A Tiny 2012 Cadillac CTS Recall, A Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Threesome, And Toyota Production's Back
This is the Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
1st Gear: GM Recalls 647 2012 Cadillac CTS Vehicles
David Shepardson from the Detroit News reports this morning that General Motors is recalling 674 2012 Cadillac CTS vehicles — a few days worth of production. Shepardson also tells us that most of them are still at or on their way to dealers; not in customer hands. We don't know why they're being recalled, but likely it's because the problem could lead to... fiery death!
2nd Gear: A Threesome Of Special Edition Bugatti Veyron Grand Sports Bugatti is keeping interest alive in the Veyron with three new special editions of the Grand Sport 16.4 for the Dubai Motor Show. But don't expect a change to the already amazing 8.0-liter W-16 quad-turbocharged engine for these special editions. The only real difference is skin-deep. First up is a loud-and-proud "P***y Magnet" yellow-and-black model available for $2.15 million. Second, is a Veyron with a green carbon fiber body and aluminum finish for a bargain-basement price of $2.37 million. Third is a blue carbon fiber body with aluminum finish that's adorned with the same $2.37 million pricetag.
3rd Gear: Toyota To Some Day Have Intel Inside
Toyota and Intel have agreed to jointly research a new automotive infotainment platform with connected car elements and advanced, safe usability. Although the details remain vague, CNet tells us that Toyota and Intel will begin working together on a new cabin tech platform, which not only should cover the basics, such as navigation and phone systems, but also — and frankly, here's what sort of scares us — it'll reach through the Controller-Are Network (CAN) Bus to interact with other vehicle subsystems. We always get a little bit wary of the idea that the same chip could be running commands for both the infotainment systems and the ECM, but maybe that's just us. I really don't want to see a blue screen o' death on a Microsoft-powered enTune system causing the engine to seize up.
4th Gear: Toyota Production To Recover In Time For Tokyo Motor Show
Toyota's Japanese production is expected to almost fully recover by the week of Nov. 21, Shiori Hashimoto, a spokeswoman for the company, said by phone today to Bloomberg.
5th Gear: Brabus 800 Mercedes-Benz Coupe Tunes CL 600 To 11 On 11/11/11 Day
How do you turn a "plain Jane" Mercedes-Benz CL 600 into a fire-breathing 800 HP, 1,047 lb-ft of torque Brabus monster? Start by taking the standard twin-turbo 5.5-liter V12 and give it a Brabus-developed crankshaft with longer stroke, increased cylinder bore and larger pistons for a V12 with a 6.3-liter displacement. Then optimize mixture flow with four new camshafts and fine-machine the two cylinder heads of the V12. But that's only the start. Head on over to CarScoop to find out the rest of the magic behind the Brabus 800 Mercedes-Benz Coupe.
6th Gear: New Mazda6 Mule Testing With Toyota Badges
What you see over here at CarScoop this morning is an early test mule that combines the new Mazda6 model's platform architecture with the body panels of the current Mazda6. A closer look, however, reveals a wider front end and rear wheel arches suggesting an increase in the car's front and rear tracks. Amusingly, aside from these changes and the camouflaged parts, Mazda's engineers had also fitted the test mule with a...Toyota badge on the front grille. And people say the Japanese don't have a sense of humor.
Reverse:
⏎ The "Save The Ring" campaign has its first birthday, campaign founder lovingly blames Jalopnik. [Mike Frison]
⏎ Bob Lutz, the Chevy Volt's unlikely father. [San Francisco Chronicle]
⏎ Ford Stock Finding A Way To Motor Up To $14. [Forbes]
⏎ Audi to showcase three cars at January India auto expo. [India Times]
⏎ Mars Pulls Sponsorship From Kyle Busch's Car For Remainder Of 2011 Season. [Motor Authority]
⏎ Ford unveils new seat design for 2013 Ford Escape. [Detroit News]
⏎ At BMW's New Electric Subbrand, a Young Designer Makes His Mark. [New York Times]
Today in Automotive History:
On this day in 1978, a stuntman on the Georgia set of "The Dukes of Hazzard" launches the show's iconic automobile, a 1969 Dodge Charger named the General Lee, off a makeshift dirt ramp and over a police car. That jump, 16 feet high and 82 feet long (its landing totaled the car), made TV history. Although more than 300 different General Lees appeared in the series, which ran on CBS from 1979 until 1985, this first one was the only one to play a part in every episode: That jump over the squad car ran every week at the end of the show's opening credits. [History]
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