Category: Auto Industry

Report: VW, Suzuki mulling rekindling relationship in face of legal battle

Filed under: Government/Legal, Suzuki, Volkswagen

Suzuki and Volkswagen Grilles

Volkswagen and Suzuki have been undergoing marriage counseling in a bid to avoid finalizing their nasty divorce. The union has been troubled for some time, with Volkswagen claiming that it could affect operational decisions at Suzuki, and the Japanese brand’s sniping and constant flirting with a certain Italian temptress causing rifts.

The matter first went to court in 2012, when Suzuki demanded VW get out, and leave its 19.9-percent stake in the Japanese brand in a box to the left. Now, Automotive News is reporting that the company will give the relationship one last shot, according to closed-door dealings between the two in London.

Still, it’s understood that VW and Suzuki recognize the benefit of their alliance, and that it’d be in the best interests of the kids both parties to make things work. Spokespeople declined to comment to AN, but the newsmagazine spoke with Frank Biller, an analyst for LBBW in Stuttgart, who said, “Both companies stand to benefit if they can overcome the disagreements over leadership claims.”

This argument over who wears the pants in the relationship has the potential to make or break the partnership, as sources close to the discussions told AN that if an agreement can’t be reached, then a London-based arbitrator could get involved.

Suzuki last made waves when it up and pulled out of the US and Canadian markets last year after declaring bankruptcy.

VW, Suzuki mulling rekindling relationship in face of legal battle originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: VW, Suzuki mulling rekindling relationship in face of legal battle”

Report: 2015 CLS will be first US Mercedes to get 9-speed

Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Earlier this week, we heard that Mercedes-Benz will be introducing its nine-speed automatic transmission in Europe, but while this 9G-Tronic will first launch over there in the E-Class, we’ll get our first crack at this gearbox in the 2015 CLS-Class. According to Edmunds, the nine-speed CLS will go on sale in the US next fall before eventually spreading to almost all other Mercedes models, but there is no word as to when this would occur.

The current CLS uses a seven-speed automatic, and the 9G-Tronic’s extra gears will help improve fuel economy. Looking ahead, Mercedes said in a press release that this transmission is suitable for use in a broad range of models, both rear- and all-wheel drive and even hybrid and plug-in vehicles.

2015 CLS will be first US Mercedes to get 9-speed originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: 2015 CLS will be first US Mercedes to get 9-speed”

Video: 1948 Tucker Torpedo surfaces in Jay Leno’s Garage

Filed under: Classics, Videos, Celebrities

Jay Leno's Garage with 1948 Tucker Sedan screencap

The story of the Tucker Car Corporation is a tragic one. Its sole model, the 1948 Tucker Sedan, had a huge number of innovations, with a particular focus on passenger safety, but a catastrophic debut and the ensuing media firestorm it created caused severe problems for the brand. Other issues followed, with an SEC investigation and rumors of troublemaking on the part of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

Only 51 Tuckers were completed before the company went bust, making the three-eyed sedans some of the rarest American cars ever produced. With a unique, tail, complete with six exhaust pipes, a Tucker went for $2.915 million at a 2012 auction.

Martyn Donaldson takes Jay Leno’s Garage through a brief tour of his Tucker, chassis number 1003, explaining just what was so innovative about these vehicles, along with what drew him to the rare cars in the first place. Scroll down for the full video.

Continue reading 1948 Tucker Torpedo surfaces in Jay Leno’s Garage

1948 Tucker Torpedo surfaces in Jay Leno’s Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: 1948 Tucker Torpedo surfaces in Jay Leno’s Garage”

Video: Skoda Octavia vRS is just the thing for your pumped-up neighborhood

Filed under: Volkswagen, Humor, Skoda

2014 Skoda Octavia RS front three-quarter

Skoda, oh Skoda. You’re just so cool. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a brand that we don’t get in these United States, but Skoda’s rebadged Volkswagens, in particular the new Octavia vRS shown here, are just different enough from the hum-drum VWs on our shores that the Czech brand seems strangely desirable. Maybe we’re just craving forbidden fruit.

