Autos
*Ford used the Frankfort Motor Show in Germany to unveil a prototype of a new small car it plans to sell worldwide starting in 2008. The Verve will be smaller than the Focus, Ford’s entry-level compact model. The rollout starts next year and runs through 2010 worldwide.
Recalls
*Chrysler has recalled 28,755 2007-08 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles to replace front-brake parts that could fail because they may be made of the wrong type of metal. Some brake calipers may have been made with gray iron instead of ductile iron and could fracture, increasing stopping distance and possibly causing an accident.
*Toyota is recalling optional “all-weather” floor mats in 55,000 Lexus ES350 and Toyota Camry sedans because the mat, if unsecured, could interfere with the gas pedal and lead to a crash. NHTSA is urging drivers of other vehicles, including the Avalon and Prius, to check the driver-side floor mats to ensure they were properly installed.
*Nissan is recalling nearly 420,000 and Infiniti QX4 SUVs because of possible corrosion in the tube where motorists pump gas, particularly in cold-weather states. Nissan says there’s not enough coating on a bracket near the fuel filler tube assembly.
Safety
*New passenger vehicles will be required to provide head protection in side crashes in 2013 model-year vehicles. The safety upgrades, which have been under review since 2004, could save more than 300 lives and prevent more than 400 serious injuries annually through the installation of side air bags that protect the torso and side-curtain air bags that guard the head. The regulations are designed to reduce deaths and injuries of motorists who are struck by another car or truck along the vehicle’s side.
FYI
*Toyota reportedly is planning to build its first new auto assembly plant in Japan, on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, in nearly two decades. The carmaker, which appears to be on track to pass General Motors as the No. 1 automaker in global sales and production, says no decision has been made. Toyota officials have said, however, that Japan is often the best place to make certain models, such as luxury models and hybrids.
*U.S. regulators don’t assess maximum fines against trucking companies with “serious violations,” the Government Accountability Office says. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration doesn’t levy “maximum fines” against as many trucking companies as it could, the GAO says.
People
*Cisco Codina, vice president of North American marketing, plans to retire after 30 years with Ford. Codina’s retirement takes effect Nov. 1. and Ford says it will start an immediate search for his replacement. Codina, 55, is credited with helping Ford energize its dealers and strengthen its marketing efforts.
*Chrysler has hired Philip Murtaugh, the former General Motors executive who spurred GM’s growth in China, adding another industry veteran to its list of executive recruits. Murtaugh, 53, becomes the fourth outsider lured by Chrysler in the month since its sale to Cerberus Capital Management LP. Robert Nardelli, who joined as chief executive Aug. 6, also named Jim Press, Toyota highest-ranking North American, to take charge of sales and marketing. Deborah Wahl Meyer has joined as chief marketing officer, leaving Lexus.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebook of Rick Popely and from Tribune news services.
