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Five automakers now being investigated by NHTSA for airbag woes

It appears that Toyota's renotification to owners of recalled vehicles from last year is just the tip of the iceberg for what could potentially be a much larger industry-wide recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a preliminary evaluation investigation into roughly 1.1 million vehicles from Chrysler, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota and parts supplier Takata regarding faulty airbag inflators in several models.
NHTSA has received six reports - three directly, two from Takata and one from Toyota - of vehicles with ruptured airbag inflators from 2002-2006, which resulted in three injuries. So far, all six incidents have occurred in high humidity areas like Florida and Puerto Rico. According to Toyota's latest recall announcement, the inflators may have an improper propellant that could cause it to rupture in a crash and the bag to deploy abnormally.
This new investigation follows a previous recall from April 2013 of about 3.4 million vehicles worldwide for the airbag inflators from Takata. As Autoblog reported, Toyota jumpstarted the new situation when it found that the original list of serial numbers for the faulty part was incomplete and discovered more cars in need of replacement. Honda and Nissan told us that they were investigating whether further models would need called in again as well. Mazda told Autoblog: "Regarding the current Takata situation, we're working closely with NHTSA and investigating the situation, but nothing else to report at this time." Chrysler Group responded to us with the statement: "Chrysler Group engineers are conducting the appropriate analysis. The Company will cooperate fully with the National Highway Traffic Administration."

Chrysler unveils Dodge Charger SRT8 392, 300 SRT Concept to the faithful

Our man Steven J. Ewing recently spent some time in a 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, and while he found a lot to love - particularly underhood - he didn't care for the sedan's retro-steeped visuals, preferring the standard SRT's look instead. Perhaps he'll dig this throwback look instead. Over the weekend, Chrysler unveiled this handsome 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 392 Appearance Package at the eighth annual Spring Festival of LXs, a gathering of Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300 enthusiasts held in Irvine, California.
Unveiled by SRT CEO Ralph Gilles in front of an estimated 2,500 Spring Fest goers, the 392 features 20-inch Black Vapor Chrome alloys set off by a black-painted roof panel, hood bulge, spoiler and mirror caps. Additional exterior changes include model-specific striping and badging along with the requisite serialized dash plaque inside. The 392 will be available in five colors - Billet Silver Metallic, Bright White, Hemi Orange, Plum Crazy and the TorRed pain seen here.
Performance-wise, the 392 remains unchanged from standard SRT8s, but that's hardly a slight - the 6.4 liter Hemi V8 continues to churn out 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. Like other 2013 SRT8s, the 392 benefits from the institution of a new launch control system and a retuned three-mode adaptive suspension.

Fiat To Pay $3.65 Billion For Remaining Chrysler Shares

Italian automaker Fiat SpA announced Wednesday that it reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares of Chrysler for $3.65 billion in payments to a union-controlled trust fund. Fiat already owns 58.5 percent of Chrysler's shares, with the remaining 41.5 percent held by a United Auto Workers union trust fund that pays health care bills for retirees. Under the deal, Fiat will make an initial payment of $1.9 billion to the fund, plus an additional $1.75 billion upon closing the deal. Chrysler will also make additional payments totaling $700 million to the fund as part of an agreement with the UAW. The deal is expected to close on or before Jan. 20, according to a statement from Chrysler. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler, has long sought to acquire the union's shares in order to combine the two companies. "The unified ownership structure will now allow us to fully execute our vision of creating a global automaker that is truly unique in terms of mix of experience, perspective and know-how, a solid and open organization," Marchionne said in a statement issued by Turin, Italy-based Fiat. The deal eliminates the need for an initial public offering of the union fund's stake, which analysts had previously valued at $5.6 billion. Fiat went to court last year seeking a judgment on the price, but the trial date was set for next September. Marchionne can't spend Chrysler's cash on Fiat's operations unless the companies merge. In recent months he made it clear that he preferred to settle the dispute without an IPO, but filed the paperwork for the offering in September at the trust's request. Chrysler's profits have helped prop up Fiat on the balance sheet as the Italian automaker struggles in a down European market. The Auburn Hills, Mich., automaker earned $464 million in the third quarter on U.S. sales of the Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee, its ninth-straight profitable quarter. The results boosted Fiat, which earned $260 million in the quarter. Without Chrysler's contribution, Fiat would have lost $340 million. UAW/Unions Chrysler Fiat