Nutson's Nuggets: Last Week's (January 2 - 7 2012) Automotive News Recap - In Case You Were Sleeping

Auto Central Louisville KY, January 7, 2012 Each week Larry Nutson, The Auto Channel's Chicago Bureau Chief, along with Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Detroit Bureau give you the past week's automotive news highlights you may have missed. If you are a car nut like we all are here you can easily "catch up" on not only this past weeks automotive news but the past 16 years 898,125 automotive stories, articles, reviews, rants and raves by just searching for the subject you are interested in The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive...Happy New Year, and make this the year you and your loved ones "get smart and not screwed" when purchasing a vehicle. Have fun see ya next week LN.

* The big news for the week is the December sales results as well as the 2011 year-end totals. Overall the auto industry was up 10.3% with total sales of 12.8 million. Of the D-3 companies, Chrysler Group was up 26%, Ford Motor Company up 9% and GM up 13% for the year. The D-3 companies ended with 47% market share. The VW brand made big annual gains with 26% increase. Nissan was up 15% and Hyundai-Kia up 27%. Toyota Motor Sales and Honda were down, still suffering from the Japan disaster, but big gains are expected in 2012. Forecasts for 2012 put volume around 13.6 million, a 6% to 7% gain.

* BMW claimed its first ever luxury car sales crown, holding off Mercedes-Benz in an end-of-year battle. BMW sales rose 15% this year. Lexus has held the crown for the last eleven years but suffered lost sales due to lack of product resulting from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

* Ford's iconic F-150, now available with EcoBoost V6 engines earned best-selling vehicle in the country honors for the 30th year in a row.

* Still the most important auto show in the country, the North American International (Detroit) Auto Show, begins next week. Pre-show hints of what we'll see at the press preview days Monday and Tuesday are flowing like a mountain river in spring - too many to list here. TheAutoChannel.com will have all the coverage including full videos of all the press conferences and product reveals as well as commentary from TAC staff. It looks like this will be the year of the practical small and mid-size sedans as manufacturers rush to fill that expanding part of the US market, but as the industry emerges from a deep funk we'll see lots of other stuff as well. Watch this site for all the details.

* Responding to concerns about the risk of post-crash battery fires in the Volt, GM announced a fix involving a shield that will dissipate impact and minimize the risk of leakage. There have been no real-world fires with the lithium-ion battery packs, but a couple occurred weeks after a NHTSA crash test. Existing Volts will be retrofitted with the shield. Volt missed it's first-year sales goal by more than 20% for a variety of reasons but GM is optimistic about its prospects for 2012.

* Move over Nano, there's a new tiny car on the Indian market to challenge that cheapest-car-in-the world designation. Bajaj, maker of motorcycles, three-wheelers and motorized rickshaws, announce series production of a cartoonesque "four-wheeler" they call RE60. It looks like Nissan and Renault may be part of this project as well.

* Ford also announced a small, SUV in the Indian market called EcoSport, the first of eight new Ford vehicles targeting the Indian and African markets. EcoSport shares the Fiesta platform and is a global product.

* We often hear criticism about cars not living up to estimated fuel economy number but a California attorney is doing something about it. Heather Peters filed a claim in Small Claims Court asking for $10,000 in damages because her Honda Civic Hybrid didn't get nearly the 50-mpg claimed. Some say she is sueing the wrong party, since EPA oversees the mpg ratings and Federal law requires them to be used. Remember: "Your mileage may vary."

* General Motors is recalling 4,296 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact models to inspect for missing brake pads. The missing brake pads are on the front brakes and are part of a subassembly of components. The pads fell off before the cars were assembled and had remained unnoticed at the bottom of containers being shipped to the Orion Township, Mich., factory, said GM spokesman Alan Adler.

The problem was discovered when a rental Sonic was brought in for warranty service.

* Ford's Lincoln brand will showcase a concept of its new MKZ sedan at next week's 2012 North American International Auto Show as a major step to compete more effectively in the growing luxury market. "Our NAIAS display represents more than a vehicle debut. It represents the reinvention of Lincoln," said Max Wolff Lincoln's director of design. Ford has promised seven new or significantly modified vehicles for Lincoln by 2014. Freshening and upgrades to the flagship MKS sedan and MKT crossover will occur this year. The MKZ will be the first true all-new vehicle from the team created a year ago dedicated to the complete overhaul of Lincoln's lineup.

* Fiat S.p.A. yesterday increased its stake in Chrysler Group LLC meeting commitments it made to the U.S. government in its rescue of Chrysler from bankruptcy. Fiat increased its holding in Chrysler to 58.5% from 53.5% in a move that paves the way for an eventual merger of the two companies.The remaining 41.5% stake in Chrysler is currently owned by the United Auto Workers union's retiree health-care trust. Marchionne has made it clear he's in no hurry to acquire that stake and he has said it will not likely happen in 2012. Marchionne is expected to merge the two companies by the end of 2014 and is said to be aiming at an annual revenue figure of 100 billion euros ($129 billion).

* And although all eyes are on the NAIAS opening next week in Detroit, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is bringing us press releases from Chrysler and appearances to watch by Alan Mulally and Dieter Zetsche.