Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 410,000 vehicles — 344,000 2007 to 2008 Honda Odyssey minivans and 68,000 2007 to 2008 Element compact SUVs. The recall is due to a defect in the vehicles’ antilock brake modulator, which is part of its Vehicle Stability Assist system.

Cars.com explains “Air can slowly enter the part and cause issues over time. The fault directly affects the brake pedal feel and height. Over time, the pedals can begin to feel ‘soft’ and the height can decrease.”  If not fixed, the condition can make the vehicles difficult to stop.

Honda Spokesman Chris Martin told the Associated Press that The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported three crashes due to the problem – with only minor injuries.

Cars.com, however, reports more incidents:  “Honda did not post the number of complaints, but we checked NHTSA’s website, and as of this day we found 140 complaints for 2007-2008 Odysseys for brakes, a majority for the faded-brake issue. Ten of those included crashes, with seven reported injuries. There were 17 complaints with one crash and injury for the 2007-2008 Element. We did find at least one duplicate complaint (which we didn’t count). However, we didn’t cross-check all 157 complaints.”

According to Edmunds, “Customer notification of the recall will begin in late April. Honda stated owners can also check if their automobile requires repair by going online or by calling (800) 999-1009 and selecting option 4.”

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Like a story line straight out of a George Lucas film, reports are surfacing that cosmic rays may be responsible for the hazardous cases of unintended acceleration that have spurred the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles.

“Before you dismiss the cosmic ray theory, think about that the issue has been known since the 1950s, and airplane and spacecraft manufacturers design in safeguards that triple-check all data as a defense from such interference from space,” writes Autoblog. “Later, in the 1970s, researchers found that small amounts of this radiation does indeed make it down to the surface and can cause problems with small electronics like cell phones and computers.”

The possibility was brought to light by a “concerned scientist” who sent an email to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). The message, which is published in full on Jalopnik, reads: “For reasons I am unable to disclose, I am anonymously submitting several publically available scientific papers that discuss the possibility of cosmic rays disrupting electronics at sea level, essentially flipping a bit from one to zero, or vice versa. This phenomenon is a ‘soft’ error that is not detectable except through redundant electronic and communication systems. The scientific community refers to such occurrences as ‘Single Event Upsets,’ or SEUs.” The scientist goes on to state, “The reason SEUs are now relevant to the automotive industry is because electronics have gotten smaller and the required voltage levels have dropped significantly, therefore making electronics more susceptible to cosmic radiation…”

Toyota, however, denies that SEUs are to blame for reported cases of unintended acceleration. According to the Detroit Free Press: “Toyota staunchly defends its electronics, saying they were designed for ‘absolute reliability.’ Responding to the Free Press, Toyota stated its systems ‘are not the same as typical consumer electronics. The durability, size, susceptibility and specifications of the automotive electronics make them robust against this type of interference.’”

Still, the NHTSA is taking the tip seriously — adding the anonymous email to its investigation case file.

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

In the market for a new car, but not sure which model to buy? Here’s something that might help: Insure.com has named the most and least costly 2010 vehicles to insure.

While the most costly is the Porsche 911 Carrera GT2 with an average national premium of $2,944. The least is the Mazda Tribute i (2WD), costing an average of $1,070 to insure.

The findings are based on a study of insurance rate quotes from six massive carriers in 10 ZIP codes per state. “Averages are based on a single 40-year-old male driver who commutes 12 miles to work, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage,” explains an Insure.com press release. “The policy includes uninsured motorist coverage. “

While the complete list, featured below, doesn’t take into account costly exotics cars, other luxury brands do make a showing. Fox News notes: “The most popular brand on this most-expensive list is Porsche, with four models of the ten. Mercedes comes in second, with three, with Audi’s R8 and the Dodge Viper rounding out the top 10.”

As for the least expensive, they’re mostly Minivans and SUVs — which isn’t surprising given that they are more likely to be family vehicles (just try getting a automobile seat into the backseat of a 911). Their owners also tend to cruise more sedately than  your average sports automobile driver.

“The profile of the average person who drives a particular model has great influence on the average premiums for that automobile because pricing for collision and comprehensive coverage is based on the model’s ‘loss history,’” states Insure.com. “For example, small vehicles that are often driven by young, inexperienced drivers tend to be more costly to insure.”

