U.S. Auto Market News and Reviews

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Hers is the place to update news in the auto industry , trends and auto reviews.

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Documents detail another delayed GM recall

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors waited years to recall nearly 335,000 Saturn Ions for power steering failures despite getting thousands of consumer complaints and more than 30,000 warranty repair claims, according to government documents released Saturday.

"We have recalled some of these vehicles before for the same issue and offered extended warranties on others, but we did not do enough," Boyer said in March. "With these safety recalls and lifetime warranties, we are going after every car that might have this problem, and we are going to make it right."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/19/documents-detail-another-delayed-gm-recall/7911495/

“There’s no question that service bulletins have been used where recalls should have been,” said Joan Claybrook, a former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that regulates auto safety, speaking of the auto industry as a whole. “It’s highly inappropriate.”

When told of the findings by The Times about G.M., Ms. Claybrook said, “I’m shocked. I can see it happening occasionally, but not as a routine. Seven is a lot.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/business/sending-alerts-gm-delayed-recall-of-cars.html?hp&_r=0

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Jaguar XK leaves the lineup

By: Brad Wiley on 4/18/2014

Production of the Jaguar XK stretched from 1996 with the XK8 and will wrap up as the final 50 limited edition XK models roll off the assembly line this summer.

The farewell XKs will be branded as "Final Fifty Limited Edition" cars, and will carry the same specification as the current XKR model, along with some added features that celebrate the history of Jaguar and the evolution of the brand's grand touring coupes and convertibles.

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New York Auto Show: 2015 Toyota Camry vs. 2015 Hyundai Sonata
If Toyota Doesn’t Hear Hyundai’s Footsteps, It Should

The Sonata now looks nicer than the Camry. The second generation of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language has a much more elegant look to it. Designers knew when to stop designing at Hyundai. Meanwhile, Toyota designers tried to apply sporty lipstick to a daily commuter.

http://blogs.motortrend.com/1404_new_york_auto_show_2015_toyota_camry_2015_hyundai_sonata.html

None of this means the 2015 Hyundai Sonata will dethrone the 2015 Toyota Camry. At least not in the near future. But a lot of people laughed at the Toyota Corona when it arrived in America in the late ‘60s. And no one thought much of the Honda Accord when it arrived around the same time.

dieselone

I think Mulally has done all he can with Ford and it's probably is a good time for him to leave. He's helped Ford through the tough times and he's imporved internal efficiencies and seems to have put the company on the right path. I don't see him as a car guy though. I think it's time for Ford to find a more product oriented CEO. I don't know if Mark Field's is that guy, but he is more product oriented than Mullaly who's strength is in operations and leadership.

The next step is to fix Lincloln. A tall order. That's one area Mulally hasn't had an answer for. What he did with the Ford brand has been successful, but they need to go in a different direction for Lincoln before it's to late.

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At What Cost Did the U.S. Government Rescue GM?

Those involved with restructuring GM assert that they knew nothing in 2009 concerning the faulty ignition switch safety issues that swirl now.

Yet how could no one have known enough about these issues affecting GM inside the federal government while they so actively investigated GM's toughest global competitor?

An unrefuted suggestion of unequal treatment under our laws creates a potent license to practice favoritism against American companies in key foreign markets.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12679627/2/at-what-cost-did-the-us-government-rescue-gm.html

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With General Motors Co. (GM) in trouble, the nation's other car sales leaders have a chance to take market share from America's No.1. The erosion in GM's sales may have already begun in April. And Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) appears to have benefited, with April sales expected to rise 14% over April 2013 to 200,748.
2.
Toyota's improvement places it just shy in sales to the perennial No.2, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F). Ford's sales are expected to rise only 4.6% to 221,787, according to projections from Edmunds.com. It has been years since Toyota's sales approached Ford's -- at least since a slew of recalls hurt the Japanese company's image. Ford particularly will continue to lose some of its edge, if the sales of the company's flagship F-150 struggles because of consumer rejection of its upgraded model.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/toyota-expected-win-april-car-134901645.html

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GM sales eyed for impact of ignition switch recall

DETROIT (AP) -- As General Motors shows off its newest cars and trucks in New York this week, analysts are watching for signs that consumers are shying away from the ones sitting on dealer lots.

