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Bloomberg: Unintended acceleration Toyota plaintiffs challenging NASA findings

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

Plaintiffs in the unintended acceleration class action case against Toyota are striking back against the findings laid out by NASA. It was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that produced research showing electronics were not to blame for any sudden acceleration-related issues.

According to Bloomberg, the plaintiffs in the case maintain that NASA didn’t dig deep enough. Toyota’s computer systems utilize eight million lines of code, yet NASA only looked through 280,000. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have filed paperwork stating they plan to bring in experts who’ll contradict NASA’s findings.

Toyota maintains that any issues of unintended acceleration were related to stuck accelerator pedals, faulty floor mats and driver error – two out of three of which have been addressed with recalls.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Bloomberg: Unintended acceleration Toyota plaintiffs challenging NASA findings originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloomberg: VW eying expanded SUV lineup for U.S.

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Volkswagen, Rumormill

2011 Volkswagen Touareg

2011 Volkswagen Touareg – Click above for high-res image gallery

All signs may be pointing to ever steeper gas prices by the end of the year, but according to Bloomberg, that may not be enough to stop Volkswagen from unleashing a new wave of SUVs (or more than likely, CUVs) on the American market. VW head honcho Jonathan Browning has been quoted as saying that the company wants to expand its portfolio of compact SUVs in short order, and that eventually, there may be room for growth in the larger SUV market as well. Of all the vehicles sold in the U.S. last year, SUVs and crossovers made up 29 percent of the mix.

As of right now, Volkswagen only offers two utility vehicles in the States – the compact Tiguan crossover, which, according to Bloomberg, sold 20,946 units last year and the larger Touareg SUV. Volkswagen only managed to move 4,713 Touareg models in the U.S. in 2010, but the new model (shown above) is expected to help the line’s fortunes. The company’s planned expansion of its SUV offerings is part of a larger offensive designed to net the company U.S. sales of one million vehicles by 2018. Doing so would mean tripling the company’s current sales, so the automaker is invested in exploring new ways to bring buyers to the showroom.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg

[Source: Bloomberg]

Bloomberg: VW eying expanded SUV lineup for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloomberg: Lamborghini Estoque production hopes not dead, still under consideration

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Lamborghini, Rumormill, Luxury

Lamborghini Estoque Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just when you thought that hallowed Lamborghini was safe from the threat of a new mega saloon, news like this crops up. While speaking with interviewers, company CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that adding a third model to the Lamborghini lineup would be a good way to shore up diminished sales. The company hasn’t quite been able to maintain its pre-recession numbers with sales down 18 percent compared to last year.

What exactly does Winkelmann have in mind? A four door designed to compete with the likes of the Aston Martin Rapide, Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte. If that means something along the lines of the mighty Estoque Concept, our hearts wouldn’t exactly be broken, even if that means diluting the Lamborghini gene pool somewhat.

For now though, the new model is simply Winkelmann’s best guess at how to get buyers back behind the wheel of a Raging Bull. Before the company goes dumping cash into development, it will need to see sales of both the Gallardo and Murcielago improve in a big way.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE

[Source: Bloomberg]

Bloomberg: Lamborghini Estoque production hopes not dead, still under consideration originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloomberg: Mercedes to overtake battered Lexus as U.S. luxury leader?

Filed under: Car Buying, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Earnings/Financials, Luxury

2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery

After a decade at the top of the U.S. luxury vehicle sales charts, Lexus may soon be unseated by the previous leader, Mercedes-Benz, as well as BMW. While Lexus sales have been recovering this year from the dismal first half of 2009, Mercedes-Benz has been climbing even faster.

One possible reason for this disparity is the string of recalls Lexus has been hit with this year, including accelerator pedals, floor mats, leaking gas tanks and defective valve-springs. Another reason is the sales strength of Mercedes’ updated bread-and-butter vehicles, including the new E-Class.

In June, Lexus sales were up just 2.7 percent compared to 25 percent and 15 percent for Mercedes and BMW respectively. Unless Lexus cleans up its act quickly and manages to convince customers that its quality problems are behind it, Toyota’s premium brand could fall behind both German brands.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 Sedan

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Bloomberg: Mercedes to overtake battered Lexus as U.S. luxury leader? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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