Nutson's Nuggets: Last Week's (August 27-Sept 2, 2012) Automotive News In Case You Were Dozing

Auto Central Louisville, KY September 2, 2012 Each week Larry Nutson, The Auto Channel's Chicago Bureau Chief, along with Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau give you easy to digest nuggets of the past week's automotive news you may have missed.

If you are a car nut like we all are, you can easily "catch up" on these stories as well as the past 16 years 1,351,002 automotive stories, articles, reviews, rants and raves by just searching for the subject you are interested in The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive. Hey South Florida TV viewers, I know you are enjoying watching The Auto Channel's TACH-TV on channel 44 WHDT-TV Palm Beach (Cable 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami and channel 32 Fort Meyers-Naples, and thanks for the positive feedback...See you next week, LN

Automotive News August 27-Sept 2, 2012

* This week in downtown Detroit the 24th class of honorees were inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. They are: Drag racing's Ed Pink, sports car racer Derek Bell, motorcycle racer Ricky Johnson, stock car racer Neil Bonnett, engine builder Pop Dreyer, engine technology pioneer Vic Edelbrock, Sr and Indy car champ Danny Sullivan. Shortly after the event we were hearing rumors that the Hall of Fame my move out of Detroit as it struggles to find solid funding and a permanent home.

* We've seen more than a few Web-based surveys to determine the most beautiful car. We just learned that one of Europe's most respected car magazines, Auto Bild, polled their readers with that question. The answer: Ferrari's F12 Berlinetta, a front-engined V12-powered super car co-designed with Pininfarina.

* The Moscow International Automobile Salon wrapped up this week gaining another increment in the ranking of international shows. The Russian auto show featured just about all the premium and mainstream cars available around the world and Nissan's deputy general manager, Francois Bancon, said, "this show is becoming a Tier 1 show, comparable to Geneva, Frankfurt, Tokyo or any other big place in the world."

* The sleek and sexy new McLaren MP4-12C Spider showed up at the car-centric Vinsetta Garage restaurant so it could be introduced to the drooling media, your Michigan editor included. The mid-mounted, 616-horsepower, 3.8-liter V12 with twin turbos will propel this super car from 0 to 100 kph in a scant 3.1 seconds. Finished in nearly a Candy Apple Red it is now available in the U.S. for just over a quarter million dollars.

* GM announced this week that it will sell the slow-to-be-accepted Chevy Volt extended range electric car in Australia as a "Holden Volt." The Hamtramck, MI factory now builds the Chevy Volt, the European version of the car, Opel Ampera, and the new Malibu Eco. They will close the plant in mid-September for about a month to prepare to make the all new Impala as well.

* In 2014 a new "Formula E" global series of city-center electric car races will start. Driving cars based on a Formulec EF01 prototype which can go 149mph, ten drivers will compete in the one hour race. The organizers are aiming for races in ten different cities, namely, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Mexico City, Miami and Los Angeles. In an interesting switch from what we know in traditional motor racing, because of the 15-20 minute battery life drivers will change cars during two scheduled pit stops.

* General Motors Co. has ended its more than 30-year practice of providing cars to the Republican and Democratic party conventions. It has been the practice to provide hundreds of cars, free, to both national conventions. In 2008, GM provided about 400 cars to each convention. According to the Republican National Convention, the convention does not have an official auto provider. I guess it's "take the bus and leave the driving to us".

* The 2012 Total Quality Index by Strategic Vision shows that the industry as a whole continues to improve. Only 17% of consumers reported problems with their new cars. Toyota had the fewest reported problems in terms of numbers, their severity and how they were dealt with. In terms of total quality, which is a broader look that also includes how much drivers like their new cars, VW was the winner with segment leaders including the Golf, Eos and Tiguan for the VW brand and the Audi A4 and A8. Ford and Chrysler tied for second place in the broader total quality index.

* The Obama administration gave the final green light to landmark 2017-25 fuel economy rules that will nearly double the efficiency of the nation's cars and trucks over the next 13 years, to a fleet-wide average of 54.5 miles per gallon. The new rules will reshape what Americans drive and prod automakers to implement fuel-saving technologies more quickly. Drivers won't really get more than 50 mpg under the new standards, which are tested in government labs. Taking into account real-world driving conditions and habits, the actual average will be around 40 miles per gallon in 2025.