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The world, and with it the sphere of personal mobility, is in a state of ecological, economic and social upheaval. Global developments such as climate change, dwindling resources and increasing urbanisation call for fresh solutions. BMW i is finding those solutions. The brand stands for visionary vehicle concepts, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is strongly defined by sustainability.

In the BMW i3 – the first series-produced model by BMW i – zero-emission mobility in a premium car package proves to be a recipe for pure driving pleasure. The first BMW Group model running on electric power alone offers customers totally new and groundbreaking ways to experience driving pleasure, sustainability and connectivity on city roads. The visionary design of the BMW i3 showcases both BMW’s customary sporting capability and the efficiency of a four-seater with authentic clarity. Its innovative vehicle concept, including a passenger compartment made from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), combines lightness, stability and safety with extraordinary spaciousness. Meanwhile, the driver assistance systems and mobility services from BMW Connected Drive and the 360° ELECTRIC services – all developed specially for BMW i – turn zero-emission urban mobility into a compelling everyday driving experience.

The electric motor powering the BMW i3 generates a maximum output of 125 kW/170 hp and peak torque of 250 Newton metres (184 lb-ft). Its instantaneous power flows to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. The motor sources its energy from lithium-ion storage cells integrated into the car’s underfloor section. The significantly lower centre of gravity of the i3 – the result of the low, central placement of the battery units – and even weight distribution make an additional contribution to the car’s agile handling. The battery gives the car a range in everyday conditions of 130 – 160 kilometres (81 – 99 miles) when fully charged from a conventional domestic power socket, BMW i Wallbox or public charging station.

Cadillac is working on the first major change to its logo in more than a decade, pruning away the classic laurel wreaths that surround its crest, several sources told Automotive News.

The modified emblem is likely to appear on a concept vehicle that Cadillac plans to show next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. The redesigned badge would appear on production cars no earlier than the 2015 model year, and the plans could change, the sources said.

A Cadillac spokesman confirmed the plans to show a concept at Pebble Beach next month but declined to comment on a badge redesign.

'Outdated and obsolete'

The plan to discard the wreaths was prompted in part by feedback from potential customers, the sources said. "Every time it was tested, the reaction was almost universally negative," a Cadillac insider told Automotive News, adding: "The wreath is seen as outdated and obsolete."

That's an image that Cadillac has been working hard to shed with successive generations of products aimed at younger buyers.

Cadillac's emblem has morphed nearly 40 times in the brand's 111-year history, and the wreath has come and gone over the years. The emblem was last re-engineered in 1999 to project a more streamlined, contemporary look and signal a departure from its legacy of producing old-fashioned, luxurious land yachts. An assortment of birds, a vestige of the original company logo, was stripped from the main crest, but the surrounding wreaths survived in a modified form.

That change coincided with the launch of a new brand signature that Cadillac called Art and Science, which was reflected in angular and aggressively styled concept cars such as the Cien and the Evoq. The look quickly trickled down to production cars, beginning with the first-generation CTS sedan and XLR coupe.

European approach

More recently, Cadillac has embraced a European approach to engineering and performance, a high-tech image that's at odds with the old-fashioned wreath. The Art and Science design language also is evolving, from sharp edges to sleeker, more-sculpted styling elements.

A single-piece logo would give designers more flexibility to play with the "face" of future Cadillacs. The new logo could be positioned in the center of the grille, as it is now, or above the hood.

But it would have implications for dealers and the sales organization as well, requiring new signage and stationery, for example.

The original Cadillac crest was inspired by the historic family coat of arms of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit and namesake of the brand.

TAJIMI, Japan - Toyota is opening a training facility for mechanics complete with a test course that simulates 13 driving conditions including cobblestones and bumpy roads as part of the automaker's efforts to avoid a repeat of its recall fiasco.

A ceremony with Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda and government officials was held at the 9 billion yen ($90 million) Tajimi Service Center Monday in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, near Toyota city where the car maker is headquartered.

