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Toyota recalling 11,200 Scion iQ models over faulty passenger sensors

Toyota has announced a voluntary recall of 11,200 Scion iQ models from the 2012 and 2013 model years. According to the manufacturer, the problem with these pint-sized hatchbacks concerns the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) weight sensor cables.
The OCS sensors in the front passenger seat control the operation of things like the airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioner. In these affected models, the cables for these sensors located in the seat track can become damaged as the passenger seat slides forward and backward. And if the cables are damaged, the airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioner may not function properly.
No injuries or crashes have been reported in conjunction with this issue.

Scion was Toyota's lost generation

Toyota's top North American leader was succinct in explaining the reasons for killing Scion. "It's the right decision at the right time," Jim Lentz said. It's hard to disagree. In a strong market that saw 17.5 million sales last year, Scion volume dipped three percent. Its product lineup has withered for years, which is always a telltale sign a brand doesn't have the full support of its owner. Though enthusiasts love the FR-S sports car, it's the fruit of a joint project with Subaru that also produced the BRZ. Scion's coolest car has a twin sold by one of its rivals. After the FR-S launched in 2012, Scion got nothing – squat – in the way of new products until the iA and iM arrived late last year, IHS senior analyst Stephanie Brinley noted. "[Scion] was not successful in building a visual brand identity or product personality," she said. Lentz, Scion's first vice president and now CEO of Toyota's North American division, admitted the market has changed. "Younger customers have a different mindset," he said. In the early oughts, a brand that catered to a youthful demographic made some sense, and this is one front where Toyota can declare victory. Seventy percent of Scion's buyers were new to Toyota, and the average age was 36 years old. The problem is, not enough of them buy Scions anymore. Scion hit a highwater sales mark of 173,034 vehicles in 2006 and hasn't come close to reaching that since. The recession hurt Scion, too. It bottomed out in 2010 with just 45,678 sales, a time when the rest of the industry was beginning to recover. There was a brief uptick (73,507) in 2012, but Scion failed to capitalize on that momentum and sales fell for three more years. Toyota is calling Scion's pending death a "transition" back to the main company. Sure, most of the cars will be rebadged Toyotas, like the FR-S, iA, and iM. The C-HR, an attractive future crossover that would have given Scion a boost, will go into production as a Toyota. But make no mistake: This is a failure. Toyota is closing a brand in the same way General Motors scrapped Oldsmobile, Ford shuttered Mercury, and Chrysler dropped Plymouth. Those brands languished for years. Toyota moved quicker to put the fork in Scion, which prevented it from becoming a long-term drain on the parent company. Lentz was dead on. It's the right time. News & Analysis News: Sergio Marchionne is against a Ferrari SUV Analysis: His exact words were, "you have to shoot me first," Bloomberg reported.

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. midsize crossovers and SUVs: How they compare on paper

In a world full of SUVs and crossovers all competing for similar buyers in similar segments, there are still some models that find their own little niches that lack such fevered fighting. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of those vehicles. It's an oddball in the sense that it's a midsize crossover SUV with a unibody chassis and independent suspension, but it still uses rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive systems and has some off-road capability. It's also a midsize crossover, but only offers two rows of seats. Despite the Grand Cherokee's odd nature, we did come up with a few crossovers and a classic SUV that seem to match the Jeep in size and pricing. We looked at the numbers to compare them on paper. You can find the raw data in the chart below and deeper analysis after that. As always, this is just a comparison of specifications and you'll want to check out our driving impressions of each car if you're getting serious about one or all of these vehicles. And if you want to compare any of these against other vehicles, be sure to check out our comparison tool. Engines and Drivetrains When comparing base engines, the Jeep Grand Cherokee's 295-horsepower is the clear power winner, beating the next most powerful 4Runner by 25. But in torque, the 4Runner takes the laurels with 278 pound-feet, narrowly edging out the Edge's (no pun intended) turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder's 275. That four-cylinder in the Edge will also be picking up another 5 horsepower for 2019, but it still won't win this power contest. Both Ford and Jeep also have another advantage in the fact that you don't have to settle for the base powertrain. Ford has two other engine options, a naturally aspirated V6 and a twin-turbocharged V6, the latter of which outguns the Grand Cherokee's gasoline V6 in both power and torque. That engine will also be bumped up to an impressive 335 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. View 20 Photos The Jeep has the most engine options, though, and it's the only to offer V8 and diesel options. On most Grand Cherokees, the options include a 5.7-liter V8, which is only available with 4WD. It makes 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, outperforming even the 2019 Edge's twin-turbo V6. The diesel engine doesn't make much power with just 240, but it makes up for it with torque at 420 pound-feet. And of course there are the SRT and SRT Trackhawk models with even bigger and supercharged V8 engines respectively.