Many expect GM sales to take a hit from a mishandled recall of small cars, though it's unclear when and how severe. Any decline would hurt the automaker's market share and potentially its credit rating. Concerned investors have sent GM stock to a 10-month low.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-sales-eyed-impact-ignition-202241436.html

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EPA says automakers ahead of schedule for 54.5 MPG by 2025

Remember, the target is 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Today, the CAFE level is a little over 30. How we get from here to there is something the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is monitoring closely. Thus, the EPA just released an annual flash report on how the auto industry is progressing towards meeting the nation's fuel economy goals.

Overall, the industry is doing almost 10 grams per mile (equivalent) better than the rules require.

In the real world, the 54.5 CAFE level will be about 40 mpg, and the average fuel economy today is around 25 mpg, so we have a ways to go, no matter how you measure it.

http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/26/epa-says-automakers-ahead-of-schedule-for-54-5-mpg-by-2025/

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U.S. senators ask federal agency to act on recalled GM cars

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Two Democratic U.S. senators on Monday called on the Department of Transportation to urge owners of 2.6 million recalled General Motors cars to stop driving them until they are repaired, which could take months as dealerships wait for replacement ignition switches.
Related Stories

Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who serve on the Senate Commerce Committee investigating GM regarding its safety problem, wrote Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urging him to act.

"GM has indicated that it could take until October, 2014, before it can complete all the needed repairs," the senators wrote. "Every day that unrepaired vehicles remain on the road increases the risk of more injuries, deaths and damage."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-senators-ask-federal-agency-174529313.html

Michaell

@circlew said:
U.S. senators ask federal agency to act on recalled GM cars

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Two Democratic U.S. senators on Monday called on the Department of Transportation to urge owners of 2.6 million recalled General Motors cars to stop driving them until they are repaired, which could take months as dealerships wait for replacement ignition switches.
Related Stories

Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who serve on the Senate Commerce Committee investigating GM regarding its safety problem, wrote Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urging him to act.

"GM has indicated that it could take until October, 2014, before it can complete all the needed repairs," the senators wrote. "Every day that unrepaired vehicles remain on the road increases the risk of more injuries, deaths and damage."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-senators-ask-federal-agency-174529313.html

I got the paperwork from GM a few days ago that included the form I can submit to the dealer to get reimbursement for the repair work that was done in July 2012. Cost me $228 to get the ignition cylinder replaced on our 2006 Saturn ION.

stever

Where were Blumenthal and - oh this is too easy, Malarkey a decade ago?

"The recalled Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion models don’t in fact top the list of ignition-related complaints in the NHTSA database. That distinction goes to Ford Motor Co.’s Focus, which garnered more than 2,000 complaints about keys getting stuck or not turning, primarily in models from 2000 to 2005. Because Ford decided the flaw didn’t imperil drivers, the company declined to recall the cars and instead alerted dealers to the problem so they could fix it." (Bloomberg)

ray80

@Stever@Edmunds said:
Where were Blumenthal and - oh this is too easy, Malarkey a decade ago?

If there had been a camera to get in front of,,,,
Blumenthal would have been the first one there, likely filing suit against them

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Mercedes, BMW recall cars to fix lights, bolts

DETROIT — The glare of the latest recall spotlight is shining on two German automakers: Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 284,000 C-Class cars in the U.S. and Canada because of possible failures with the rear lights. The recall affects some C300, C350 and C63 AMG cars from the 2008 through 2011 model years.