Consider this another victory for soccer moms, who were recently revealed to be the safest drivers on the road in an Insurance.com study of Most Dangerous Drivers by Profession. 

Most Expensive Vehicles to Insure

1. Porsche 911 GT2: $2943.78
2. Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG: $2863.03
3. Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe: $2851.89
4. Porsche Panamera Turbo: $2837.39
5. Dodge Viper SRT10 Roadster: $2815.90
6. Mercedes-Benz CL600: $2754.80
7. Audi R8: V-8 Coupe: $2751.55
8. Porsche Panamera S: $2744.78
9. Mercedes-Benz SL600: $2715.86
10. Porsche 911 Turbo: $2706.04

Note: For 2010, the only Porsche 911 Carrera GT models available are the GT3 and GT RS.

Least Expensive Vehicles to Insure

1. Mazda Tribute I (I-4, FWD): $1070.25
2. Honda Odyssey LX: $1095.26
3. Mazda Tribute I (I-4, AWD): $1103.29
4. Chrysler Town & Country LX (3.3-liter V-6): $1119.83
5. Jeep Wrangler X (4WD): $1124.38
6. Mazda Tribute S (V-6, FWD): $1128.29
7. Dodge Grand Caravan SE (3.3-liter V-6): $1131.06
8. Toyota Sienna CE: $1133.97
9. Hyundai Tucson GLS (I-4, FWD): $1134.08
10. Kia Sportage LX (I-4, FWD): $1138.41

If you’re in need of an insurance price quote or a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals. 

Yesterday we reported that attempts by the NHTSA and Edmunds to duplicate the unintended acceleration in James Sikes’ runaway Prius failed. Not surprisingly, Toyota recently held a press conference disputing the validity of his claim.

Sikes made headlines last week after he called police to help him stop his 2008 Toyota Prius after its accelerator pedal supposedly stuck, causing him to dangerously accelerate up to 94 mph.

Edmunds reports, “The Japanese automaker, which has been bruised by the fallout from its huge recalls, stated its engineers not only put Sikes’ 2008 Prius through two days of rigorous testing but also retraced his ‘reported driving route, taking into account driving time and accounts from the 911 recording.’” Their findings revealed inconsistencies with Sikes’ story.

USA Today writes that Toyota found the following:

The accelerator pedal is operating  normally.The push button start/stop button shut down the automobile when it was depressed continuously for three seconds as it was designed to do.The neutral position on the transmission is clearly marked with a huge N.There were no trouble codes in the car’s computer.The automobile is designed in a way that the brake pedal and accelerator cannot work at the same time.

Toyota, however, did not call Sikes a liar. “Though asked repeatedly if they had concluded that Sykes was lying, representatives for Toyota insisted that was not their judgment to make and they could only state that the investigation’s findings were not consistent with the scenario that Sikes describes,” writes Autoblog. 

It’s not clear what the consequences will be for Sikes if it is deemed that he lied about the ordeal. For Toyota, however, it remains a PR nightmare.

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

The muscle automobile wars are heating up in a large way. Along with its 2011 redesign, the Ford Mustang GT will be more fuel efficient and powerful.

Ford has announced that the new Mustang GT will net a city/highway fuel economy of 17/26 mpg when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and 18/25 mpg with its available six-speed automatic. And, as previously reported, its legendary 5.0-liter V8 engine is back — but now with a whopping 412 horsepower.

“If you ask us, that kind of horsepower alone in an everyman-car like the Mustang is astounding enough,” writes USA Today. “But to get respectable gas mileage — not great, for sure — is a nice bonus.”

According to Autoblog: “These numbers are not only a large improvement from the 2010 Mustang with the 4.6-liter V8 (15/23 mpg w/manual, 15/22 mpg w/automatic), but they also ideal the figures achieved by the Chevrolet Camaro SS – 16/24 mpg when equipped with a manual and 16/25 mpg with the automatic.”

More horsepower is a welcomed change too. The 412-horsepower GT will provide 97 more horses than the 2010 model — that is more power than the Dodge Charger RT and Challenger RT, as well as the base Camaro. The performance trims of each – namely the Camaro SS, Challenger SRT8 and Charger SRT8 — produce roughly 13 more horsepower than the 2011 GT. However, none can top its fuel economy.