This short, minute-long spot covers the new vRS in a world of excess, where strollers ride on 26-inch wheels, lawnmowers feature V8 engines and ice cream cones are the size of toddlers. As things often go in these ads, the Octavia vRS draws the eyes of passerby that are seemingly use to things far more ridiculous than a reasonably priced Czech sedan. In reality, the Octavia should be fairly familiar to American buyers. It uses the same 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-pot found in the Volkswagen GTI and Jetta GLI, with 217 horsepower, and sits on the same platform as the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf. Take a look at the full spot, below.

Continue reading Skoda Octavia vRS is just the thing for your pumped-up neighborhood

Skoda Octavia vRS is just the thing for your pumped-up neighborhood originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Skoda Octavia vRS is just the thing for your pumped-up neighborhood”

Report: French court lifts registration ban on Mercedes with contested refrigerant

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Safety, Mercedes-Benz

The brief alphanumerics R134a and R1234yf are codes for a growing battle between carmakers, states and the EU. The air-conditioning refrigerant R134a has been banned by the EU for being too damaging to the environment, with R1234yf mandated as its replacement. Daimler and Volkswagen say that in their own studies, though, R1234yf can be more dangerous in an accident, potentially starting fires and releasing poisonous hydrogen fluoride gas.

Daimler received dispensation from the German motoring authority KBA to continue using R124a and has refused to put the new refrigerant in its cars, and took that national approval as a European-wide mandate. That has led to France refusing to register all Mercedes-Benz A-, B- and SL-Class vehicles in France that were manufactured after June 12 and filled with the now-banned refrigerant.

In a small victory for Daimler, Reuters reports that a French court decision has lifted the ban on registrations pending a 10-day reexamination of the order. It gives France’s environment ministry a period to decide whether to keep the ban in place and return to court to fight for it; it does not, however, require the French authorities to begin registering Mercedes cars. While Mercedes waits to resume sales in France, which could begin again in ten days if France doesn’t fight, the EU is threatening Germany with consequences if it refuses to adhere to the federal mandate.

French court lifts registration ban on Mercedes with contested refrigerant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: French court lifts registration ban on Mercedes with contested refrigerant”

Read This: US and EU negotiating free trade pact to unify global auto safety regulations

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Read This

Safety and emissions regulations have long been touchy subjects in the auto industry, because they can dictate the legality of automobiles and are not the same from country to country. Fragmented regulations add costs to vehicle sales, and they inhibit the ability of automakers to offer the same products around the globe.

The US and EU are attempting to improve the situation with Free Trade Agreement negotiations that started this month in Washington, D.C., Wards Auto reports, which are expected to result in a deal that pushes the global auto industry toward a world vehicle-regulatory system, with an emphasis on safety requirements.

Thoughts of mandatory sealed-beam headlights and 100+pound impact bumpers – both of which were products of fragmented global vehicle-regulatory systems – still give us headaches decades later, so here’s to hoping the FTA negotiations help unify safety regulations to some degree.

Be sure to read the article for all the details on the trade negotiations, and feel free to comment below.

US and EU negotiating free trade pact to unify global auto safety regulations originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Read This: US and EU negotiating free trade pact to unify global auto safety regulations”

Video: Valentino Rossi’s personal paradise as seen by Dainese

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Videos, Motorcycle

Valentino Rossi tearing it up on a motocross bike - video screencap

Valentino Rossi recently invited Supermoto World Champion Thomas Chareyre and road-racing icon Guy Martin to go dirtbiking at his private track – and, for the first time, let a film crew in to capture it all on video.

Talk about a home track advantage, Rossi says owning the course, which he bought near his home in Tavullia, Italy three years ago, was one of his childhood dreams. It’s made of a thin layer of gravel on top of a concrete base, a dirtbike-friendly surface that promotes fat powerslides. As competitive as he is in the MotoGP series, the nine-time World Champion says that riding at his track in the countryside is all about having fun – he never goes alone, always with friends. Watch the professional riders tearing it up in the video below.

Continue reading Valentino Rossi’s personal paradise as seen by Dainese

Valentino Rossi’s personal paradise as seen by Dainese originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Valentino Rossi’s personal paradise as seen by Dainese”

Spy Shots: Is Chevy working on a Prius V, C-Max fighter?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Crossover, Chevrolet, GM

Chevy Orlando hybrid test mule - front three-quarter view, disguised spy shot

Chevy Orlando hybrid mule - paperwork closeup - spy shotChevrolet is testing a very peculiar MPV, one that isn’t sold in the US but is wearing Michigan plates. On top of that, riveted bodywork aside, it sure looks suspicious with a bunch of Chevy Volts and a Ford Fusion Hybrid buzzing around it like flies. Upon closer inspection, our spy photographers say it’s actually a test mule for a yet unannounced hybrid vehicle from General Motors, which will probably end up competing with the Ford C-Max Hybrid and Toyota Prius V.

