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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

Automotive Grade Linux will be the backbone of your connected car

Creating a backend for a secure, reliable, and expandable infotainment system is costly and time consuming. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, has set out to promote and advance the Linux operating system in commercial products. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is a group within the Foundation that seeks to apply a Linux backend to a number of automotive applications in a variety of vehicles from various suppliers and manufacturers. AGL's goal is to create a common, unifying framework that allows developers and manufacturers to easily implement applications across platforms. Currently, the focus is on infotainment systems, but AGL has plans for instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and eventually active safety software. At CES, a display from Panasonic showed a completely digital and customizable dashboard that allows information and apps to be moved from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen and back, all through the use of gesture and touch controls. Although the organization has been around for five years, it's really only been in the past three that the group has been working hand in hand with automakers and suppliers. The first two OEMs to participate, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, have since been joined by Mazda, Suzuki, Ford, and, as of this week, Daimler. The latter is important as until now most of AGL's partner's have been based in Japan or the US. Other partners include suppliers Denso, Renesas, Continental, Qualcomm, and Intel. AGL want's to supply roughly 80 percent of the backend, allowing partners to then finish and refine the Linux system for each individual application. Think of how the Android operating system is refined and customized for individual smartphones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. While the final product looks different, developers can have an application that will work across all AGL systems. Because it is open source, anyone can use and develop for AGL. You can even go onto the group's website and download a copy right now. There is also a software development kit available that helps facilitate app creation on the platform. Vehicle development cycles take roughly five years, so there currently are no cars that run an AGL backbone available for consumers. AGL Executive Director Dan Cauchy says products should be hitting the market later this year, with even more coming in 2018. Right now, the industry is relatively fragmented when it comes to infotainment and related systems.

Toyota may put Mirai hydrogen fuel cell powertrain into a Lexus

Toyota is hoping to define the world of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with its uniquely styled Mirai sedan in a fashion similar to the way the Prius pops into people's minds when they think of a hybrid. The Japanese automaker believes it can sell about 700 FCEVs worldwide in the first year alone and build rapidly from there to an estimated 3,000 sales in the US by 2017. Of course, not everyone is completely enamored with the Mirai's design. Toyota is rumored to have an alternative in the works to quell some of those naysayers, possibly taking flagship form with a new Lexus LS powered by fuel-cell tech. The LS FCEV could be unveiled by 2017 to sit at the very top of brand's lineup. According to an inside source speaking to the Australian website Motoring, the front end would feature larger air intakes to cool the electrical components. The fuel cell would reportedly be positioned under the front seat, and the hydrogen tanks would be located under and behind the rear seat. Somehow, Motoring claims that all of this might be lighter than the current LS600hL hybrid, to the tune about 440 pounds. The model is also claimed to offer a range of about 239 miles, just a bit shy of the Mirai's roughly 300 miles. Assuming this vehicle actually exists, the cost for buyers of this flagship would almost certainly ring up at more than the LS600hL's $120,440 base price. Autoblog has reached out to Toyota for any further info about this rumor, one way or the other. If we hear back, we'll update this story with the details. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai View 15 Photos News Source: MotoringImage Credit: Toyota Green Rumormill Lexus Toyota Alternative Fuels Hybrid Luxury Sedan lexus ls toyota mirai rumor fcev Lexus LS600h