Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest - September 12-18, 2016; Recalls, VW And Nissan World Debuts, Bolt 238, EV Points, Ford Goes Mass

AUTO CENTRAL - Chicago, September 18, 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.

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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 12-18, 2016

* A VW engineer has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in the company's emission cheating scandal. James Liang, age 62, of Newberry Park, Calif. entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Detroit. He is cooperating with investigators with the hopes of a reduced sentence from the maximum of 5 years and a fine of $250,000. Liang, who is not a U.S. citizen, began work at VW in 1983 in Germany. There is likelihood of others being charged with crimes in the VW diesel deal.

* Ford is purchasing a private bus service in San Francisco, part of its strategy to broaden its business as a mobility provider. The bus company, Chariot, uses 100 Ford Transit vans to shuttle riders along 28 routes around the SF Bay area and charges on average $4 per ride. Chariot expects to expand to at least five different metros in future months.

* The full-electric Chevy Bolt got its EPA-certified range numbers this week beating out the upcoming Tesla Model 3. Bolt is expected to go 238 miles on a charge making it the first electric under $40,000 to get over 200 miles per charge. The European version of the Bolt, an Opel model called Ampera-e, will be rated about 10 miles per charge better but that is primarily because of European testing procedures. GM begins production of the Bolt later this year and arrive at “select” Chevy dealers shortly thereafter.

* And coincidentally, BMW, Volkswagen and ChargePoint announced the completion of the electric vehicle express charging corridors on the East and West Coasts. Nearly 100 DC (direct current) Fast charging stations provide more flexibility for EV drivers, supporting long distance and metropolitan electric vehicle travel along some of the nation’s most heavily-trafficked corridors. EV drivers can more easily travel from Portland, Ore., to San Diego on the West Coast, and from Boston to Washington, D.C., on the East Coast, utilizing a network of newly installed fast charging stations. Owners of the BMW i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and other electric cars can locate the publicly-available charging stations on the ChargePoint network.

* Turn it up! Ford said that B&O Play sound systems will begin appearing in Ford cars and trucks next year. Eventually, B&O Play will be in all Ford vehicles. B&O Play is a brand that was created in 2012 by Danish audio manufacturer Bang & Olufsen. Stamford, Conn.-based Harman International acquired Bang & Olufsen's car audio business in 2015.

* Don't park in your garage! Nissan is recalling about 134,000 cars and SUVs worldwide because brake fluid could leak and cause fires. The recall covers certain 2015 to 2017 Murano SUVs and 2016 to 2017 Maxima sedans that are equipped with intelligent cruise control. Also included are some 2015 and 2016 Murano hybrids.

* Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling nearly 2 million cars worldwide with air bags that might fail to deploy in crashes and seat belts that might not sufficiently tighten to protect passengers. Models that are affected by the recall include the 2010 Chrysler Sebring; 2011-14 Chrysler 200; 2010-12 Dodge Caliber; 2010-14 Dodge Avenger; and 2010-14 Jeep Patriot and Compass.

* This week we drove VW's new 2017 Golf Alltrack around the coastal islands of Seattle. Priced at $26,670, this all-wheel drive station wagon is aimed at the outdoorsy folks with active lifestyles, no matter what their age. The Alltrack will be in dealers in mid-October. Watch for a full drive report here on The Auto Channel.

* Nissan made two world introductions at the recent 2016 Miami Auto Show. The new 2017 Nissan Rogue and the new 2017 Nissan Sentra Turbo made their debut. Watch for them soon.

* A new report from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle provides response to the question, "Would Self-Driving Vehicles Increase Occupant Productivity?" The data presented in this white paper indicate that for about 62% of Americans, self- driving vehicles currently are not likely to result in an improvement in productivity. This is the case because 23% indicated they would not ride in such vehicles, and 36% would be so apprehensive in such vehicles that they would only watch the road. Furthermore, out of the remaining 41%, around 8% would frequently experience some level of motion sickness—for an additional 3% of occupants.

* The chairman of the Israeli company that supplies Tesla with sensors that are integral to the Autopilot driver assist system is criticizing Tesla for “pushing the envelope” beyond what is safe. Mobileye’s Amnon Shashua told Reuters that the system and sensors are “not designed to cover all possible crash situations in a safe manner.” Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk said that Mobileye is not able to keep up with the automaker’s product changes.

* Who is the best racing driver of all time? That could be a subjective assessment and many names could be among those chosen by different experts. Bernie Ecclestone unequivocally named his choice this week as Alain Prost, Formula One champion in 1985, ’86 and ’89. Ecclestone has been involved in the highest levels of auto racing for decades and, though controversial at times, he is as knowledgeable and experienced as anyone in the business.

* John Krafcik, Google’s Self-Driving Car Project boss, will be the keynote speaker at the first-ever AutoMobili-D technology show as part of the press preview week at the North American International Auto Show in January. Krafcik, formerly the popular CEO of Hyundai’s U.S. business unit, also announced that Google will be opening a 53,000 square-foot development facility in Novi, a Detroit suburb. AutoMobili-D will focus on urban mobility, autonomous driving, electrification of our transportation and connected car and infrastructure.

* More evidence of an upcoming mid-engined Corvette surfaced this week as AutoWeek published a series of spy photos ostensibly showing that configuration. For generations it has been rumored that such a car would be built, but evidence is mounting that the “C8” Corvette will be just that. Not surprisingly, GM’s Chevrolet Division has shed no light on the issue. AutoWeek editors suggest the possibility that a mid-engined sports car may not replace Corvette, rather it could be a separate super sports car in the lineup.

* The first car resulting from the Fiat/Chrysler merger will go away this month. The Dodge Dart, built from a Fiat platform, was intended to be U.S.-made and make its mark in the high-volume, small-proffit compact car segment. But, it failed to distinguish itself. Both Dart and the Chrysler 200 were born when fuel prices were high but in today’s climate of historically low fuel prices they could not find a big enough market to survive when competing with cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Chevy Cruze.