The announcement comes just one week after Ford’s jaw-dropping announcement about the base model of the 2011 Mustang. “Ford states the V6-powered Mustang has been certified by the EPA to deliver 30-31 mpg on the highway (depending on the transmission) and 19 mpg in the city,” explains Autoweek. “Ford states this is the first time anyone has delivered a automobile with more than 300 hp and better than 30 mpg.”

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Big changes are brewing over at Kia — and the all-new 2011 Optima is one of them. While specs have yet to be released, photos have the auto world buzzing.

“Kia wanted to get things started a tiny early so we would have plenty of time to take in this new sedan’s unique styling,” explains Edmunds. “I mean, would you look at that C-pillar? That’s pretty brave stuff for a Kia. It’s nearly Saab-like, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your opinion of the nearly-dead Swedish brand.”

According to Autoblog: “The all-new 2011 Kia Optima is longer, wider and lower than the automobile it replaces even though we do not know by how much. While it’s not as aggressive as the sketches released a few weeks ago, this Optima is certainly a large step forward.”

“From the photos we see the latest take on Kia’s ‘tiger’ front end complete with LED accent strip above the fog lights,” writes Autoweek. “Livening up things more is a coupe-like profile, higher and more pronounced shoulder lines, flared wheel arches and front fender vents.”

Not much else is known about the new Optima. However, most analysts believe it’ll come equipped with a four-cylinder engine. “Popular speculation, which seems entirely likely, is that the Optima will be mechanically identical to the just-released 2011 Hyundai Sonata, sharing that car’s gas mileage-leading 2.4-liter I4 engine and its fine blend of ride and handling,” states the Examiner.

Details are expected to be released in April, when the 2011 Kia Optima debuts at the New York Auto Show. It’s set to hit dealer lots this fall.

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals. 

The next time you’re pulled over for speeding, you might be surprised by what you see in the rearview. Ford recently unveiled its replacement for the Crown-Victoria-based Police Interceptor — and it’s a Taurus.

“Ford first introduced its police package in 1950 and this day the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is the industry leader,” explains Jalopnik. “The automaker’s dominated the streets to the point that over the last five years, Ford’s controlled more than 70% of the patrol vehicles sold.  … Unfortunately, the Crown Vic’s Panther-platform’s getting a tiny long in the tooth — it hasn’t seen a redesign in over 15 years.”

So out goes the Crown Vic and in comes the Taurus. “To develop the all-new Police Interceptor, Ford engineers worked hand-in-hand with Ford’s Police Advisory Board of law enforcement professionals, which provided input on key automobile attributes such as safety, performance, durability, driver comfort and functionality,” writes Ford.

While the new Police Interceptor is based on the 2010 Ford Taurus, the changes are significant.

According to Cars.com, “Police departments across the country won’t be piloting just any Taurus off dealership lots. Ford states approximately 90 percent of the interior has been redesigned for police use.” Unique features include front seats with anti-stab plates to protect officers from violent criminals and vinyl rear seats to make cleaning up after messy ones easier.  

That’s not all. USA Today reports: “The Taurus-based model will keep the Police Interceptor name but offer just two 3.5-liter V-6 engines, no huge V-8s, as in the Crown Vic. Ford boasts that the standard version will be 25% more fuel efficient than the current standard V-8. And the version with two turbochargers, what Ford calls EcoBoost, will deliver 365 horsepower, 115 more than the standard Crown Vic.” The 365-horsepower V6 is the same found in the performance-tuned Taurus SHO. An optional all-wheel drive system will also be available.

The result is a better-performing police car. “Ford’s new police automobile can endure a rear-end crash at 75 m.p.h., easily jump curbs and accelerate twice as fast as Ford’s outgoing iconic Crown Victoria Police Interceptor,” states the Detroit Free Press.

However, the competition is tough. “The Taurus-based cop automobile will have to compete against the Dodge Charger cruiser, which looks good and is plenty fast with the available Hemi, and the Chevrolet Caprice, another rear-driver which is pretty much a Pontiac G8 in all but name (and civilian availability),” writes Edmunds.

Ford will cease production on the old Police Interceptor in late 2011 and start introducing the new Taurus-based model in 2012.

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals. 

Since repots surfaced about California driver James Sikes’ claim that his 2008 Toyota Prius had raced dangerously out of control, extensive testing has been done to get to the heart of the matter.

The results are in and they don’t look good… for Sikes.