At issue: visibility. Corrosion on a connector can cause the tail, brake or rear turn signal lights to dim or fail. This is a safety issue because it can make cars less visible to other drivers, which can increase the risk of a crash.dd

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/29/mercedes-recall/8449257/

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I've seen many taillight issues on Mercs. Of late, Audi has some issues with failed headlights as well.

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Tesla making plans for Gigafactory in at least two states

CEO Elon Musk said Tesla will announce locations in "at least two" states where it could build the gigafactory, according to Bloomberg. He said, "What we're going to do is move forward with more than one state, at least two, all the way to breaking ground, just in case there's last-minute issues. The number one thing is we want to minimize the risk timing for the gigafactory to get up and running."

http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/29/tesla-making-plans-for-gigafactory-two-states/

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US government says it lost $11.2 billion on GM bailout

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/us-government-says-it-lost-11-2-billion-on-gm-bailout/articleshow/34436725.cms

Got to make sure of accuracy...for those of an auditor persuasion.

tlong

@circlew said:
US government says it lost $11.2 billion on GM bailout

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/us-government-says-it-lost-11-2-billion-on-gm-bailout/articleshow/34436725.cms

Got to make sure of accuracy...for those of an auditor persuasion.

I don't believe that includes the years of tax breaks post-bailout. I wonder what the value of that little perk is?

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Corret, tlong! This from May 2012:

‘Preferential Treatment’: GM Scores ‘Sweetheart’ Tax Deal

Thanks to a “sweetheart” tax deal worked out between General Motors and government, the Detroit auto manufacturer won’t have to pay $45.4 billion in taxes on future profits, according to recent reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/05/03/preferential-treatment-gm-scores-sweetheart-tax-deal/

And this from last year regarding the tax carry forward:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/how-gm-avoided-a-30-billion-loss-with-a-little-juggling/

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U.S. bankruptcy judge urges settlement on GM ignition defects

Plaintiffs allege that they could not have known about the defect because GM purposely concealed it from the bankruptcy court. That allegation could lead down several legal paths. Intentional concealment could constitute fraud on the bankruptcy court, and GM wants Gerber to rule no fraud was committed.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/02/us-gm-recall-hearing-idUSBREA410PT20140502

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General Motors keeps up sales growth despite recall issues

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/general-motors-keeps-up-sales-growth-despite-its-recall-issues/

tlong

"General Motors is recalling 51,640 SUVs because the fuel gauges may show inaccurate readings. The recall involves the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia from the 2014 model year"

tlong

Barra Quickens Pace as Recall Unflolds

From the WSJ, a good article:

"General Motors Co. GM +0.20% Chief Executive Mary Barra is using the crisis over the auto maker's flawed handling of a deadly vehicle defect to accelerate a broader overhaul of its troubled management culture.

Ms. Barra, a 33-year GM veteran, is chopping at the bureaucracy that survived GM's federally-funded 2009 trip through bankruptcy restructuring. Getting its engineering, marketing and other departments to make decisions faster and more cooperatively is a task that has stymied Ms. Barra's predecessors since the 1980s, when then-CEO Roger Smith complained about the company's "frozen middle."
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Even as she portrays the recalls before Congress and in court as a legacy of the company's past, Ms. Barra is shaking up management, naming new executives for engineering, safety and communications. The crisis is allowing her to quickly put her own stamp on management. Faulty switches in Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars can abruptly kill power to air bags. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the defect.

She plans more changes to her executive team. "I see this as an opportunity to accelerate our culture change," Ms. Barra said last week. "We continue to face down every issue we have…and more aggressively pursue every opportunity in a way we haven't always done."

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I like her more every day. She knows GM continues to need huge changes.

"Remember that hope is not a strategy," she said. "And problems don't go away when you ignore them — they get bigger."

Funny how the past CEO's never had the nerve! It's OK to say "I was wrong."

circlew

 @circlew said: I like her more every day. She knows GM continues to need huge changes.

I like her more every day. She knows GM continues to need huge changes.

Michaell

@circlew said:
circlew said: I like her more every day. She knows GM continues to need huge changes.

