BRIEFS - VW recalls cars for fuel leaks

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  VW recalls cars for fuel leaks

DETROIT (AP):

Volkswagen is recalling 168,275 cars equipped with diesel engines because of a defect in the fuel-injection system that could cause fuel leaks and fires.

The recall affects certain 2009-2012 Jetta midsize cars, and some 2010 through 2012 Golf small cars, as well as some Audi A3 models from the 2010 through 2012 model years, the United States' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last Thursday on its website. All are equipped with two-litre TDI diesel engines.

Fire hazard

Cracks can develop in the fuel-injection system and cause fuel to leak, possibly causing fires, VW said in documents filed with federal safety regulators.

However, the company said in the documents that it doesn't know of any fires, crashes or injuries caused by the problem.

Fuel injectors squirt fuel into the cylinder, where it is ignited. The resulting explosion pushes the pistons, which move to power the cars. On some of the VW diesels, a vibration given off by the injectors can cause stress that eventually can lead to cracks in the injector fuel lines, VW said.

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  DuPont pumps cash in plant

MONCKS CORNER, SC (AP):

DuPont last Thursday dedicated a US$500 million expansion of a South Carolina plant that will boost the company's production of Kevlar, a fiber used in everything from tyres and fibre optic cable to bulletproof vests and combat helmets.

The company said the new plant about 30 miles from Charleston combined with a recent US$50 million expansion of a plant in Richmond, Virginia, will increase production by about 25 per cent. Over the next two years, the company plans other improvements to increase Kevlar productivity by a total of 40 per cent.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley hailed the expansion at DuPont's Cooper River Plant that opened in 1972 and makes Hytrel, a flexible plastic.

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  Renault-Nissan courts Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP):

Carmaker Renault-Nissan announced a combined investment of US$1.8 billion in Brazil, where the companies plan to introduce 23 new models in an aggressive bid to increase their share of Brazil's booming car market, the company's president and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said last Thursday.

Nissan Motor Co will invest US$1.5 billion in a new plant in Rio de Janeiro state, and Renault SA will put US$285 million toward the expansion of a plant in the southern state of Parana to tap into the country's huge domestic market of 150 million consumers.