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Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety

Infiniti teases QX Monograph concept for Pebble reveal

Infiniti is planning on showing a new concept car during Monterey Car Week called the QX Monograph. In case you lost track of time, that’s next week, as the concept car will officially be unveiled on Thursday, August 17. Infiniti is planning on holding a press conference at The Lodge at Pebble Beach where Alfonso Albaisa, senior VP of design, will present the vehicle. Infiniti says the new concept will showcase the “future direction of InfinitiÂ’s design direction.” A single teaser image gives us a glimpse of the grille and the Infiniti logo on the front. There isnÂ’t a lot Infiniti is saying about the QX Monograph yet, but weÂ’re told it features “digital piano key” lighting, bold proportions and the aforementioned double-arched grille. Of course, since itÂ’s a QX model, we should also expect it to be an SUV concept and not any other body style. Beyond the concept car, Infiniti says itÂ’s bringing never-before-seen quarter-scale design models from Nissan archives to display publicly. In total, four of these models will be shown, including the 1916 DAT 41, 1966 Prince Skyline 2000-GTB, 1970 Nissan Skyline H/T and the 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Nissan previews new Sway hatchback concept bound for Geneva

Nissan has announced a new concept it's bringing to the fast-approaching Geneva Motor Show with the release of the teaser image above. Bearing the name Sway, the concept previews the Japanese automaker's vision for a new small hatchback for the European market – ostensibly to replace the current model known as the Micra in Europe and Canada and as the March in other parts of the world. There's little to go on from the teaser, but it will clearly adopt the company's latest grille shape, flanked by angled LED headlights and with the requisite spindly door mirrors (or cameras, as the case may be) and oversized wheels packed into flared arches. Beyond that, Nissan hasn't released much in the way of details, except to say that it would apply the same "innovative design" and "radical thinking" that gave birth to the Qashqai and Juke to the small hatchback segment. THIS SWAY FOR EXCITEMENT - NISSAN AT THE 2015 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW Innovative design and product planning gave birth to Nissan Qashqai and Juke, two of the biggest automotive success stories of recent years. What would happen if the company applied the same radical thinking and quality standards to one of the most important sectors in Europe: the small hatchback? To be unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Sway is a glimpse at how a future generation of small Nissan models could look if the company's striking new design language was applied to a European hatchback. The car will be revealed during Nissan's press conference on March 3rd at 11.30am. About Nissan in Europe Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,600 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last financial year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 675,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, small cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle with 96% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers a strong line-up of 23 diverse and innovative models in Europe under the Nissan and Datsun brands.