I like her more every day. She knows GM continues to need huge changes.

Compare and contrast Mary Barra and Alan Mullaly .. I think GM is long, long overdue for someone to lead the company like this.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result"

uplanderguy

If you follow CR, problems are up with recent-model Fords though, and not just "My Touch".

Still passed two late-model Toyotas with no headlights on last night. How does this happen? I turned my Cobalt's auto lights off to see what would happen...chiming and a "Auto Headlights Off" message. I think driving w/o headlights causes far more accidents than any recall problem does.

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U.S. Auto Sales Grow in April

Improvement in the U.S. auto sales in the last two months is expected to continue in the months ahead, backed by a strong outlook for 2014. In the long term, sales are expected to rise on the back of strong pent-up demand, easier car financing and low gas prices.

http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/132373/us-auto-sales-grow-in-april

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GM engineer with switch link retires

Jim Federico, a General Motors engineer who led an internal analysis of the automaker's ignition switch defect more than a year before the company recalled 2.6 million cars, has retired, the company confirmed today.

Federico in 2012 was examining the defect that lower-level engineers first discovered more than a decade ago, according to GM documents released last month by Congress.

But GM failed to order a recall until February 2014, and the issue is now blamed for at least 31 accidents and 12 deaths in the U.S. and one fatal crash in Canada.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/05/gm-ignition-switch-retires-engineer/8733469/

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ANOTHER General Motors recall: 60,000 Saturn Aura cars recalled for gear shift fix
General Motors has announced another recall, this time affecting 2007 and 2008 model year Saturn Aura midsize cars. According to GM, nearly 60,000 Aura cars can show the wrong gear due to a failure in the transmission shift cable. The problem has led to 28 crashes, but no deaths.

General Motors is recalling nearly 60,000 Saturn Aura midsize cars because the automatic transmission shift levers can show the wrong gear, and says it has known about the problem for at least a year.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/gm-recall-60-000-saturn-aura-cars-recalled-gear-shift-fix-article-1.1781159

Mr_Shiftright

Perhaps Not So Great News for EV makers?

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-prices-20140426-story.html#page=1

tlong

@circlew said:
ANOTHER General Motors recall: 60,000 Saturn Aura cars recalled for gear shift fix

I guess the Aura is gone from the Aura...

tlong

@MrShift@Edmunds said:
Perhaps Not So Great News for EV makers?

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-prices-20140426-story.html#page=1

We already pay huge high prices for electricity in Kalifornia. My marginal cost is about $.30/kwh.

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: The next five years

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/06/fiat-chrysler-automobiles-five-year-plan/

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2015 Chevy Impala Bi-fuel burns CNG, starts at $37,385*

http://green.autoblog.com/2014/05/06/2015-chevy-impala-bi-fuel-burns-cng-starts-37385/

circlew

I couldn't resist!

Good grief, another GM recall

General Motors says it is recalling 8,590 of its 2014 Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu sedans because the factory might have put rear brakes on the front wheels.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/08/gm-recall-malibu-lacrosse/8862059/

uplanderguy

Luckily, fewer than 1,700 in owners' hands.

uplanderguy

Saw this today. I don't pretend to know anything about the system, but it's hard for me to believe someone would design, on purpose, a locking system that prevents the doors from being unlocked from the interior.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/05/08/3916293/lawsuit-blames-bmw-madera-unified.html?fb_action_ids=10203041104241354&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[243289022528745]&action_type_map=["og.comments"]&action_ref_map=[]

circlew

Double-pull the handles disengages that from the inside.

