Luxury car firm Bentley is recalling hundreds of vehicles over fears that its “Flying B” hood ornament could impale pedestrians.

The recall affects 620 cars in the U.S. and Canada and a total of 1,436 worldwide, the company told msnbc.com.

It covers the Arnage, Azure and Brooklands models sold between October 2006 and October 2009 for suggested retail prices of $246,999 to $363,000.

The winged B is meant to retract if there is a collision, but the U.K.-based Bentley Motors said it had discovered the mechanism needed to be better protected against rust and corrosion.

It informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which isssued a recall notice in the United States.

Fixed in an hour
Richard Durbin, a spokesman for Bentley, said the B itself was not an issue and would not be removed from the cars.

“If the car is involved in a collision, the B will [normally] automatically retract,” Durbin said.

The problem was “the mechanism which causes that retraction, which in certain cases one can see … wouldn’t retract as quickly as it should,” he added.

“There is a new retraction system, which is better protected against corrosion and rust,” he said. “We have all the customers contact details and we will get back in contact with them. We have built a new mechanism which can be fitted in an hour.”

The problem with the retraction system was spotted by a car sales firm in the U.K. and Durbin said Bentley was unaware of any accidents in which a pedestrian had actually been impaled.

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (picture): CARBODYDESIGN

The Jeep Wrangler and its four-door sibling, the Wrangler Unlimited, are Jeep’s best-selling models despite remaining practically unchanged for years. The Wrangler’s pure, unfiltered charm and off-road prowess are the reasons it sells so well. For 2011, Jeep has addressed one of the SUV’s biggest letdowns by revamping the interior. The new trappings look much sharper and take cues from the new Grand Cherokee.

The overall layout is the same, with exposed screw heads and a passenger-side grab handle—now bearing a “Jeep, Since 1941” plaque—but the materials have been thoroughly modernized. The clunky center stack now has a smoother, cleaner layout with chrome-ringed vents and up-to-date climate-control knobs. There’s a new three-spoke steering wheel that incorporates cruise and audio controls, and a refreshed instrument cluster. Soft-touch materials appear on the center console (now lockable) and redesigned armrests. Two-tone interiors are now on offer, too, a welcome change from the monotone plastic setup that graced earlier Wranglers.

Additional features include a 110-volt power outlet, optional heated power mirrors, and Bluetooth phone and USB audio connectivity with the upgraded sound system. Jeep says it has added more sound-deadening to keep the interior quieter. The cabin upgrades make the Wrangler’s cockpit much more appealing, although traditionalists may decry the dilution of the Jeep’s rugged spirit.

Outside, buyers can choose from five additional paint colors: Detonator Yellow, Deep Cherry Red, Sahara Tan, Cosmos Blue, and Bright White. The optional hardtop for Sahara trim levels is now body-colored, for a more cohesive exterior look. It makes the two-door Wrangler look like a Dodge Nitro and the four-door Unlimited model resemble a Mercedes G-class.

The vehicles are mechanically unchanged from 2010, with a 3.8-liter V-6 engine and six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. Four-wheel-drive is standard on all but Unlimited models equipped with the automatic. Production of the 2011 Wranglers began earlier this week, so they’ll be in dealerships soon. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we don’t expect a drastic increase over the current sticker, which starts at $21,915 for a two-door model.

Source (article): CARANDDRIVER

Source (pictures): CARANDDRIVER

With pine mulch, white spruce and bus exhaust perfuming the midmorning breeze, Ford revealed its new 2011 Explorer outside Herald Square’s landmark Macy’s department store in Manhattan on Monday.

The automaker envisioned Catskills-on-Broadway for its signature S.U.V.’s public unveiling, building a wooded hillock with a gently graded slope that descended to a campsite, where outdoorsy models sat rummaging through their fishing-tackle boxes, tucking into sandwiches and riding mountain bikes around their idyll’s perimeter.

Mike Rowe, a mainstay of Discovery Channel programming as well as television commercials for Ford, cued the Explorer’s entrance. The car emerged atop the hill, then coasted down to a knoll where Mr. Rowe intercepted Ford’s chief executive, Alan Mulally, as he exited the front passenger seat, beaming — due in no small part to the $2.6 billion second-quarter profit his company posted last week.

During the ensuing repartee, Mr. Mulally called attention to Ford’s social-media marketing approach for Monday’s revelation. “What’s going on today is getting talked about right now on Facebook, and it’s all over Twitter. To have this conversation happening all over the country is very exciting,” he said.

The Explorer will be assembled at the company’s Chicago plant, which builds another revived Ford nameplate, the Taurus sedan. Citing the $400 million investment that the Explorer represents to the plant, Mr. Mulally said, “We’re fighting for the soul of manufacturing in the United States.”

Though primary manufacturing and assembly will occur domestically, Ford’s sales strategy for its S.U.V. faces emphatically outward. “It will be sold in 90 countries,” Mr. Mulally said.

The new Explorer is being introduced to a market that has cooled on sport utility vehicles, the traditionally pickup-truck-based vehicle segment over which the Explorer reigned for well over a decade, selling more than six million units since its 1990 introduction. To lure buyers away from so-called crossover vehicles that have captured market share with superior ride comfort and gas mileage, Ford has created a more supple Explorer, eschewing the body-on-frame construction of its previous incarnations for a unibody setup based on that used by the Taurus.

Fuel efficiency is addressed via the company’s first domestic application of its turbocharged 2-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which generates 237 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. Ford executives claim a 30 percent combined efficiency improvement over the outgoing 4-liter V-6, which was rated at 14 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway.  Also offered is the 3.5-liter V-6 found in other Ford products, good for 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque and a 20 percent increase in efficiency over the outgoing Explorer. What the V-6 sacrifices to the 4-cylinder in efficiency, it compensates for with a higher towing rating: 5,000 pounds versus the 4-cylinder’s 2,000.

Ford’s group vice president, David Leitch, said in an interview that mileage numbers have yet to be released for both drivetrains.

As further evidence of Ford’s intent to exorcise the Explorer’s gas-guzzler baggage, the brand expects consumers will be willing to pay a premium not for towing capacity, but for efficiency. “The EcoBoost 4 will be priced slightly higher than the base V-6,” Jay Ward, the Ford communication director, said in a phone conversation. Additionally, Explorers equipped with the turbo 4 will not be available with 4-wheel drive, whereas V-6 models are offered with either front- or 4-wheel drive.

A V-8 is no longer an engine option on the Explorer.

The Explorer will be offered at three trim levels when it goes on sale this winter: Explorer, XLT and Limited, with a base prices of $28,995, including $805 destination charges, ranging upward to $37,995 for the Limited, positioning it below the coming 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which starts at $30,995.

Source (article): NYTIMES

Source (pictures): ONLINESOCIALMEDIA, THEMUSTANGNEWS