Jalopnik published a leaked memo related to the investigations surrounding the incident: “According to the memo…prepared for members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, a thorough investigation of the Prius in question revealed that, while the brake pads on the automobile were worn down, technicians from both Toyota and NHTSA were unable to duplicate the unintended acceleration Sikes claims.”

It’s even being questioned whether Sikes attempted to stop his Prius at all.

“During and after the incident, Sikes stated he was using heavy pressure on his brake pedal at high speeds,” states Fox News. “But the investigation of the vehicle, carried out jointly by safety officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota engineers, did not find signs the brakes had been applied at full force at high speeds over a sustained period of time, the three people familiar with the investigation said.”

Instead, the Wall Street Journal reports “While the brakes were discolored and showed wear, the pattern of friction suggested the driver may have intermittently applied moderate pressure on the brakes…”

An independent test conducted by Edmunds on a similar Prius found no evidence that Sikes could not have stopped his automobile if it, in fact, did accelerate out of control.

“The plan was simple,” explains Edmunds. “We would hold the throttle wide open and see if we could overcome the raging engine (and electric motor) by simply applying the brakes. After that, we had try slipping the shifter into neutral before applying the brakes. And because some people have expressed concerns that a panicky shift towards neutral might wind up in reverse instead, we would shift into reverse on purpose to see what would happen — at speed with the throttle floored, just like the preceding cases.”

Edmunds’ Prius functioned as designed. Its brake override system kicked in, allowing for test drivers to safely bring the Prius to a halt. As for the claim that Sikes made about not wanting to shift into neutral in fear of flipping his car, Edmunds found no evidence of that happening either. And when they shifted into reverse, the automobile operated as if it were in neutral.

Of course, neither study is definitive proof that Sikes’ Prius didn’t malfunction like he says. They do, however, cast a whole lot of doubt on his claim.

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

There’s a small piece of Motor Trend history on display at this weekend’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. Actually, make that a huge piece of history, because I do not think there is ever been a gathering quite like this; an eclectic collection of automotive rarities linked by a single common thread — they all appeared on the cover of Motor Trend magazine.

The seven vehicles in this group — some home-built specials, others mega-dollar factory concepts — were featured on covers of Motor Trend between 1949 and 1956. The Amelia lineup includes the Kurtis Sports Car that appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Motor Trend, published in September 1949, and the amazing Timbs Special, which graced the cover of issue two the following month.

The Timbs Special was built from scratch by Van Nuys, California, based aircraft design engineer Norman E. Timbs. He designed and fabricated the chassis and the four wheel independent suspension, and built a full-scale wooden buck to help form the car’s voluptuous aluminum panels. The engine is a Buick straight eight, mounted mid-ships. It took three years and $10,000 to complete. You can read the full story of the automobile in the new issue of Motor Trend Classic.

Other vehicles in the group include the Buick LeSabre, one of world’s earliest concept cars, and the Firebird II, the fully functioning turbine automobile built by General Motors for the 1956 Motorama auto shows. The Firebird II featured titanium bodywork, independent suspension all round, four wheel disc brakes, and a prototype guidance system that was designed to follow signals sent from an electrical wire embedded in the road surface.

Rounding out the group are the Ghia Gilda, a concept built for the 1955 Turin Show and powered by a 1.5-liter OSCA four cylinder engine; the Hudson Italia, the limited edition Touring bodied coupe built in 1954 and 1955 on Hudson Jet running gear, and the quirky three-wheeled Davis, built by an ill-fated, LA-based start-up automaker in the late 1940s.

You can anticipate features on some of these vehicles in future issues of Motor Trend Classic.

Forget what General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda or Hyundai might think about the tremendous fall of Toyota’s reputation amidst poorly installed floor mats and
electronic gremlins in regenerative braking and power steering systems.  I’m
enjoying my own Schadenfreude these days, and it’s directed toward Thomas L.
Friedman.

You’ll remember Friedman as the Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist who suggested, a couple of years before GM filed for bankruptcy, that Toyota should purchase the American automaker and put it out of its misery. Friedman displayed a bit of Schadenfreude himself when he began that column with these words: “I have a question: If I am rooting for General Motors to go bankrupt and be purchased out by Toyota, does that make me a bad person?”

Well, no. Just horribly uninformed. Later, Friedman feigned surprise when, in late 2007, Toyota joined its American brethren in opposing a 35-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard.

Heavens to Deming! Toyota is as profit-hungry as the company it should have usurped.

