Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest- March 23-29, 2015

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

Auto Central Chicago IL, March 29, 2015; Every Sunday, along with senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau I give you our "take" on this past week's automotive news in 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 20 year's 1,832,187 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 Weekly Automotive News Digest- March 23-29, 2015

* The last major U.S. auto show of the season comes up next week in New York where the Javits Center will fill up with new automotive products from all over the world. Hoping to make a big splash there is Cadillac among others. They will reveal the new flagship full-size sedan called CT6 aimed at competing with the top luxury cars in the world. What we know early is that the CT6 will be lighter than its German competitors and priced well below most, beginning at around $60,000. GM will present “an agile, athletic, driver’s car and a technological tour de force.” Check back with us on TACh later this week for lots of details from the Big Apple.

* Mitsubishi promises to show a new design language when they present their 2016 Outlander in New York next week. Teaser photos, though somewhat obscure, show a substantial resemblance to Toyota’s spindle grille theme. Mitsubishi accounts for a very small portion of cars sold in the U.S. market but they continue to compete. The new Outlander small crossover claims over 100 engineering and design improvements. We’ll see.

* Head of Mercedes-Benz van business, Volker Mornhinweg, told the Wall Street Journal this week that the company plans to launch a mid-size pickup by 2020. While the company has been in the truck and bus markets for many years they’ve not been in the pickup business. Initial focus will be on markets in Europe, Latin America, Australia and South Africa. They’ve not decided whether to sell it in the U.S.

* Henrik Fisker is in trouble with his former employer Aston Martin over what the latter claims is a ripoff of a design he did for them. Fisker was design director at Aston Martin before cofounding his own company to build a hybrid super car under his name. That company went belly-up a couple years ago. Fisker showed his new 12-cylinder car called “Thunderbolt" - the car at the center of this controversy - at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance last week. Aston Martin immediately sued. Anyone looking at the Fisker Thunderbolt will see the Aston Martin resemblance.

* Jeremy Clarkson, host of BBC’s ‘Top Gear’ TV show, one of the network’s most successful shows worldwide, was fired this week, the culmination of a suspension imposed on him for physically assaulting a producer. Fans of the show immediately collected hundreds of thousands of petition signatures asking that the firing be rescinded. The last three episodes of the season were canceled because of the suspension. Police are now investigating the incident to see if criminal charges are warranted.

* Another classic European company is poised to become part of an Indian conglomerate. Some thought it ironic that Jaguar and Land Rover are now owned by Tata of India. Now, Mahindra & Mahindra, India’s largest maker of SUVs is in talks to acquire famous Italian design and engineering firm Pininfarina, according to reporting by Bloomberg this week. The two companies have worked together for years on projects and have a good relationship according to officials from both companies. Pininfarina has lost money in 10 of the past 11 years.

* According to the insurance website, Insure.com, the cheapest 2015 vehicle to insure is the Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD with a national average cost of $1,134 per year. Insure.com based this average on a specific set of insured-person characteristics, so yours may vary. The top ten cheapest list includes Jeep Patriot Sport 2WD, Honda CR-V LX 4WD, Dodge Grand Caravan SE Plus, Honda Odyssey LX, Jeep Compass Sport 2WD, Subaru Outback 2.5i, Ford Edge SE 2WD, SmartForTwo Pure, and Ford Escape S 2WD. Car insurance rates vary widely by state and by insurance company.

* GM now will compensate for 74 deaths, up from 67 (and remember it was only thirteen from way back over a year ago). Injury compensations now total 126.

* The U.S Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that according to new data, people over 50 years old accounted for nearly half of all U.S. drivers in 2013 – more than ever before. Drivers over 85 years old remain the fastest growing demographic group, nearly doubling from 1.76 million in 1998 to 3.48 million in 2013 The increase is partly due to the fact that younger drivers aren’t as quick to get a license as they have been in the past. As the driving population ages it’s forcing officials to rethink America’s highways and byways. By 2045, there will be a 77% increase in the number of drivers 65 and older.

* GM is recalling 87,063 Chevrolet Malibu sedans in the U.S. for sunroof control issues. The automaker is calling back 2013-15 models because the power-operated roof panel can close inadvertently.

* Mercedes-Benz is recalling approximately 30,000 CLS-Class cars in the U.S. because the LED tail lamps may not light properly on the sides. The recall covers certain 2015 CLS 400s, 2012 through 2015 CLS 550s, 2012 and 2013 CLS 63s and the 2014 and 2015 CLS 63P.

* Has motorization in the U.S. peaked? That's the question being asked by Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Mr. Sivak has examined the changes from 1984 to 2012. Now in an update through 2013 he finds that despite the population growth, the absolute amount of fuel consumed by light-duty vehicles decreased by 11% during the period 2004 (the year of maximum consumption) through 2013. Additionally, we are driving about eight percent less and there are about five percent fewer vehicles. These reduction in rates are not seen as temporary, but a trend that has ben occurring over time.

* Ford Motor Company announced recalls that include 212,911 2011-2013 model Ford Explorer and Police Interceptor models for interior handles that can come unhatched; 1,725 2013-2015 model Lincoln MKT limousine and hearse vehicles with a faulty vacuum pump that could become a fire hazard; and 6,472 F-series Super Duty ambulance vehicles due to a faulty temperature sensor.

* Federal research indicates roughly 11% of all highway deaths are the result of distracted driving. But a new study confirms what has long been feared, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluding that nearly six out of 10 moderate to severe teen crashes are the result of driver distraction. Stop and think about it. Distracted driving is doing anything that takes your concentration away from the driving. Yes, think about it. Like, drinking coffee from your go-cup, for example.

* A nationwide crackdown on auto dealers has turned up widespread evidence of false ads, deceptive loans and fake odometer readings, the government said. The investigation led by the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement resulted in 252 enforcement actions and $2.6 million in consumer refunds and fees. Let the buyer beware!