There has been a trend of high profile NHTSA investigations recently, the most notable being Toyota‘s unintended acceleration and GM‘s Chevy Volt fire hazard. Although both cases have closed, NHTSA has announced a new case involving 830,000 Toyota vehicles for possible fire hazards.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating a possible fire hazard that affects 830,000 Toyota vehicles made in 2007. This investigation consists the 2007 Toyota Camry, Solara, and RAV4. According to reports, Toyota owners have complained of a fire originating from the driver’s door. In a particular report, an owner claimed that a burning odor came from the door, then ignited in flames and destroyed the vehicle. No injuries were reported. Investigators believe it is a malfunction of the master switch controlling power windows.

Recently, Honda has also recalled a million CR-V and Fit models for defected power-window master switches that caused fires.

Before it was floor mats, now its power window switches. Sometimes the smallest components seem to cause Toyota the biggest problems.

Another recall has been issued, this time from Ford Motor Company. This one concerns its full-size body-on-frame Expedition and Lincoln Navigator models, some examples of which suffer from weak head restraints that could fail in accidents, causing occupant injury.

Ford says that the issue concerns insufficient welds on the head restraint support brackets, on the right hand side second row seat only, the other seats in these vehicles are not affected by the recall.

Owners of 2012 Expedition and Navigator models built between November 19, through December 2, 2011 (some 569 vehicles in all), are urged to contact their nearest Ford or Lincoln dealer who will replace the faulty headrests free of charge.

Affected vehicle owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 1-888-327-4236, referencing recall campaign 12V034000, or Ford Motor Company at 1-866-436-7332.

The 2012 Expedition/Navigator recall marks the second time in two years that Ford SUVs have been affected by seat issues; last summer the Blue Oval announced it was recalling 2011 model year Explorers, built between July 15 and December 13 2010, for faulty second row seat reclining mechanisms.

For those that don’t know what an MMO is, it stands for Massively Multiplayer Online and has become a huge genre in online gaming. Essentially any game that allows hundreds to thousands of people to coexist in a a video game environment is considered an MMO. One of the more popular MMO racing simulator games is iRacing, and the game recently added the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car to the list of participating vehicles.

To make the addition of the CTS-V racer into the game as realistic as possible, the iRacing team worked closely with Cadillac and Pratt & Miller Engineering. Pratt & Miller Engineering are the ones in charge of building the real race cars. By using iRacing’s standard “micrometer-precise” modeling system, high-grade recording of the CTS-V’s engine will make its way into the game.

You can check out more information about iRacing here.

This is what 650 hp blowing through your hair looks like. To know what it feels like, well, you’ll have to buy Ford’s new 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible… or wait for our review.

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the GT500 drop-top borrows from the coupe, especially when it comes to what’s under the hood with a supercharged 5.8-liter V8. Want to know more? Watch out first look video below.

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible

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Well, it has finally arrived. After all the hype and teasers Tesla has unveiled its Model X all electric SUV at the Tesla design studio in California. Well, we thought it would be an SUV, but after having a look, its probably safe to say its more of a crossover than anything.

The model X is said to be a family vehicle with performance roots according to Tesla, and will hit the 0-60 MPH mark in under five seconds. A dual motor all wheel drive setup is available for the Model X, and when outfitted will have two separate electric motors, one driving each axle. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and co-founder said at the press conference that Model X has ”more room than a minivan, more style than an SUV and more performance than a sports car.” The crossover will come with two of the three available Model S engine sizes,using either a 60 or 80 kWh battery pack. Thanks to its added weight, the Model X will get 10 to 12 percent less range than the Model S. That will give the the Model X about 260 to 270 miles of range for the 85-kWh battery and 200 to 210 for the 60-kWh.

Thanks to its lack of an internal combustion engine, the Model X has storage in the rear of the vehicle as well as the front, with the “frunk” alone offering as much storage space as an Audi Q7.

One of the most interesting features on the Model X are the doors. Tesla calls this unique door design “Falcon Wings” and are building upon many other luxury cars utilizing the classic gull-wing design. The falcon wings allow passengers easy step in access to the second and third row of seats, and because they bend in the middle can be opened in tight spaces without worry of smashing up the car next to you. Tesla says that seating seven adults comfortably will be no problem, and entering and exiting the vehicle will be easier than ever before.

The Model X will begin production in late 2013 with deliveries beginning in early 2014. The Model X’s price is expected to be around $57,500.

Ford is rather proud of its new SYNC system, and will be making it standard equipment on all 2013 Ford Fusion and Ford Flex models, the American automaker announced. Their MyFordTouch system will only be seen on upper trim levels however.