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Ford recalls over 750,000 vehicles for software, door-handle faults

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-recalls-over-750-000-vehicles-software-door-163522797--sector.html

uplanderguy

According to the lawsuit, that is not the case:

Graciela Martinez, 14, became trapped inside a 1997 BMW 328i because of the vehicle's "double-locking mechanism," the lawsuit says. Once the doors are locked from the outside, they can't be opened from the inside.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/05/08/3916293/lawsuit-blames-bmw-madera-unified.html?fb_action_ids=10203041104241354&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[243289022528745]&action_type_map=["og.comments"]&action_ref_map=[]#storylink=cpy

And the horn doesn't work without a key?

busiris

@uplanderguy said:
According to the lawsuit, that is not the case:

Graciela Martinez, 14, became trapped inside a 1997 BMW 328i because of the vehicle's "double-locking mechanism," the lawsuit says. Once the doors are locked from the outside, they can't be opened from the inside.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/05/08/3916293/lawsuit-blames-bmw-madera-unified.html?fb_action_ids=10203041104241354&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[243289022528745]&action_type_map=["og.comments"]&action_ref_map=[]#storylink=cpy

And the horn doesn't work without a key?

I'm not quite sure about this episode. BMW door locks are dual action locks, which means when the door is locked, the first pull on the handle unlocks the lock, but doesn't unlatch the door. A second pull unlatches the door and opens it. As far as I know, it makes no difference on the door activation regardless how the lock was instituted, either via the key fob or the button on the dashboard.

I'd like to see more exact detail on the story. Of course, there may have been a defective component.

And, regarding the horn, I remember several European cars over the years that required the key be in the accessory position for the horn to blow (IIRC, I think the old VW Beetle operated that way, but it's been a long time since I was in one). I never understood why.

uplanderguy

I didn't remember that about Beetles, although like you it's been years since I've been in one. I do remember a high school friend turning the windshield washers towards the sidewalk to squirt innocent passers-by.

busiris

@uplanderguy said:
I didn't remember that about Beetles, although like you it's been years since I've been in one. I do remember a high school friend turning the windshield washers towards the sidewalk to squirt innocent passers-by.

We used to disconnect the washer line and re-route it to under the dash on the inside of the car, then fill the washer bottle with booze so we could spike soft drinks while riding around, without the need of liquor bottles.

It was a very different time back then...

uplanderguy

Very creative! LOL

uplanderguy

It's kind of hard to believe that the girl wouldn't have attempted to pull on the door handle more than once.

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2015 Hyundai Genesis earns Top Safety Pick

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan got the first-ever Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick for a rear-wheel drive luxury sedan. It's also the first RWD luxury sedan to earn a “Good” rating in the small overlap crash test. The ranking applies to Genesis sedans equipped with the optional front crash-prevention feature.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140509/CARNEWS/140509864

circlew

I agree, the girl had to pull the handle multiple times. Sounds like a real defect.

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Chrysler recalling 780k minivans over fire risk

Chrysler is recalling 780,000 of its Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans from the 2010 to 2014 model years due to the possibility of circuits overheating, which can lead to a fire. Of the 780,000 total vans being recalled, Chrysler estimates that 644,850 are in the US, 106,980 are in Canada, 8,009 are in Mexico, and 20,638 are in other markets. All of the affected vehicles were built between August 25, 2010 and October 31, 2013.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/09/chrysler-recalling-780k-minivans-fire-risk/

circlew

I wish I could do this! This guy is the King!

http://www.leftlanenews.com/electric-dragster-sets-record-725-seconds-at-184-mph.html

busiris

@circlew said:
I agree, the girl had to pull the handle multiple times. Sounds like a real defect.

Here's what the article stated...

"Graciela Martinez, 14, became trapped inside a 1997 BMW 328i because of the vehicle's "double-locking mechanism," the lawsuit says. Once the doors are locked from the outside, they can't be opened from the inside."

I believe that is an incorrect statement, especially since it's a 1997 model and no one has complained about it in any quantity to get the NHTSA to take a look at it.

Now, maybe in THAT particular car it happened, but that could easily be a unique problem with one vehicle.

I've never owned a BMW that old, but none that I have owned operate in that matter.

As usual, as Paul Harvey used to say, we have yet to hear "the rest of the story".