Nutson's Automotive News Blast - Week January 26-Feb 1, 2015

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

Auto Central Chicago IL, February 1, 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 19 year's 1,803,229 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 Automotive News Blast - Week January 26-Feb 1, 2015

* COMPLETE STORYThe chances of dying in a crash in a late-model vehicle have fallen by more than a third in three years, the latest IIHS calculations of driver death rates show. Among 2011 models, a record nine vehicles have driver death rates of zero. However, the gap between the safest and riskiest models remains wide, and three cars have death rates exceeding 100 per million registered vehicle years. Improved vehicle designs and safety technology have a lot to do with the continuing decline in fatality risk.

* Following on the heals of the joint VW-BMW announcement on EV chargers, Nissan said it would help open about 1,000 high-speed charging stations for electric vehicles between now and April 2016. The chargers will most likely be located in major metro areas.

* Sometimes rumors have a ring of authenticity. This week a rumor surfaced across the pond, reported by Automotive News Europe, that Toyota and BMW may partner on a joint venture to design and produce a new small car as an entry-level Mini and a subcompact Toyota. The new Mini would slot below the existing base model and would be called Mini Minor after the original Morris Minor. The Toyota version might be called Starlet. BMW and Toyota already combine their talents on diesel, battery and fuel cell technologies.

* The Detroit Auto Dealers Association wrapped up it’s North American International Auto Show - highlight of the auto show season - last weekend to near record numbers. Paid attendance topped 800,000, highest since 2002, and it drew 5,000 media attendees from all over the world. The black-tie Charity Preview which precedes public days netted $5.3 million for local children’s charities. See full coverage here at TACh. Now it is on to the Chicago Auto Show.

* GM faulty ignition switch claims are now up to 50 deaths eligible for compensation by Ken Feinberg. Approved injury claims now number 75. The deadline was the end of January to file claims with GM.

* Volkswagen AG will recall in the U.S. 26,000 VW and Audi vehicles that may have fuel leaks. Affected models include the 2011-12 Audi S4, S5 and Q7, the 2012 Audi A6, the 2012-2013 Audi A7, and 2012 VW Touareg Hybrid.

* Ford is recalling more than 221,000 cars and vans to fix problems with door latches and seat belts. The biggest recall covers nearly 205,000 Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Police Interceptor models in North America from the 2010 to 2013 model years. The second recall covers just over 16,000 Transit Connect small vans in the U.S. from the 2014 model year.

* Nissan is recalling nearly 768,000 vehicles worldwide in two new campaigns because hoods could open unexpectedly or an electrical short could cause a fire. The recalls cover about 640,000 vehicles in the United States and about 128,000 around the world. Being recalled are 468,815 2008-13 Nissan Rogue vehicles. Nissan is also recalling 170,665 2013-14 Pathfinder SUVs, 2014 Pathfinder hybrid, 2013 Inifiniti J35, 2014 QX60 and hybrid versions because the hood release cable assembly may have been installed incorrectly.

* Toyota will recall 52,000 2011-2012 Avalon sedans in the United States because of fire risks.

* Chip Ganassi’s No. 02 Riley-Ford EcoBoost DP was the overall winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona Speedway as the motorsports season got underway in the U.S. Corvette Racing (GTLM) and Riley Motorsports (GTD) were the GT class winners to make for an all-American triumph for Corvette’s C7.R and the Dodge Viper GT3-R.

* Three former NASCAR champions, an African-American pioneer and a driver who became one of the sport's most popular were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Rex White and the late Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott make up this year's class, the sixth to be inducted into the hall.

* Last week we learned of Jeff Gordon's retirement from NASCAR at the end of this season. He will be replaced in the No. 24 car by Chase Elliott, the 19year old son of Bill Elliott, and who is the reigning Xfinity Series champion.

* NASCAR driver Tony Stewart has said no more dirt track racing and will instead stay focused on his regular job. After breaking his leg in 2013 and the tragic accident involving the death of a fellow racer last August, Tony is ditching the dirt.

* U.S. federal safety regulators said Honda, Toyota and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will recall about 2.1 million older vehicles to fix defects that could cause air bags to deploy when they are not supposed to. The agency said the models affected were: 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty and 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees (about 750,000 vehicles); 2003-2004 Honda Odyssey; and 2003 Acura MDX (about 370,000 vehicles) and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe; Dodge Viper; and Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, and Toyota Avalon (about 1 million vehicles, not all of which were sold in the United States.)

* The UAW announced this week that Ford is on the verge of having to promote 55 of the workers it hired at the “second-tier” wage scale in 2010 when the company and union negotiated that arrangement to save labor costs and keep automakers competitive with imports and transplant factories. Ford has not confirmed that to be the case. About a quarter of Fords hourly workers are compensated at the second tier level. GM and Chrysler contracts also institutionalized the second-tier wage but caps on the number of employees at the lower rate were suspended under the bankruptcies.

* GM announced suspension of production in its St. Petersburg, Russia plant and the raising of prices for cars already built there because of the precipitous fall in the value of the ruble. This is the only plant GM fully owns in Russia but they have a joint venture with Russian automaker AvtoVAZ. Ford and VW have suffered substantial losses in Russia but continue to produce there.

* Honda seems to be suffering most from the seemingly endless Takata airbag recall crisis. The company is having to dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars of its cash reserves to cover replacement costs of airbags and that is cutting into profits. They still expect to post profits of about $6.1 billion for the year.

* Daimler AG is moving U.S. production of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class crossover from its Tuscaloosa AL plant to the AM General factory in South Bend, IN. AM General’s claim to fame is production of the Humvee military vehicle and some of GM’s Hummer derivatives. In addition to being able to produce more C-Class sedans production of M-B’s new GLE will come to AL.