The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated a defect investigation into newer Nissan Sentra and Versa vehicles.

The agency has received at least eight complaints alleging excessive brake pedal travel, suggesting there may be a problem with the hydraulic system.

One complaint involving a 2013 Versa claims the driver was attempting to slow from 55 mph and the pedal could be depressed all the way to the floorboard. The dealer allegedly replaced the ABS chip and the master cylinder without resolving the problem.

The complaints involve 2013 and 2014 vehicles, including one example with alleged master-cylinder failure after just 135 miles.

The NHTSA has not received any reports of crashes or injuries that have been blamed on the problem, which may lead to a recall of approximately 200,000 vehicles.

BMW won’t chase greater efficiency with nine-speed transmissions, a top executive for the German automaker has revealed.

While automakers like Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover plan the rollout of nine- and even ten-speed transmissions, Klaus Frolich, BMW’s head of small and midsize cars, says BMW will maintain its current gearbox lineup, which includes an eight-speed auto, seven-speed dual-clutch and six-speed manual.

Although good for marketing, Frolich notes that moving from an eight-speed transmission to a nine-speed doesn’t provide many tangible benefits. In addition to being more complex to make, BMW’s testing has revealed that the extra cog doesn’t provide much in the way of efficiency gains.

“We ran some tests,” Frolich told Auto Express. “The [efficiency] difference between an automatic with six speeds and eight speeds is seven or eight percent, which is a good result. But the benefit for nine speeds [instead of eight] is almost zero percent. Plus, it adds weight, complexity and cost, and with turbocharged engines you have a good spread of torque, so [drivers] do not want to have the gearbox constantly changing its mind.”

Although manual transmissions have fallen out of favor in recent years, Frolich confirmed that BMW will continue to offer a three-pedal option for the foreseeable future.

“Of course, with a manual you are slower, but it is more emotional; it now says ‘I am a serious driver, I am a connoisseur’,” he said. “So, we will continue [to offer a manual] even if only ten per cent of customers want it. That is why we offer a manual M5 sedan in North America. It is stupid – the development costs are huge – but we will keep doing it as long as the customer wants it.”

Toyota is reportedly set to recall its 2014 Highlander SUVs over a bug in the airbag control software.

The company has discovered a problem with occupant weight calculation, which may log the front passenger as lighter than their actual weight.

The problem can prevent the front passenger airbag from properly deploying in certain situations. The system can disable the airbag if it believes a child is in the seat, potentially leading to injury if the occupant is an adult, however the problem has not been officially tied to any injuries or deaths.

The problem will be fixed by updating the software for the airbag control module to properly calculate occupant weight.

The issue is said to affect approximately 50,000 SUVs globally, most of which were sold in the US market.

Volvo has revealed the interior of the all-new 2015 XC90 crossover that is scheduled to debut at next October’s Paris Motor Show.

The pictures confirm the next XC90 moves up a notch on the market with a luxurious cockpit that features acres of leather upholstery, real wood trim on the dashboard and on the center console as well as a large tablet-like touch screen that controls the crossover’s infotainment system. The steering is commanded through a three-spoke multi-function wheel, and the next XC90 packs a fully digital instrument cluster.

Volvo is keeping pictures of the exterior under wraps until the XC90 is formally unveiled next August but earlier spy shots give us an idea of just how big the crossover will be. Although the plastic cladding adds a few inches to the test mule’s dimensions, it’s clear that it was designed with carpool duties in mind.

Under that thick padding resides Volvo’s new design language previewed by the Concept Coupé that was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, and, more recently, by the XC Coupe concept shown at the Detroit auto show as well as the Concept Estate introduced in Geneva. Generally more angular than the current model, the crossover’s front end will feature T-shaped LED daytime running lights, a floating grille with horizontal slats and rippled hood. Out back, the upright tail lamps will remain but they will adopt LED technology.

From launch, the XC90 will be available with a fuel-saving plug-in hybrid drivetrain called Twin Engine in Volvo-speak. The setup will consist of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at about 300 horsepower and a small electric motor linked to a compact battery pack. Together, the two power sources will put out around 442 lb-ft. of torque, enough to rival V8 powerplants, while returning what Volvo promises will be “class-leading” fuel mileage.

Conventional versions of the next XC90 will be powered by Volvo’s new Drive-E engine family which includes a turbocharged four-cylinder mill as well as a four-cylinder unit equipped with both turbocharging and supercharging technology.

The upcoming XC90 will be the first vehicle to ride on Volvo’s all-new Scalable Platform Architecture, or SPA in short. Similar in concept to Volkswagen’s MQB platform, SPA was designed to underpin many of Volvo’s upcoming models regardless of size or vehicle type. The S60, the S80 and the XC60 will all ride on the platform when they are renewed.

Additional details about the new Volvo XC90 will emerge in the coming months. Following its debut in Paris, the crossover is scheduled to go on sale across the United States next spring as a 2015 model.

A report coming out of Germany indicates Porsche’s oft-rumored entry-level model has been given the green light for a 2016 launch.

Tentatively called 718, Porsche’s entry-level model will take the form of a small roadster loosely billed as the successor to the 550 Spyder race car built in the 1950s. It will ride on a modified Boxster platform but it will be much lighter than its more expensive sibling thanks to noticeably smaller dimensions and the widespread use of aluminum in its construction.

The 718′s entry-level positioning won’t make it a low-cost car, and its cockpit will remain well-built and well-appointed. Bucket seats, a three-spoke steering wheel and comprehensive selection of analog gauges will be part of the package.

Power will come from a 2.0-liter flat-four engine that will send 286 horsepower to the rear wheels via either a manual or a dual-clutch DSG gearbox. Buyers after more grunt will be able to select a 2.5-liter version of the boxer mill rated at 260 horsepower, and additional variants will likely join the lineup over the course of the production run.

If the rumor proves true, the Porsche 718 could be unveiled at the 2016 edition of the Geneva Motor Show and go on sale in the United States and in Europe shortly after. In Germany, the roadster will reportedly carry a base price of €39,000 (approximately $53,300), €10,000 (roughly $13,700) less than the most affordable Boxster.