The most obnoxiously tuned Toyota Prius... Ever

Click above to view video after the jump
We truly do appreciate the custom-car scene, in all of its various guises. There is, however, a problem with the custom Prius you see above and in the video embedded after the break. Generally speaking, the goal of modifying a car is to either A) make it go faster or B) make it look better.
When Classe Gustafson, Elvis Häggbom and Kenny Kyrk from Sweden had finished spending $184,000 customizing a Toyota Prius, they had accomplished neither. This Prius-trocity, which was modified for a television show, is anything but subtle. It lost two doors during its transformation from mild-mannered hybrid eco-mobile to whacked out sport compact that just happens to get good fuel economy, though it did get scissor-style portals that are nearly impossible to open in the process. And it also gained a huge honkin' stereo and the body-kit from a Volvo SUV. The over-the-top paint-job is the final touch. The Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, however, went untouched save for the obligatory fart-can exhaust. Nice.

Extreme Toyota Prius

[ Via: Wired ]
[ Tag: Classe Gustafson, ClasseGustafson, custom prius, CustomPrius, Elvis Hggbom, Kenny Kyrk, modified prius, ModifiedPrius, sweden ]

Volvo recalls 1,000 C1 platform cars for steering fault

It's not a large recall, but the effort will correct a potentially serious problem. Slightly more than 1,000 C1 platform cars -- C30, S40, V50, and C70 -- are in need of a replacement power steering return line. The hose isn't up to spec and could rupture, leading to a rapid loss of fluid and with it, power assistance, making steering dangerously difficult. Some drivers would welcome a blissfully simple and surgically accurate manual rack in their cars, but jettisoning power steering while underway might not be what they had in mind. Contact your Volvo dealer to see if your car is one of the roughly 1,020 affected, the fix is free of charge.


[ Via: Inside Line ]
[ Tag: volvo c1 platform recall, volvo c30 recall, volvo c70 recall, Volvo recall, volvo s40 recall, volvo steering recall, volvo v50 recall, VolvoC1PlatformRecall, VolvoC30Recall, VolvoC70Recall, VolvoRecall, VolvoS40Recall, VolvoSteeringRecall, VolvoV50Recall ]

Fiat takes over financing for Jaguar/Land Rover in Europe

Remember the first time you moved out of your parents' house? Suddenly you were out on your own, without the security of a financial safety net. Same goes for car companies, so after Jaguar and Land Rover moved out of the Ford house and in with its new roomie Tata, suddenly the pair of British auto marques is searching for a new financial arrangement. And it's found one, thanks to the close relationship between Tata and Fiat. Through a joint venture with French bank Credit Agricole, the Italian auto giant will be handling the financing of all new Jaguars and Land Rovers purchased across Europe. Fiat may have opted out of buying the two English automakers themselves, but the collaboration with Tata seems to be bringing them closer to Turin with each passing day.

[ Via: Automotive News Europe ]
[ Tag: fiat, fiat credit agricole, fiat finance, fiat finance jaguar, fiat finance land rover, fiat jaguar, fiat land rover, fiat land rover jaguar, fiat tata, FiatCreditAgricole, FiatFinance, FiatFinanceJaguar, FiatFinanceLandRover, FiatJaguar, FiatLandRover, FiatLandRoverJaguar, FiatTata, tata ]