Nutson's Nuggets - Automotive News Week of October 20-26 2014

By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel

Auto Central Louisville, KY October 26, 2014; Every Sunday, along with Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau give you our "take" on this past week's automotive news as easy to digest nuggets.

If you are a car nut like we all are here at The Auto Channel, you can easily wish to "catch up" on these stories as well as the past 19 year's 1,744,653 automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news, video, audio, rants and raves just search The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive.

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Nutson's Automotive News Factoids Week Of October 20-26 2014

* Last week we reported that VW had taken over the number 2 spot from GM in worldwide sales. Actually, VW has held the number two spot since last year and continues that position through the third quarter of this year. More interestingly is that VW has the potential to take over the number 1 spot from Toyota. We'll be watching that race.

* If you drive a car made in the early 2000s, the NHTSA wants you to see your dealer -- right now. The federal agency issued a rare alert, warning that owners of vehicles fitted with airbags made by Takata Corp. should have their vehicles inspected as soon as possible. The airbags could fail to deploy properly. The warning affects more than 7.8 million vehicles made by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. By the way, the safety agency has been revising the total number of vehicle affected all week long. But one thing is clear, it's a lot.

* Unrelated to the Takata issue, Audi is recalling 850,000 vehicles worldwide for an air bag problem. The recall covers 101,900 2013-2015 Audi A4, S4 and All-Road models in the United States, 15,100 in Canada.

* Many vehicle drivers are unhappy that they cannot achieve the same fuel economy as the EPA test ratings. The EPA has been criticized and recently said they would increase efforts to audit mileage ratings. Now Mini is the latest automakers to restate their fuel economy numbers. The 2014 Mini Cooper will be rated anywhere from one to four miles per gallon less than originally claimed. Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Hyundai and Kia have had to roll back their mileage ratings.

* Volkswagen announced this week that the Environmental Protection Agency has rated the new VW e-Golf full electric compact car at 126 mpg-e in the city, 105 on the highway and 116 combined and estimate its range at up to 83 miles/charge. The “mpg-e” (‘e’ for equivalent) calculation attempts to make a comparison to gasoline-burning automobiles by considering cost of the electricity and other variables. The compact e-Golf fully equipped will start at $35,445.

* Ford announced new new Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection technology that is designed to reduce the severity of and, in some cases, even eliminate frontal collisions involving pedestrians. Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection – debuting on the 2015 Ford Mondeo in Europe – provides a collision warning to the driver and, if the driver does not respond in time, can automatically apply the vehicle brakes. It's coming first on the European Mondeo because that will be an all-new car, and it is not possible to integrate this technology into existing vehicles, Ford responded when we asked.

* Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine’s high-profile 2015 Green Car of the Year program. The 2015 models include the Audi A3 TDI, BMW i3, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and VW Golf. The Green Car of the Year award, an honor widely recognized as the auto industry’s most important environmental accolade, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

* Ford’s new CEO Mark Fields, who took the reins from Alan Mulally last July, reported disappointing third quarter earnings and revenue for the company but insisted that from here forward new products, including the aluminum-intensive new F-150 pickup, will deliver “strong, profitable growth.”

* The most recent running of the epic and historic Carrera Panamericana race across Mexico on pubic roads from Veracruz to Durango ended last week with ex-Formula 1 driver Erik Comas and his partner Isabelle de Sadeleer in the winners circle. They drove a race-prepared 1953 Studebaker sponsored by Tag Heuer in this 3,000 km road race that started in the early 1950s and helped define the golden age of road racing.

* As usual MOPAR will have a major presence at the upcoming SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas with customized products from Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram. Featured will be concept, racing, custom and advanced production vehicles like the 6.4-liter Hemi Dodge Charger Scat Pack and the 707-hp Charger SRT Hellcat.

* Purists will be relieved to know that rumors and speculation that the popular off-road Jeep Wrangler will move to uni-body construction with its upcoming redesign have been emphatically dispelled by reliable sources within Chrysler. The traditional body-on-frame design will remain and get some updating. The Wrangler will likely continue to be built in Toledo.

* The 1948 Tucker known as the “Tin Goose” is the fifth car included in the National Historic Vehicle Registry, a program similar to the National Registry of Historic Places that recognized buildings and other places and historically significant and important. The Tim Goose was Preston Tucker’s final prototype from which 51 Tucker automobiles were built.

* At Talladega Superspeedway eight drivers advanced into the third round of NASCAR's championship race. The NASCAR championship is coming down to a battle between two team owners, Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick. Three of Hendrick's drivers are now out, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kasey Kahne. Only Jeff Gordon continues. Both of the Penske drivers are still in, namely Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. The other five contenders are: Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards.

* Raymond Beadle, an icon of Texas motor racing, passed away at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. The three-time NHRA World Funny Car Champion (1979-81) would have turned 71 this December. Widely-credited with creating the motor racing collectibles business as owner of Blue Max Racing, Inc., the Texan was inducted earlier this year into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Detroit. At the peak of his success, Beadle successfully campaigned cars in NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA and the World of Outlaws sprint car series and was owner of Chaparral Trailer Company.