Automakers recalled 16.4 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says. The total is a four-year high and almost six million vehicles more than were recalled in 2008. But it is well off 2004’s all-time high of nearly 31 million vehicles.

For the first time, Toyota Motor Corp. recalled more cars than any other manufacturer: 4.87 million under nine separate campaigns. Of the total, 4.26 million involved unintended acceleration issues on a variety of models. To fix the problem, Toyota is replacing and shortening accelerator pedals, installing a brake override system, replacing floormats and, in some cases, modifying the floor pan.

Ford Motor Co.’s volume tripled to 4.5 million vehicles in eight campaigns. The bulk involved a leaky cruise control deactivation switch, which has been linked to hundreds of vehicle fires. More than 14 million vehicles have been recalled due to the problem over the last decade.

General Motors Co. fixed 2.2 million cars and trucks in 16 campaigns in 2009, after recalling just 300,000 vehicles a year earlier. Chrysler Group LLC recalled nearly 590,000 vehicles last year vs. 360,000 in 2008.

Honda Motor Co. was the only major automaker to recall fewer vehicles last year: 454,000 vs. 797,000 in 2008.

Hyundai Motor Co. and its Kia Motors Corp. affiliate recalled a combined 1.3 million vehicles in eight campaigns in 2009. Nissan Motor Co. recalled 706,000 vehicles in six campaigns. Volkswagen AG recalled a relatively modest 100,000 vehicles in eight initiatives.

PSA Peugeot Citroen SA’s Peugeot unit says it aims to move up three places in worldwide sales by 2015. The company says it currently is the 10th-largest brand by volume.

Peugeot SR1 hybrid-electric concept

Peugeot says the effort will be inaugurated by the launch of 14 new models worldwide by 2012. The unit also aims to become the new benchmark for automotive styling. The latter will be previewed by the hybrid-electric SR1 concept car scheduled to be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March.

Built on a one-piece, carbon-fiber body and tubular chassis, the SR1 sports a 2+1 seating design. The all-wheel-drive hybrid system teams a 1.6-liter diesel engine with a rear-mounted electric motor for a combined output of 313 hp and a top speed of 155 mph. Fuel economy is estimated at 48 mpg on the European driving cycle. Other features include four-wheel steering and a double-wishbone suspension with drop links at the front and rear.

The so-called Hybrid4 technology will be commercially launched next year on the new 3008 crossover. Other new models in the works include a plug-in diesel hybrid in 2012, an all-electric vehicle and a “special” range of products being developed for international markets. In addition, Peugeot says it will equip all of its diesel-powered vehicles by the end of next year with an automatic engine stop-start system.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and more than 20 domestic companies— including Toyota, Panasonic and Tokyo Electric—held an inaugural meeting yesterday in Tokyo to launch an initiative to establish standards for smart-grid systems, The Nikkei reports. The intent is to provide the basis for global standards in 26 technical areas.

The group’s goal is to set national standards within three years, and it plans to release its initial recommendations in May. Proposals then will be submitted to the International Electrotechnical Commission.

Three subcommittees will be launched early next month. They will address the design of control systems for smart grids, the development of batteries for use in homes and automobiles and the deployment of smart-grid systems overseas. Keys include using information technology in managing power supply and control of energy-related devices, The Nikkei says.

Bright Automotive Inc. of Anderson, Ind., expects to ink a partnership with an unnamed automaker within the next six months, Automotive News reports.

The engineering services company’s CEO John Waters invented the battery pack General Motors used in the 1990s-era EV1 electric car.

The executives say the pending deal could be in the form of a joint venture or result in Bright being acquired outright. Money raised from such a venture would help fund plans to launch a new plug-in hybrid car. Bright had planned to launch the vehicle, called the IDEA, in 2012 but says it pushed back its timetable one year because of delays in action on a $280 million loan request to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Bright applied for the loan 13 months ago, but there has been a backlog in evaluating and processing such requests. Meanwhile, the company says it is considering incentives by the Chinese government to move its headquarters to China.

Bright, a spinoff of the Rocky Mountain Institute, tells AN it is in talks with a handful of domestic and overseas OEMs. The company aims to produce about 50,000 electric vans and light trucks for sale to corporate fleets.

Bright demonstrated a prototype of the aluminum-bodied vehicle last spring. At the time, the company said the plug-in hybrid could travel 30 miles in electric mode, after which it would operate like a full hybrid vehicle with a small gasoline engine.

The company expects to generate positive cash flow this year from contracts with the U.S. Dept. of Defense and the U.S. Postal Service worth $10 million. The company also has access to more than $20 million in private equity funding.