Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest - September 28-October 2, 2016

AUTO CENTRAL - Chicago, October 2, 2016: Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to digest mega-tweet sized nuggets.

If you are a car and driving fan like we all are here at The Auto Channel, you can easily "catch up" or put these stories in context by searching the past 25 year's 1,994,765 automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news, video, audio, rants and raves accessible from The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive.

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Enjoy and thanks for the positive feedback and ratings. See You Next Week, LN.

Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest - September 28-October 2, 2016

* Much of the automotive press focused this past week on the Paris motor show, more formally known as Mondial de l'Automobile, where Ferrari showed its newest super car the Apertas, essentially a convertible version of LaFerrari. Production will be limited to 209 vehicles selling for $1.1 million each, and they are already sold out. On the other end of the scale Nissan showed their new subcompact hatchback Micra. That one, though, will not come to the U.S. See full Paris show coverage here at The Auto Channel.

* Other big news from Paris this week is Volkswagen’s electric car concept that is promised for production in 2020 - the I.D. Electric. (A rather inspired name, don’t you think?) It will be based off an all-new global electric car platform and built from what VW calls their new Modular Electric Driver kit. In addition to being fully electric with a range between 249 and 373 miles it will preview a suite of self-driving functions, including a multi-function steering wheel that retracts into the dash when in full automated mode. The fully automated mode is expected to be in production by 2025.

* The other big event this week was the Texas State Fair, a popular venue for manufacturers to show off new trucks and promote current ones. Both Toyota and Nissan hosted big events around their full-size pickups that are vying for a bigger share of the U.S. market. Both events featured sports celebs, sporting activities and big displays of the trucks. Nissan revealed a new equipment package called a “Texas Titan” with big wheels and lots of extra trim.

* Less is more. Cadillac is offering about 400 of its smallest, dealers in low sales locations to give up their franchise. Many of these dealers are paired with other GM brands and may not want to invest capital to upgrade their facilities to new Cadillac standards. They'll get paid as much as $180,000 to stop selling Cadillacs. Presently Cadillac has 925 U.S. dealers, many more than other luxury brands.

* Tesla filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Western Michigan one week after the Department of State denied the company a license to sell new vehicles in Michigan. Tesla sells its vehicles directly to customers, instead of through a dealership franchise like other automakers. Local auto dealers and local manufacturers have made clear that they oppose any law that would allow Tesla to operate in Michigan.

* The shortened list for the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year have been announced. From the list of 44 eligible 2017 models NACTOY jurists culled the list to 29 “semifinalists” in three categories: car, truck and utility vehicle. A first time in the 23-year history of the awards is utility vehicles having their own category. The contenders are: Cars: Acura NSX, Audi A4, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Bolt, Genesis G90, Hyundai Elantra, Jaguar XE, Kia Cadenza, Lincoln Continental, Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman, Toyota Prius Prime, Volvo S90. Utility vehicles: Audi Q7, Buick Envision, Cadillac XT5, Chrysler Pacifica, GMC Acadia, Infiniti QX30, Kia Sportage, Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, Jaguar F-Pace, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Armada. Trucks: Ford F-series Super Duty pickup, Ford F-150 Raptor, Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Titan half-ton.

* Simon Pagenaud, 32, cruised to his first IndyCar championship claiming Team Penske’s 14th open-wheel title in its 50th year of existence. Pagenaud, driving the #22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet for Team Penske, won the 85-lap race at Sonoma Raceway by 3.2523secs over Graham Rahal, a dominating performance that saw the Frenchman lead all but nine laps and clinch the series crown by 127 points over team-mate Will Power.

• All is not lost to EVs and autonomous cars. Ford’s lineup of performance cars – including Mustang, Focus RS, Focus ST and Fiesta ST – has caught the eye of younger and more affluent buyers across the globe. This year Ford will sell more than 200,000 performance cars globally, nearly double the volume from just three years ago. Ford Performance will have 12 all-new models by end of the decade, as promised, including two to be delivered later this year: F-150 Raptor and Ford GT.

* Ford is recalling about 74,000 Focus hatchbacks with manual transmissions in the U.S. and Canada because the hatches can be unlatched too easily while the cars are moving. The recall covers certain Focus hatchback and RS vehicles from the 2013 through 2017 model years.

* Volvo is recalling about 127,000 cars and SUVs worldwide because the air conditioning can leak water into the vehicles and cause air bags to malfunction. The recall covers 2016 and 2017 XC90 SUVs, S90 sedans and V90 wagons.

* Buick customers will be introduced to a new Avenir sub-brand designed to grow with the needs of future luxury buyers. From the French word for future, the Avenir sub-brand is inspired by Buick’s evolving global customer base. The brand has grown quickly with female buyers, and one in two Buick customers today are coming from competitive brands. They’re expecting a high-end experience and premium quality. Buick's sales in China, where luxury sells, are three times those in the U.S.

* The FIA released the official Formula 1 race schedule for 2017 this week without many changes or any new venues. However, three races are listed with “provisional” status - Canada, Germany and Brazil. The U.S. race in Austin, Texas is confirmed for October 22nd. The F1 schedule includes 21 races in as many countries.

* Toyota hosted the media in California last week to preview the second generation of the Prius plug-in hybrid now called Prius Prime. Styling goes a step beyond the brash and angular styling applied across the Prius line when it was updated last ear. Improvements in range, updates in the interior, including a large vertical multi-function screen and more efficient packaging of the hybrid components lead the changes. Watch for all the details here on The Auto Channel as the media embargo is lifted tomorrow.

* Arnold Palmer died this week at age 87 of heart problems. Of course, he is mostly known as a golf legend but what most folks don’t know is that he was also a pioneer in sports personalities endorsements of automobiles and other auto entities. Witness his long-term relationships with Cadillac and Hertz. He also owned six auto dealerships in five states. His first auto commercials were for Mercury from 1967 to 1974. Later he associated with Cadillac and began wearing a Cadillac emblem on the sleeve of his golf shirt.

* At the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) Fall Rally this week at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, we were part of the first auto writers to be able to track-drive the new 2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo. With 188HP, the Sentra SR Turbo accelerates to 60 in about 6.5 secs or a bit less, and steers, corners and brakes among the best sport compacts all for around $22,000. There's even a six-speed manual to be had.

* Speaking of manual transmission, Nissan's Brandon White referred to a manual transmission as a "millennial antitheft device" bringing some laughs from the audience. You might also view a manual transmission equipped car also as an "anti-texting device."