Toyoda said quality must remain a priority even as the company becomes ever more global, with buyers driving on a range of road conditions. The centre will initially train about 2,600 mechanics year, and eventually 4,800 mechanics a year, the company said.

Toyota has about 120,000 mechanics around the world and those numbers are expected to grow with sales expanding in emerging markets.

Toyota's reputation for quality was tarnished by massive global recalls that started five years ago. The automaker announced recall after recall, spanning almost every model in its lineup, totalling more than 10 million vehicles being recalled.

At the facility, Shinto priests in robes waved branches and hurled specks of paper before an altar with offerings of cabbage and oranges in a purification ceremony. Executives, dealers and officials lined up to bow and clap in what Toyota said was a prayer that its cars would stay safe.

The renewed focus on checking up on defects even after a vehicle has been delivered highlights Toyota's determination to stop recalls from spiraling out of control — not just in development and design stages but also after production and years of use.

"No vehicle is used in the same way, and all sorts of things happen that cannot be anticipated at the development stage," Toyoda said. "It is impossible to build a vehicle that will never break down."

Toyoda pointed to one problem with Prius hybrid braking, which the company had initially deemed safe, but upon testing had been found to work 0.06 seconds slower than the previous model, and customers were not feeling comfortable.

The new facility might not end recall problems once and for all, but will help the automaker respond more quickly, Toyoda told reporters.

"When something happens next time, we will be faster with our response and then people can trust our vehicles more as safe," he said.

Other automakers have similar training and test-course facilities, and Toyota also has other training centres. But the Tajimi centre is among the biggest for any automaker, with a 1.3 kilometre (0.8 mile) track with 13 different kinds of road conditions, including cracked, bumpy and wet surfaces.

It is dotted with big "Safety First" signs. A four-story building has classrooms and areas where car-maintenance checkups can be practiced. Tajimi has one of the hottest temperatures in Japan, but gets snow in the winter, allowing mechanics to study what severe weather does to cars.

Toyota, which makes Lexus luxury models and the Camry sedan, has sprung back from the recall disaster and re-emerged as the world's top automaker, growing in new markets such as China and Indonesia, while regaining sales share in the U.S

"Toyota has been taking longer in model development to be more careful and strengthen quality controls," said Nomura Securities Co. auto analyst Masataka Kunugimoto.

Despite the recall problems, Toyota boasts among the highest quality standards in the industry, he said.

Still, the arrival of new kinds of vehicles such as hybrids means maintenance crews must be trained to spot abnormal vehicle responses, diagnose problems and research new kinds of service technology, according to Toyota.

Training is also mental and involves instilling the right "customer-first" spirit in the mechanics in 135 nations so they won't let a quality failure get by, it said.

In 1935, when Toyota's G1 truck was riddled with problems, company founder Kiichiro Toyoda, Akio Toyoda's grandfather, rushed around to personally fix breakdowns and apologize to customers, Toyoda said to drive home the message of quality.

American Adam J. Crawford, from Arizona, among the instructors at the centre, acknowledged he wasn't sure he could really avoid massive recalls by training people who fix cars, but he said he was hopeful.

"If I can instil in him a desire and a true want to have good quality in everything he does, from an oil change to an engine overhaul, then I think we can keep our customers happy and we can keep the quality of our vehicles very high," he said.

MARKHAM, ON - Honda Canada is expanding a recall of the Honda Fit Sport vehicles from the 2012-13 model year.

The automaker said Thursday it is issuing a recall for an additional 8,871 cars because it wants to update the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) software, which will be done free of charge.

Honda first announced in April it was recalling nearly 48,000 of the small cars in the U.S. and Canada for the same issue.

It says the VSA system on some of the vehicles equipped with certain tires may allow the tires to lose traction and cause the vehicle to skid under certain test manoeuvres.

Honda says that could result in swerving that exceeds certain Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards requirements.

Customers will receive notifications of the recall in the mail but are encouraged to take their vehicles in to an authorized dealer.