole lot of attention for its creation at last week’s Geneva Motor Show. Lamborghini even crunched out some numbers and facts to verify its claim:

• More than 21.5 million organic Google searches
• The most popular show-week YouTube sports car video; “Aventador J – The Making Of” currently has more than 280,000 views (category “Auto and Vehicles”)
• “Best of Show” Winner - Autoweek magazine
• A new daily traffic record at www.lamborghini.com
• More than 6,800 tweets with a worldwide exposure of more than 40 million impressions

The Italian brand's boss, Stephan Winkelmann, commented:
“We knew the Aventador J was something quite special, but we did not anticipate such an overwhelming reaction to the car. We are pleased by the response to this vehicle and look forward to pushing the limits of design and technology for future products and generations to come.”

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