Industry
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Volkswagen's proposed fix for roughly 85,000 illegally polluting 3.0-liter diesel engines isn't good enough, a California Air Resources Board letter said Wednesday. The air quality regulators rejected VW's plan and said the proposals were "incomplete, substantially deficient, and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements to return these vehicles to the claimed certified configuration," according to the letter. The rejection is a setback for VW, which claimed last month in court that it was nearing a fix for the 3.0-liter diesel engines that were equipped in several Audi models as well...
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IIHS blasts small SUVs over subpar headlightsThe independent, insurance industry-sponsored institute that evaluates new cars for their crashworthiness has less-than-positive things to say about the headlights in more than 20 small SUVs and crossovers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that not a single vehicle it tested earned...
Andrew Ganz -
Billionaire reportedly seeks to resurrect iconic Land Rover DefenderProduction of the iconic Land Rover Defender ceased in January after a run lasting more than decades. While Land Rover is hard at work on a modern Defender, currently thought to be debuting in 2018, it’s being reported that there are efforts in place to resurrect the original. The Sunday...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche opens new plant for 8-cylinder enginesPorsche has opened a new engine plant specifically for 8-cylinder units. The plant is located at Porsche’s main facility in Zuffenhausen, Germany and has the capacity to build 200 engines per day. There will be two engines built at the plant initially, one gasoline and one diesel. Both...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Audi’s latest V-8 could be its lastAudi has just introduced an advanced diesel V-8 engine complete with electric compressor technology in its SQ7 TDI performance SUV. But the engine, which will also have a gasoline counterpart, may end up being the automaker’s last V-8. The information was revealed to Autocar by a source at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Japan to allow camera-based side mirrorsJapan says that it will begin allowing automakers to ditch side mirrors in favor of cameras that allow for a wider viewing angle and can help improve vehicle aerodynamics. The move would make Japan the first country to specifically allow the technology, which could soon replace conventional...
Andrew Ganz -
BMW on Friday announced a partnership with Intel and Mobileye to help spur the development of autonomous driving technology. Intel is a leader when it comes to artificial intelligence while Mobileye is a developer of monitoring systems autonomous technology relies on. Mobileye supplies monitoring systems to a number of automakers including Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] whose Model S while in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode was involved in a fatal accident last week. BMW says the goal of its partnership with Intel and Mobileye is to get a fully autonomous car on the market by 2021. The firms also...
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Volkswagen says it may be able to fix dirty 3.0-liter dieselsLawyers for Volkswagen told a California court Thursday that the automaker may be able to fix illegally polluting cars and SUVs equipped with its 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel engine. Owners of the affected cars—which include Volkwagen Touareg SUVs; Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, and Q7 sedans and SUVs;...
Aaron Cole -
Route 66 could become a giant solar panelA stretch of Route 66 in Missouri will step well into the 21st century soon when it becomes the first stretch of road in the Untied States to be covered with pavers that double as solar panels. The Missouri Department of Transportation applied recently for a grant that would allow it to test new...
Andrew Ganz -
Volkswagen's $18B TDI buyback would be largest consumer car action in U.S. historyVolkswagen on Tuesday announced a settlement with the EPA and numerous other regulators to resolve class-action lawsuits over its TDI diesel emission cheating scandal. If approved next month, the deal would by by far the largest consumer car action settlement in United States history. It comes nine...
Aaron Cole -
General Motors investing $290 million in Corvette plantTo Corvette enthusiasts, Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a special place. It is, after all, home to both the National Corvette Museum and the plant that builds the Corvette. And if the latest announcement is any indication, the Corvette plant will be running for quite some time. General Motors has...
