Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Recap - Sept 28=October 4, 2015: Recalls, Recalls, Recalls, Tesla X, VW, Buh-Bye Tony

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

AUTO CENTRAL - CHICAGO - October 4, 2015; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Bureau Chief 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 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 20 year's 1,945,680 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 Weekly Automotive News Review - October 4, 2015

* The short list for the 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year has been released. The semi-finalists will be evaluated and the finalists, three in each category, will be announced on December 8. The car finalists are: BMW 7 Series, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Volt, Honda Civic, Kia Optima, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Prius. Truck/Utility finalists are: Ford Edge, Honda HR-V, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Renegade, Kia Sorento, Lexus RX, Mazda CX-3, Nissan Titan XD, Tesla Model X, Toyota Tacoma and Volvo XC90.

*September closed out with continuing strong new vehicle sales. More than 1.4 million new cars and trucks were sold, a 15.8 percent increase from the same time a year ago. The Big-6 saw double digit increases. Even VW with its diesel scandal was up ever so slightly. And of course, trucks/utilities outsell cars.

* UAW members overwhelmingly turned down a tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler (FCA). Analysts cited workers fears of some production being moved to Mexico and the failure to close the gap between veteran and tier two workers among other concerns. Chrysler immediately issued a statement of disappointment and UAW locals made preparations for a strike. UAW officials, criticized by some industry watchers for poor communication about the contract terms, meet next week to decide whether to renegotiate, wait for contracts with other automakers to be negotiated or threaten a strike. The UAW has not struck Chrysler since 1982.

* On the VW Diesel scandal, German prosecutors have launched an investigation; German media reports that supplier Bosch in 2007 and a VW technician in 2011 warned about using the rogue software; VW set up a consumer website vwdieselinfo.com. with information for owners. VW and EPA officials have been summoned to a Congressional hearing.

* Outcome of a recent VWAG Board meeting has Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller taking over as VW boss and US VW boss Michael Horn keeping his job as dealers insist that he stay. VW restructured its regions, though, creating a new position above Horn. Not only has the company rearranged the bosses but a corporate restructure shuffles brands as well with Porsche, Bentley and VW being one unit while Audi, Lamborghini and Ducati become another.

* A just completed survey by AutoPacific reveals only 1 out of 4 US vehicle owners have a positive opinion of Volkswagen following the recently unveiled diesel deception, compared to 3 out of 4 prior to hearing the news. 64% of survey respondents say that in light of the issue, they do not trust Volkswagen. Perhaps more interesting, the survey data also reveal that 64% of respondents think other manufacturers are, or may be, using defeat devices on their diesel vehicles and 55% think gasoline vehicles are similarly affected. “These figures point to the overall skepticism of consumers with manufacturers,” according to Auto Pacific.

* The new Tesla X crossover SUV was delivered to its first owners in a ceremony near the Freemont, CA factory this week marking the launch of the high-content electric vehicle originally slated for production nearly two years ago. The car gets a variety of unusual features like a panoramic windshield and side-docking sun visors. Most striking are the “falcon wing” rear doors that open upward. The seven-seat Tesla X has a 250-mile range and prices start at around $100,000.

* We may see new Checker automobiles by 2018. A company called Checker Motor Cars promises to bring out two new Checkers, an El Camino-like “Sport Pick-up Crossover” and a sedan called “Aerobus” that will replicate the taxi version of the car we are all familiar with. The company currently restores and provides parts for old Checkers and other automobiles and is located near Boston where the vehicles will be built. The original Checker cabs were built in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

* GM said it would introduce a fleet of autonomous Chevrolet Volts in late 2016 at its Warren Technical Center campus in Michigan for employee use to get around inside the facility.

* A new study out this week from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute authored by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle notes that road crashes account for 1.3% of fatalities in the U.S. at 10.4 fatalities per 100,000 populations. That is compared to 193.3 fatalities from heart disease, 185.0 from cancer, 47.2 from lung disease, 40.8 from strokes and 26.8 from Alzheimer’s disease. The numbers by state range from 22.6 in Montana to 3.1 in the District of Columbia. Perhaps that tells us Montanans are, more than anyone else, out having fun running the roads and DCers are stuck in traffic so congested they can’t go fast enough to get hurt.

* The NHTSA accused Fiat Chrysler Automobiles of widely under-reporting the number of deaths in accidents involving its vehicles. The auto safety agency first raised questions when it learned about a death in a Fiat Chrysler car that had not been reported to the safety agency’s “early warning system.” Major auto companies are required to electronically submit massive amounts of data involving vehicle crashes, deaths, lawsuits, warranty claims and other information. FCA may be fined for the transgression.

*Ford Motor Co. issued six recalls covering more than 380,000 vehicles. There's a new recall of 342,000 older 1998-2003 Windstar minivans that previously had been called back. Also, 37,000 2015 F-150 trucks for a potential problem with the adaptive cruise control, 70 2001-2008 Ford Escapes and Mercury Mariners with a remanufactured transmissions, 250 2015 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles and 2016 Ford Explorers for potential fuel tank attachment bolt issue, 1,500 2016 Ford F-53 and F-59 stripped chassis vehicles for a potential shift control bracket issues, and 700 2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for a fuel tank issue.

* Honda is recalling 143,000 Civic and Fit vehicles in the U.S. to fix a software problem that could cause the front wheels to lock up. The recall is for the 2014 and 2015 Honda Civic and the 2015 Fit.

*Nissan is recalling 319,000 Nissan Versa cars in North America for front suspension problems. The recall covers 2007-12 Versa cars — including 101,000 in Canada and 218,000 sold or ever registered in "salt belt states".

* Automakers are proposing that they be allowed a 70 percent increase in the nitrogen oxides their cars emit as part of new pollution-testing standards for Europe. Under the new plan, cars in Europe would for the first time be tested on the road, using portable monitoring equipment, instead of in laboratories. The automakers, which include Volkswagen, General Motors, Daimler, BMW, Toyota, Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Ford and Hyundai, are essentially conceding what outside groups have known for a long time, namely, that you can't meet the same standards on the road as in a laboratory.

* Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart announced this week he will quit Sprint Cup racing after the 2016 season, but said he will continue as racing in other venues. He said, “It is time to do something else.” Clint Bowyer will replace the 45-year old Stewart on the team driving the Car No. 14 for the 2017 season.