Surprisingly the 2013 model year of the Fusion and Flex will be the first time ever Ford has made their SYNC standard equipment. Since its introduction in 2007, Ford has installed SYNC in over four million vehicles. Now that it has become standard fare in the Fusion and Flex, Ford expects to add another nine million vehicles on the road with SYNC over the next three years.

“ Ford SYNC technology has led the industry in transforming the way we connect to our cars,” said Dave Mondragon, Ford general marketing manager. “SYNC has enabled Ford drivers to take advantage of the latest communication and entertainment technology with an easily upgradeable architecture that is friendly to use.”

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Fusion

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Flex

According to a statement by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s monthly sales of passenger-vehicles suffered its steepest decline in more than seven years due to a Lunar New Year holiday season hiatus that deprived dealers of a week’s worth of sales. Figures indicated that sales fell to 1.16 million units in January, a 24 percent decrease from the year before. According to five analysts from Bloomberg News, sales were projected to drop 18 percent.

Great Wall Securities Co. analyst Ran Fei said, “Even though the actual holidays were five working days, some dealerships took the opportunity to close their stores for a longer time. The numbers are disappointing.” Compounding the auto sales slump in the Chinese market, the Chinese government also estimated that holiday sales at the nation’s main retailers and restaurants rose at their slowest pace since the 2009 financial crisis.

Are these signs an indication that the world’s largest and fastest growing automotive market is showing economic resistance? Despite these statistics, Ran Fei insists that “Car demand is stable. There’s no indication of any changes on that front.” China’s Passenger Car Association also believes that the Chinese economy is fundamentally sound and interprets the auto sales number as a mere holiday season distortion. The Passenger Car Association expects a 30 percent rise in sales for February.

Huatai Securities Co. analyst Chen Liang adds, “Demand is still there and consumers in the smaller, less developed cities will still have a growing need for cars. These numbers don’t change my outlook for the year.”

In January, GM reported an 8 percent decline in China sales, its first Chinese sales decline in six months. Chevrolet sales suffered a 20 percent hit to 54,399 units. According to Ford, its China sales fell a staggering 42 percent last month. Bucking the trend, Luxury German brands BMW and Audi both posted higher sales, enjoying a 30 percent and 23 percent gain respectively.

IHS Automotive Shanghai analyst Namrita Chow provided this explanation, “Prior to the Chinese New Year, Chinese consumers who are looking to enhance their prestige and status symbol have chosen high-end luxury brands.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

Ram‘s new Laramie Limited luxury package pickup bowed yesterday at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in true American fashion: with a pretty girl smiling at its’ side.

“The launch of the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition gave us a boost in the ultra-premium pickup segment and exceeded our expectations,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO of the Ram Truck Brand. “Ram Laramie Limited offers customers an even wider selection of luxury models. We expect a lot of interest in the Laramie Limited.”

The Laramie Limited is to be one of two high-end packages available from Dodge subsidiary, Ram. It offers customers the luxury found in their Longhorn version, but without the cattle rancher theme that might scare people away who don’t wear ten gallon hats.

Style-wise,  you get a body colored front fascia, fog lamps, a chrome grill and 20-inch forged aluminum wheels. All HEMI, Cummins, and Ram badges are also replaced by small “Limited” badges. Climb into the cab and you’ll find the interior dressed in leather and lined with greystone piping. The center stack wears a piano black high gloss and gets chrome vent rings with liquid graphite side bezels.

Luxury features are also abound here, including a remote start system, backup camera, a heated steering wheel, adjustable pedals and front vented seats to keep you cool on those hot summer days at the job site. Don’t worry, we won’t tell the guys you’re using them.

GALLERY: RAM Laramie Limited

The all-electric Tesla Model X will debut today at 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at Tesla’s design studio in California.

Mere hours before the official unveil Tesla founder and CEO, Elon Musk tweeted a new teaser photo which shows off what are being called the Model X’s falcon wing doors.

The new picture doesn’t give away much more than the first teaser photo did, but it’s doing the intended job: creating a buzz before the full unveil.

The falcon wing doors resemble gull wing doors like those found on the Mercedes-Benz SLS but claim to lift up and fold, offering easier access for rear seat passengers. We will have to wait and see exactly where Tesla is going with its new door design.

Be sure to check back here for coverage of the reveal.

As planned GMC unveiled its refreshed Acadia SUV at the Chicago Auto Show this week, but the GM truck division also prepared a surprise.

In addition to the standard-trim truck, GMC showcased the top-trim Denali version, complete with 20-inch wheels, an upgraded interior and paint-matched body cladding to deliver a more luxurious look.

For more on both vehicles, watch out first look video below.

GALLERY: 2013 GMC Acadia

GALLERY: 2013 GMC Acadia Denali

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