Chrysler is recalling nearly 120,000 2011-2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans in the U.S. The vehicles have electronic stability control (ESC) and anti-lock brake systems (ABS) which may overheat and cause loss of control, warns the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

There is always a risk in announcing estimated horsepower or fuel economy figures before final certification has been completed. Miss the mark and the car's reputation is tainted at launch, potentially turning off consumers. Of course, sometimes a manufacturer low-balls the estimate, such as the case with the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. Originally announced to be 650 tire-shredding horsepower, the official figure is now 662.

Scion today announced pricing on its upcoming, rear-drive FR-S sports coupe. The car will sell for $24,930 with a six-speed manual transmission and $26,030 with a six-speed automatic, factoring destination charges. That makes the FR-S less expensive than its mechanical twin, the Subaru BRZ.

Breaking from its all-wheel-drive, brand-defining tradition, Subaru has introduced a new, rear-drive sports coupe co-developed with Toyota: the BRZ. We recently borrowed one to get our first impressions at our test track, and as you can see in the video below, our auto engineers came away smiling.

Last year, I drove a Shelby GT500 Super Snake at the California Speedway. The very latest evolution of the high-performance GT500 Mustang, this Super Snake was street friendly, but with 800 horsepower, its brutality could be unleashed with a mere ankle twitch. Unlike many of today's miserly mainstream machines, I never questioned what it would be like with more power. But living-legend Carroll Shelby did. In fact, after his first ride in the Snake, Shelby American President John Luft says the namesake leader challenged the team to reach for 1,000 horsepower. And they did.

German luxury car maker BMW AG is recalling about 1.3 million BMW 5 Series and BMW 6 Series vehicles worldwide due to an issue with the cars' battery cable covers. The recall affects approximately 367,000 BMW cars in the U.S.

In our latest five-question interview with influential people in the auto industry, we spoke with Henrik Fisker. He is the namesake founder and executive chairman of Fisker Automotive, which builds the Karma plug-in hybrid sedan. We sampled a pre-production version when Mr. Fisker brought one to our test track in rural Connecticut in late-January, and we have recently purchased our own to test. This discussion happened prior to the problem with our test car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is beginning to investigate consumer complaints of fires in the doors of 2007 Toyota Camry and RAV4 vehicles.

The question few have asked, concerning a car even fewer can afford, was answered at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show this week when the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 convertible took the stage. How can Ford outdo the 2012 GT500 and the 580-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1? Bristling with a 650-hp supercharged V8, the next GT500 answers the call by pushing the boundaries of topless American muscle.

Hyundai introduced its Elantra coupe today at the Chicago Auto Show, bringing a sporty-looking, two-door design to the line.

At the Chicago Auto Show this week, Nissan will unveil is modestly updated 2013 370Z sports car. The exterior is freshened for the upcoming model year, while the mechanicals remain unchanged.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and BMW are recalling 89,911 Mini Cooper sedans equipped with a turbocharged engine. The electronic circuit board which controls the electrical water pump to cool the turbocharger may malfunction and smolder, possibly leading to an engine fire.

Subaru has a long and rich history of enthusiast cars through their rally racing heritage. But the Subaru BRZ sports coupe goes in a different direction.

Chevrolet loves milestones, and the storied brand has had many of them, including its 100th anniversary this year. Next up, two ways consumers can commemorate the Corvette reaching the six-decade mark. Starting next summer, Chevrolet will offer a 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition and a 60th Anniversary package. Both serve as a final send-off for the current-generation (C6) Corvette, as sports car enthusiasts anxiously await the next chapter for the “plastic” legend.

Automakers are constantly mining their past glory for new products: Special edition this; anniversary model that…sometimes it’s no more than a tape stripe or special numbered badge.