The U.S. Department of Transportation is including Toyota electronics as a possible conduit in its investigation of unintended acceleration, Automotive News reports. The news Web site cites an unidentified Transportation official who confirmed the inclusion of possible electronic problems via email.

Thus far, Toyota has suspended production and sales of key models in its lineup while it rushes to revise its pedal assemblies. The world’s largest automaker has also issued recalls affecting some 7.5 million vehicles worldwide (Click here for our timeline).

“We’re not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects and monitor the implementation of the recalls,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an unrelated statement today, chastising the automaker for what he feels was a reluctance to initiate a recall.

Toyota issued a response on its media site today, saying, “Since these issues first came to our attention, we have understood that the soonest possible action would be in the best interests of our customers and have acted accordingly. We are very grateful for the advice of all the government agencies involved and feel that through our handling of the recall we have a chance to regain the trust of our customers.”

Source: Automotive News, Detroit Free Press, Toyota

Infiniti has released pricing information today on the all-new 2011 M sedan, starting the base MSRP at $47,115 for the rear-drive 2011 M37. The entry-level 2011 M37 features Infiniti’s 330-horse 3.7-liter V-6 and a seven-speed automatic transmission. Those looking for improved all-weather driveability can step up to the all-wheel-drive M37x at a starting price of $49,265. Standard equipment on both models includes power-folding side view mirrors, front door handle courtesy lights, Active Noise Control, RearView Monitor, and Enhanced Intelligent Key memory – now including audio, navigation, and climate control settings.

Those with a bigger budget and a heavier throttle foot will likely opt for the M55 and all-wheel-drive counterpart, M56x, starting at $58,415 and $60,915, respectively. The two top-flight versions are distinguished by an all-new 420-horsepower 5.6-liter V-8 paired to the same seven-speed automatic as the six-cylinder variant, though with revised gear ratios. Both M56 models also include the previously-optional Premium Package (a $3,350 value, says Infiniti) as standard. The Premium Package includes Infiniti’s hard drive navigation system with an 8-inch touch screen, a Bose two-channel, 10-speaker audio system, streaming audio via Bluetooth, climate controlled front seats, and a heated steering wheel.  All standard M37 equipment is also included.

Prices for 2011 Infiniti M models represent an increase of $450 over the current 2010 models for the M37 series, while the M56 gets a $2050 bump and the M56x gets a $750 bump – increases that Infiniti says are negated by the additional standard equipment offered.

“The all-new M represents the kind of inspired design, performance, technology, and craftsmanship that luxury buyers are asking for,” said Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti’s Business Unit. “Along with our other great vehicles, the 2011 M puts Infiniti right in the sweet spot of today’s performance luxury market.”

Over the last few years, sales of pickups for personal use have dropped dramatically. It’s been a long, slow road to recovery in this country, and we still haven’t seen truck sales improve. Making things worse, guys who work in construction are among the most dedicated to buying pickups for use on the job, and there isn’t a lot of that going on right now, either.

How did truckmakers respond to this sudden, dramatic, and prolonged change in the marketplace? Instead of sticking solely with the mainstream-market formula, they’re focusing on catering to the specific needs of truck people. That helps explain the interesting grouping of vehicles for the latest Truck of the Year event. Four qualified: the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, the Ford Transit Connect, the Ram Heavy Duty, and the Toyota Tundra 4.6-liter work truck.

First contender is the off-road race-ready Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Instead of taking the street-biased high-performance route of the Lightning, the design team looked at the strengths of the truck platform and redefined the idea of high performance. The Raptor is ideally suited to romping over the ruts and sand of the Baja 1000 and only gets better the faster you go. And even though the extended-cab powered by a 5.4-liter V-8 is an impressive combination, we hear a crew cab and 400-plus-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 are coming.

2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Front Three Quarters Driver
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Some of you may wonder why on earth there’s a little van in Truck of the Year. The Ford Transit Connect is no kid-toting minivan. This is a van built for work, with a 1600-pound payload, comparable to that of any half-ton truck on the market. This van, which has been sold in Europe for many years, has been put through truck-durability testing and is ready to take on full-size vans for a piece of that market.

For those who need to be able to tow a fifth-wheel trailer or carry 5000 pounds of equipment in the bed, the Ram Heavy Duty arrives for 2010 with a revised platform, all-new sheetmetal, redesigned interior, and several innovations. These trucks are available as 3/4- and one-ton models, plus 4500 and 5500 trucks for even more capability.