Autos
– Toyota is offering its first low-interest loan and lease incentives on the gas/electric Prius to boost sales by at least 50 percent this year. Zero-percent interest is available on 24-month loans, and three-year leases are available with payments as low as $219 a month, says Ernest Bastien, vice president of U.S. vehicle operations for the Toyota City, Japan-based automaker.
– In introducing the 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 with a 6.7-liter turbodiesel engine at the Washington Auto Show, Chrysler Group says it will be the first to market with a diesel heavy-duty pickup capable of meeting 2010 emissions standards in all 50 states. The truck filters and traps reduce soot and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Safety
– The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating engine fires in 72,000 1999-2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP cars with supercharged V-6 engines. The agency says it has received 21 complaints from consumers, including 16 involving fires that started five to 15 minutes after the ignition was switched off.
Rail
– Chinese-built high-speed trains capable of speeds of up to 150 m.p.h. are making runs from Shanghai to Hangzhou to the southwest and Nanjing to the west to accommodate the needs of a growing economy. The new trains will operate at 100 m.p.h. while drivers get used to the route; they will speed up to 150 in April.
FYI
– There’s a problem with Michigan’s new white-on-blue license plates, which are easier to see and make than the venerable blue-on-white ones. But a faulty die used to cut and stamp the plates, has put two of the holes out of kilter with the mounting holes on vehicles. Using the two good holes will still hold the plates to the car, says the Michigan secretary of state’s office.
– XM satellite radio has extended its agreement with Toyota by seven years. The deal allows for the factory installation of the radio system into Lexus, Toyota and Scion vehicles through 2017.
– Ford is “down to the short list” of bidders for British-based Aston Martin, with a sale expected “sooner rather than later” this year, says Executive VP Lewis Booth. Aston, which makes cars that sell for $110,000 or more, sold about 6,500 worldwide last year, up from about 4,500 in 2005.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebooks of Jim Mateja and Rick Popely, and from Tribune news services.