Neither history nor The New York Times has recorded, so far, whether our
second-favorite Pulitzer winner now is dreaming of Toyota going bankrupt and being purchased out by Geely, Spyker or Brembo.

What the whole Toyota fiasco has proved is what we have been preaching for some time; that the difference in quality and reliability between the ideal and worst vehicles sold is much thinner than it has ever been. That even Toyota, which has been the go-to brand to recommend to friends who want reliable, if bland, transportation, is not immune to the potential problems from accelerated use of new electrical gizmos. That Toyota, like GM and all the rest, will act in its ideal economic interests every time.

The story of Toyota’s slide also taught the mainstream press something the
automotive press has known for some time; that the automaker’s U.S. management is here just to build, sell and market vehicles and trucks. The “big” decisions always come from Japan. And Toyota, coming from a country with a much more laissez-faire attitude toward its industries and a much less aggressive press, has long had a habit of fixing problems on the down-low rather than giving in to big recalls. Its biggest problem is not the tragic Lexus ES 350 crash in San Diego, nor testimony before Congress by a woman who practically claimed her Lexus was possessed, like something from a Stephen King novel.

Toyota’s biggest problem is that its Prius has been affected. Several owners claim their vehicles have surged past 100 mph. This is the altruistically designed green model, the automobile deservedly praised for its advanced technology, with an image perfectly captured in a “South Park” episode in which the automobile is called the
“Toyhonda Pious.”

At the same time, we have reached a turning point in this saga. Toyota is attempting to use science to fight back unintended acceleration claims. Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree has done an exceptional job of reporting on how ABC faked the “sudden acceleration” demonstration of a Toyota Camry, and how James Sikes’ runaway Prius is suspect.

Sikes, of Carlsbad, California (is San Diego County to unintended Toyota
acceleration what South Florida is to Weekly World News stories?) is the owner of Adultswinglife LLC, which owns, as the name implies, adult websites (itself not an indictment of Sikes’ veracity). He recently filed for personal bankruptcy and had missed five payments on his hybrid Toyota, Jalopnik reports.

He eagerly takes an interview in a local tv news story, claiming his Prius’
throttle pedal stuck while passing a automobile on the expressway. A California Highway Patrol officer drove up next to him and told Sikes to put the automobile in neutral “to no effect.” Sikes hit the brakes and the parking brake with the CHP easing his patrol car’s rear bumper ahead of the Prius’ front bumper, just in case.

Too bad there was not time to get an L.A. news chopper out there to cover Sikes’
drive, O.J. Simpson-style.

At least Sikes was more believable about the Prius’ surge — to 94 mph, not 108 or 109 mph, as others have claimed of their hybrid Toyotas. I’m more convinced than ever that the vast majority of these incidents come from American drivers who could barely handle a automobile with automatic transmission, power steering and brakes before they started using mobile phones.

And I admit we have a bit of myopia about this matter, in our tiny corner of the
journalism profession. I do not know of any automotive journalists who have
experienced any kind of unintended acceleration in any brand of automobile over the years. We do not understand how any automobile or truck’s brakes cannot overcome an engine’s power.

And we are used to driving vehicles to extremes; accelerating, braking and cornering much closer to limits than the average driver. The vast majority of motoring journalists have had at least some experience driving road vehicles on racetracks. So it’s hard to understand how a sticky throttle pedal could turn into the automobile “speeding out of control” to any driver not used to full ABS stops or 1.0-g cornering. Add to that your image of the average Prius driver. Maybe that is why they are so fuel-efficient — most Pruises drivers would rather tuck their vehicles into the garage than risk pulling out into traffic.

Yes, it’s part of the “dumbing down” of American drivers, who anticipate automakers to make their vehicles save them from certain death when they change two lanes on the freeway, sans turn signals, while text-messaging friends and family. To be sure, Japanese and South Korean drivers probably aren’t much different, even though Western European drivers surely are. German automakers still grudgingly add more and larger cupholders for their U.S. imports than for home market cars.

The most tangible sign, though, that Toyota may be approaching an Audi-like
turnaround of its unintended acceleration problem comes not from the nightly news programs, but from late-night speak show hosts. Thursday night, David Letterman, who has had almost as much fun on “The Late Show” with Toyota as he has had with Jay Leno’s return to “The Tonight Show” introduced a mock Akio Toyoda and his mock apology to American consumers.