Kirk Bell -
Kia eclipses Porsche for highest quality rank in 2016 J.D. Power studyFor many shopping for a new car, something that’s well-built and reliable can be more desirable than how fast a car goes or how many bells and whistles it comes with. One of the best means of determining these attributes is checking the annual studies conducted by J.D. Power, and the two most...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Müller last week announced an all-encompassing strategy that will see the automaker through the next 10 years and hopefully leave behind any lingering thoughts of the recent emissions cheating scandal, which incidentally VW is close to settling in the United States. The new Together - Strategy 2025 is to transform VW and its various brands into a very different automaker to the one we know today, with the focus being on vehicle electrification, digitization, and autonomous driving. Part of the strategy also includes improving the environmental impact of the...
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Lamborghini opens new U.S. research facility focused on lightweight materialsLamborghini has been researching lightweight materials for use on its cars for more than three decades and has dedicated research facilities set up to develop new and better materials. One of the automaker’s more recent developments was forged composites, which is nearly as strong as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla makes moves to acquire SolarCity, paves way for transition to energy providerTesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] on Tuesday made the surprise announcement it is seeking to acquire solar panel installation firm SolarCity via a share swap deal. The two companies are already closely linked with Tesla CEO and Chairman Elon Musk also Chairman of SolarCity. Musk is also SolarCity’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Saab cars officially dead as new owner rolls out NEVS brandThe long battle to restore Saab as an automaker is over, with the owner of the assets of the former Swedish automaker, National Electric Vehicle Sweden, confirming today that its future cars will be sold under the new brand NEVS. The news will be sad for Saab fans all over the globe though at least...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: VW to drop 40 models in restructureThe Volkswagen Group, still reeling from the fallout of last year’s revelation of its diesel emissions cheating, on Thursday released the first details on an overarching strategy aimed at moving past the scandal and transforming the company into a leader in sustainable mobility. One of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
U.K. firm to offer insurance for autonomous carsDriverless cars aren't yet ready for consumers, but a British firm has already stepped in to cover one potential hurdle: Insuring the vehicles. British insurance underwriter Adrian Flux says it will offer what it believes to be the first policy to cover autonomous cars. Interestingly, since those...
Andrew Ganz -
While the Volkswagen Group continues negotiations towards finalizing a settlement of its emissions cheating scandal with regulators in the United States, the embattled automaker today announced a company-wide strategy that outlines plans for the coming decade. The new Together - Strategy 2025 replaces the previous strategy that aimed to see VW reach the top of the sales chart by 2018, a strategy that’s partially blamed for the automaker’s nefarious dealings with diesel emissions. With Together - Strategy 2025, the focus now is to become the leader in sustainable mobility. This is...
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Tesla to sell its electric cars at NordstromInstead of traditional franchised dealerships, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] sells its electric cars directly to customers through a chain of company-owned retail stores. These stores are usually located in shopping malls alongside upscale department stores and boutiques, but now Tesla plans to actually...
Stephen Edelstein -
LAPD picks BMW i3 over Tesla Model S: Here's whyThe Los Angeles Police Department will buy 100 BMW i3 electric cars for non-emergency use. The LAPD announced plans for this order last year, when it took delivery of an i3 and a Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S for testing. It turns out officers preferred the i3. ALSO SEE: 2017 Volvo S90 first...
Stephen Edelstein -
NHTSA probes Tesla Model S suspensionThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining suspension components on Tesla Motors’ [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S sedan after receiving dozens of complaints of parts breaking. According to The New York Times, NHTSA received 33 complaints, including one where a suspension ball joint...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Uber seeks more automaker partnerships, won’t build carsThe automotive industry is in the early stage of a major transition, brought about by disruptive forces such as autonomous technology and increased urbanization. Couple the growing popularity of ride-sharing services such as Uber with the impending arrival of fully autonomous cars, and it’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Faraday Future hires ex-Ferrari exec, plans to test cars in MichiganMysterious Chinese-backed electric car startup Faraday Future has hired an experienced executive away from Ferrari [NYSE:RACE], one of the best signs yet the company is serious about entering the auto industry. The company has brought onboard Marco Mattiacci, reports Business Insider. Mattiacci is...
Andrew Ganz