Toddler in Toyota makes his own drive-thru

Motoring news from around the world.

A toddler's first experiment behind the wheel was not only brief but also disastrous - for both a building and his parents.

A four-year-old boy left in the driver's seat of a car by his father, who had gone into a McDonald's in northern Toronto, Canada, put the car in gear and drove into the restaurant.

To make matters worse, not only was the Toyota Camry not insured, but the boy's mother, who was sitting in the back seat at the time, told police that she was behind the wheel. Witnesses gave police another account.

The parents have been charged with obstructing a peace officer.

Free car rentals if electric Fiat falters

When the electric version of the Fiat 500 goes on sale in California this summer, it will come with an unlikely standard feature: another car.

Fiat dealers in the US state will include 12 days worth of a rental car with the purchase of a 500e in a bid to alleviate anxiety over the electric car's 140km range. "We know we've got a great car," said Tim Kuniskis, head of Fiat in North America. "But I still can't get a guy to New York to visit his grandma for Easter."

Fisker's finances still unable to hold a charge

The troubles continue for Fisker, the upstart electric-car company that just can't seem to get a break.

This week, the company hired restructuring lawyers to prepare for possible bankruptcy proceedings. Fisker is exploring the option while it continues to look for sources of financing as a debt payment to the US government looms on April 22.

Last month, the founder of the company, Henrik Fisker, quit amid a conflict of "ethics"; the car's battery maker, A123 Systems, itself filed for bankruptcy last year, and 16 Fisker Karmas were destroyed on a New Jersey dock during Superstorm Sandy. The company hasn't built a car since June of last year.

F1 star's music career may get green flag

If the whole car racing thing doesn't work out for Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One star may have a second career to fall back on.

Hamilton is reported to have written and recorded music for a pop album. The Mercedes-Benz driver has been working with singer/songwriter Angel on the project, though he may have also got some advice from his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, the former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

There is no word on if or when the album will be released.

Seat cars look cool, but may not fill seats

If you haven't seen the latest batch of Seat cars, you've missed out; the Spanish brand has vastly improved their styling, making them attractive - and cheaper - alternatives to their stablemates over at parent company Volkswagen.

But if they don't start selling more cars, you won't see them on the roads at all, according to Seat's CEO, James Muir. Last year, Seat sold 320,000 cars, but in a recent interview with Autocar, Muir says that, for long-term success, Seat needs to sell twice that number; Muir's ultimate target is 1 million cars sold per year.

He says the Seat must branch out to other types of vehicles, such as crossovers, to reach his goal. Let's hope he does.

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