“Akio’s” apology turned into this admonishment: “Americans drive like frightened kitties.”

We’re not surprised you are thinking about hitting Wal-Mart this weekend.

AOL Autos reports, “TeleNav, one of the largest providers of navigation services for millions of subscribers via cell phone, recently unveiled data that showed exactly what people are searching for. With Americans increasingly setting their GPS to find anything and everything, one begins to wonder: where exactly are 13 million people going?”

The New York Times says, “Apparently, to places where they will find bargains, fast food and cheap gas.  During December of last year (the first month for which TeleNav has detailed, word-specific data), Wal-Mart was the number one business destination in the United States for navigation users. This should be no surprise given the say of the economy during the holiday gift-giving season. On the other hand, while some people were looking for cheap DVD players, it appears almost as many folks were willing to spend money on tiny luxuries. To wit, Starbucks came in a close second to Wal-Mart.”

The results were even broken down by region.  Turns out that people in Chicago search for pizza the most, while New Yorkers searched for Chinese food. Good luck finding decent Peking Duck at Wal-Mart.

Autoblog adds, “Have we ever used a nav system to find a Walmart? Yeah, once, but we were in Louisiana and in need of spray paint (don’t ask). We’ll sleep okay tonight.”

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Thinking about buying a Toyota?  You’re not alone.

Automotive News  reports, “New incentives are boosting Toyota’s U.S. sales huge time in early March, and analysts forecast a 30 percent bounce for the full month.”   The expected sales increase comes after Toyota sales fell 10 percent in February, amid recalls and Congressional hearings.

However, Toyota is not the only one reaping a sales bounce.  Edmunds Auto Observer says, “In the first eight days of March, the Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of U.S. sales climbed to 12.5 million units, the highest level since September 2008, excluding August 2009 when Cash for Clunkers was at fever pitch.”

Automakers like Ford, GM and Toyota are currently offering zero-percent financing.  In some cases, those terms are good for up to five years.

While the incentives are driving sales, being so generous could cost automakers in the long run.  According to Edmunds, the incentives will cost Toyota over a billion dollars, which could affect their profitability this year.

While analysts think that the incentives are a good short-term fix that may not fix Toyota sales in the long term, Autoblog says, “That may be true, but we are thinking Toyota must be more than a bit relieved that customers are coming back to showrooms, at least for now.”

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Yesterday we told you about doubts Edmunds Inside Line raised about a California man who claimed his Prius had raced out of control. Today, more people are looking into the story.

Jalopnik thinks James Sikes, the man in the incident, may have had a motive: “James Sikes, the San Diego runaway Toyota Prius driver, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and now has over $700,000 in debt. According to one anonymous tipster, we are also told he hasn’t been making payments on his Prius,” they write, adding, “it’s potential motivation for wanting to find an out — any out — on paying for the vehicle.”

Jalopnik’s questions about Sikes’ motives add to questions Inside Line raised about the story.  Inside Line pointed out that it’s relatively simple to shift the Prius into neutral, even at highway speeds.  They also found it odd that though he claimed to be doing well over 90, Sikes managed to avoid an accident on a California highway for over 20 minutes — while panicking.

The Associated Press states the runaway Prius story may be reinforcing itself. “Experts on consumer psychology state the relentless negative media attention Toyota has received since the fall makes it much more likely that drivers will mistake anything unexpected — or even a misplaced foot — for actual danger.” AP adds, “In just the first 10 weeks of this year, 272 complaints have been filed nation-wide for speed control problems with the Prius, according to an Associated Press analysis of unverified complaints received by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By comparison, only 74 complaints were filed in all of last year, and just eight the year before that.”

Autoblog Green comments, “We’ll let the authorities investigate these latest cases and determine as ideal they can what happened there, but we also want the madness to calm down. Problems should be fixed, sure, but just because some people have problems doesn’t mean everyone does.”

The day after the Prius incident in California, according to reports, a Prius accelerated suddenly in New York. In that incident, a woman was pulling out of her driveway when she states the accelerator stuck, causing the Prius to surge forward into a stonewall. No one was hurt in the incident.