After the swarm of GM engineers finally left the car alone, our photographers were able to move in and snap some shots up close. What they found was a heavily modified Chevrolet Orlando (which is sold in North America, but not the US) with tons of gas-electric hybrid components and testing gear scattered about the interior. The cargo area, for one, is stuffed with a battery and rudimentary cooling system comprised of tubes, and the battery’s casing has a “High-Voltage” warning sticker affixed to it. No plug-in port is visible, leading us to suspect it’s a straight-up hybrid. Our spy photographers were wondering if it was the Volt MPV5 concept testbed, which debuted at the Beijing Auto Show in 2010, but they have heard the MPV5 was cancelled to divert resources to the Cadillac ELR. No Voltec powertrain is suspected in this Orlando mule.

One of the telltale signs of a test mule for a new model – and not a new variant of an existing model – is body modification. From the riveted front end with Chevy Spark headlights to the lengthened cargo area, it’s clear from the outside that major modifications have been done to the Orlando’s body. After analyzing the pieced-together door panels, our spy photographers also believe the front doors were lengthened and the rear doors were shortened.

These Orlandos have been seen testing since early this year, buy they’ve been shrouded in mystery until now. They’re still quite mysterious (is GM trying to fool us by testing them alongside a Fusion Hybrid instead of a C-Max Hybrid?), but the hybrid battery found in the cargo bay is our biggest clue yet.

Is Chevy working on a Prius V, C-Max fighter? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Spy Shots: Is Chevy working on a Prius V, C-Max fighter?”

Official: 2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Nissan

Nissan is up to something. The company announced pricing for the 2014 Nissan 370Z, 370Z Nismo, and 370Z Roadster, which isn’t out of the ordinary. What is, is that the standard, hardtop 370Z has received a $3,130 reduction in price for 2014. The upmarket Touring model, meanwhile, has been dropped $2,550.

That means, excluding the $790 for destination and handling, a base, six-speed manual 370Z is only $29,990. That is an excellent deal. Adding an automatic will bump the price to $31,290, while the Touring model starts at $35,270 for DIY shifters and $36,570 for autos. The top-of-the-range Nismo runs $43,020. The Roadster, meanwhile, starts at $41,470.

So what does this mean in the grand scheme? Automakers don’t just slash $3,000 off the price of a desirable sportscar because they’re feeling generous.Could this be a move to clear out stock before a replacement to the current Z arrives?

The current car, codenamed Z34 by Nissan, has been on sale since 2009 and was refreshed not so long ago. With the 2014-2015 auto show season about to kick off, clearing out parts and inventory by slashing prices could be a precursor to the debut of the Z35 later this year, or in early 2014. That said, there’s been precious little information about from spy shooters or internal sources on the next Z. Only time will tell if our guessing is correct. But hopefully, we’ll have our answer in the not-so-distant future. Read the Nissan press release, below.

Continue reading 2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000

2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Official: 2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000”

Report: Toyota hangs on to title of world’s largest automaker for first half of 2013

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Toyota USA Headquarters

General Motors and Ford can have all the success they please, but it doesn’t seem like America’s two largest manufacturers are going to topple Toyota in the first half of 2013. According to Reuters, Toyota moved 4.91 million vehicles in the first six months of 2013, representing a 1.1-percent drop from the same period in 2012.

GM is on the rise, though, with a four-percent increase in global sales, to 4.85 million. Volkswagen, still sitting in third, saw a 5.5-percent jump to 4.7 million vehicles in the first half of 2013.

If this pace continues for Toyota, it’ll finish 2013 in the top sales spot for the second year in a row. The manufacturer fell to third, behind GM and VW, in 2011 after earthquakes and tsunamis ravaged its production capacity.

Toyota hangs on to title of world’s largest automaker for first half of 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Toyota hangs on to title of world’s largest automaker for first half of 2013”