The OPEC oil cartel and allied producers have made another big swipe at propping up lagging crude prices. The OPEC+ oil ministers came out of an online meeting with more than 2 million barrels per day in voluntary cuts through the first three months of next year.

They also declared that Brazil will join the bloc in January, bringing one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers into an alliance that is trying to rein in global supply. Sweeping cutbacks from OPEC+ and individual member countries since October 2022 haven’t made lasting changes to oil prices because of concerns about oversupply in a weakening global economy. That’s a good thing for U.S. drivers who have been getting cheaper gas.

BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver

BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver’s air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people.

U.S. auto safety regulators say in documents Saturday that the recall covers 486 X3, X4 and X5 SUVs from 2014 with air bags made by Takata Corp. The company used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel. The inflators are among about 30 million made by Takata that are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration but had not been recalled.