However, Richard Schmidt, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, writes in the New York Times that the kind of driveway scenario the woman describes is a prime example of driver error being mistaken for a mechanical problem. Shchmidt has spent much of his career investigating cases of unintended acceleration for automakers.  His work has found that reports of unintended acceleration “typically happened when the driver first got into the automobile and started it. After turning on the ignition, the driver would intend to press lightly on the brake pedal while shifting from park to drive (or reverse), and suddenly the automobile would leap forward (or backward). Drivers stated that continued pressing on the brake would not stop the car; it would keep going until it crashed.”  Schmidt adds, “Drivers believed that something had gone wrong in the acceleration system, and that the brakes had failed.”

When engineers would analyze the cars, they had find nothing was wrong.  Schmidt writes, “Several researchers hypothesized how a driver, intending to apply the brake pedal to keep the automobile from creeping, would occasionally press the accelerator instead. Then, surprised that the automobile moved so much, he would try pressing harder. Of course, if his right foot was actually on the accelerator, the throttle would open and the automobile would move faster.”  The result? “This would then lead the driver to press the ‘brake’ harder still, and to bring about even more acceleration. Eventually, the automobile would be at full throttle, until it crashed. The driver’s foot would be all the way to the floor, giving him the impression that the brakes had failed.”

Of course, Schmidt’s reasoning doesn’t explain the reports of the runaway Prius in California, and it doesn’t prove that nothing was wrong with the Prius in New York.  But, driver error plus increased publicity may explain some of the spike in reports of problems with Toyota.

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

One of the biggest hits at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was the Porsche 918 concept. The super-slick plug-in hybrid surprised the automotive press with its good looks and green-monster powertrain.  Now, Porsche wants to actually build the thing.

The U.K.’s Autocar says, “Porsche boss Michael Macht states that staff in the firm are fully committed to building the 918 Spyder, the biggest shock – and hit – of the Geneva motor show. Taken from drawing to show automobile in under five months, the 918 mixes a 500bhp petrol V8 with two electric motors for a combined 718bhp. Porsche has calculated that it could be quicker than the old Carrera GT around the Nordschleife.”

Autoblog Green says, “The key is that the automobile has to be profitable. Porsche will not build the 918 as a loss leader just to get it out there.”

As a result, Left Lane News reports, “Porsche now states it is looking for letters of intent from possible buyers to determine if the automobile has production potential.”  Before you stick your letter of intent in the mail, Left Lane News states you should know that while the concept came together in a matter of months, “buyers will reportedly wait closer to five years, according to company insiders estimating time to get the automobile to production.”

That just gives you more time to save up enough money to actually afford one.

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Maybe the Ford Transit Connect winning the North American Truck of the Year award at this year’s Detroit Auto Show signaled to the world that vans are cool again.  Or maybe businesses are looking for the right automobile to jumpstart the economy.  Either way, Nissan has decided to jump into the work van pool.

Left Lane News reports, “Japanese automaker Nissan has officially entered the massive commercial van market with its new lineup of NV vans. Available in three model levels, two roof heights and with a pair of V6 and V8 gasoline engines, the NV vans clearly target traditional massive vans like the Ford E-Series and Chevrolet Express – even if they borrow some tricks from more contemporary competition.”

Autoblog adds,”‘NV’ rather unimaginatively stands for Nissan Van, for what it’s worth – relies on three different designations, NV1500, 2500 HD and 3500 HD, and two different roof heights (the High Roof is only available on the NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD models) to provide a platform for every conceivable need.”

Pickuptrucks.com says, “Instead of a conventional short-nose configuration, where part of the engine sits in the cab next to the driver, the NV has a long-nose front end, like a full-size pick-up truck. Nissan has positioned the engine ahead of the A-pillar and firewall. That’s not surprising, since the NV is based on a altered version of the Nissan Titan half-ton pickup’s F-Alpha body-on-frame platform. The long-nose layout also makes maintenance easier because most of the powertrain can be accessed under the van’s hood.”

Inside Line writes, “No diesel-powered version or extended wheelbase variant have been announced. At 240.9 inches in overall length, the NV is about the same size as the smallest Dodge Sprinter was and a tiny more than five feet longer than the wee tiny Transit Connect. A Standard Roof version will hold ‘220+’ cubic feet of stuff. The High Roof will swallow ‘300+’ cubic feet of goods.”

Jalopnik thinks the NV has a market waiting for it: “It’s kind of ugly and pretty awkward, but dag-gummit it’s the perfect size for a good small taco truck.”  If you have got a craving for tacos, the NV hits the market in fall 2010.

If you are in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.