Toyota issues voluntary recall for 1.1 million Corolla/Matrix models, beats Feds to it

It's official: that little snafu Toyota had a few days ago with the stalling Corollas has evolved from an Engineering Analysis to a full-blown (voluntary) recall. The world's largest automaker will recall around 1.13 million vehicles, specifically the 2005-08 Corolla and Matrix (and Vibe?) for "improperly manufactured" engine control modules. Toyota will replace the modules for free on affected cars, while providing people who have already had to replace theirs with the opportunity to file a claim for reimbursement.

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SCOOP: 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback Spied

Whatever happened to interest in the 1-Series M Coupe? Everyone was all jazzed about that situation like Daft Punk was coming to town, and then...nothing. Anyway, moving further forward into the future here are some spy shots of the next-generation 1-Series hatch, codenamed F20, which is set to show up late next year.

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Cadillac CTS Coupe Loses its Top for SEMA Show

Drop Top Customs, the Florida-based company that brought us the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger convertible models at last year's SEMA Show, is now getting ready to chop the roof off the freshly revealed Cadillac CTS Coupe. The soft top Caddy will be revealed in the flesh for the first time at this year's edition of the SEMA gathering, which runs from November 2 to 5 at the Las Vegas convention center.

For now, you'll have to make do with a set of renderings that you can check out along with some other drop top custom conversions from the tuning shop in the gallery after the jump.

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Lotus reveals Supercharged Evora S with 350HP and clutchless Evora IPS before Paris

Now that the somewhat docile Moscow motor show is out of our minds, what everyone should be looking forward to is the epic design-fest that is the Paris Motor Show. While I'm definitely looking forward to Citroen's usual insanity, there will be "normal" cars there, too. Take, for instance, these 'Loti'.

The performance model is simply called the Lotus Evora S, and it doesn't have nearly enough old-school Lotus graphics for my taste. However, what it lacks in vintage what-what, it makes up for with that big, curvy letter which signifies the car's supercharged status. With the blower on top of its Toyota-sourced (i.e. fairly reliable) 3.5 liter V6, its puts down a very Esprit-esque 350-horses.

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Senner Tuning launches first round of upgrades for Audi A1

German firm Senner Tuning has released a new line of styling and performance enhancements for the freshly introduced Audi A1 supermini with the 1.6 TDI diesel engine. The tuner starts by massaging the 1.6-liter diesel with a recalibrated ECU, boosting output from 105HP to 140HP. Peak torque also climbs from 250Nm to 310Nm.

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All about the home-grown: Canadian company teases Cannabis-bodied electric car

Sure, electric cars are neat, but what if we could take the level of green-ness to an all-time high? Alberta-based Motive Industries...(exhale)...recently announced that it has created an electric vehicle called the Kestrel which has a "bio-composite" body made from hemp mats.

The mats are sourced from Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, a company which processes hemp grown in, you guessed it, Alberta, Canada. Motive CEO Nathan Armstrong says, "We saw a unique opportunity to make significant advancements in the automotive sector and support the Canadian auto sector by providing sustainable products and opportunities to create new green manufacturing jobs."

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2011 Honda Inspire: Small styling changes and a forest's worth of wood for JDM Accord

Hot on the heels of the presentation of the updated 2011 Accord sedan and coupe models for North America, Honda today released the refreshed JDM version of the saloon that goes by the name Inspire in Japan. Since the Inspire already featured the 2011 Accord's reflector extensions at the back, Honda focused its attention on the front end that receives the same treatment with new grille and bumper designs as the American model. The JDM car also gets newly styled 17-inch alloy wheels.

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