- GM seeks N.Y. court for recall suits as plaintiffs’ lawyers claim death toll rises – Automotive News: GM said it wants a New York court to handle lawsuits arising from its ignition defect recall as lawyers for car owners said deaths caused by the flaw exceed the automaker’s count of 13.
- VW to bring new models to U.S. more quickly – Automotive News: VW Group is preparing to bring new and updated models from its namesake brand to the United States on a shorter time frame. The VW marque will introduce new products every five years, down from seven.
- JAPAN: Automakers start Nippon Charge Service – Just-auto: Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi, have jointly established a new company, Nippon Charge Service, to promote the installation of chargers for electric-powered vehicles (PHVs, PHEVs, EVs).
- Study shows federal regulations cost dealers billions, jobs – Automotive News: Franchised new-car dealers in the United States spent a combined $3.2 billion in 2012 to meet federal regulations, a report released today said. Dealers spent the money to comply with 61 major federal rules, the report said.
- Hyundai unveils wild mid-engined Veloster concept – Autocar: Korean manufacturer produces experimental rear-drive coupé to explore future potential of Veloster’s chassis.
- US: Ford to launch adaptive steering next year – Just-auto: Ford says it will launch ‘adaptive steering’ in 2015, claiming that the new generation of steering technology – developed with Takata – will improve the driving experience.
- Ford recalls nearly 1.4 million vehicles in North America – Reuters: Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it is recalling 1.39 million SUVs and sedans in North America, most for the possible loss of power steering.
- Zetsche predicts new ForFour will help Smart make first profit – Automotive News: Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche believes the all-new Smart ForFour minicar will be commercially successful and should help the money-losing brand make its first profit.
- First China-made Range Rover Evoque rolls off the Line – CarNewsChina.com: Spy Shots showing the first Range Rover Evoque rolling off the line in China, celebrated by staff wearing white helmets, indicating the factory isn’t completely ready yet. Range Rover however is in a hurry as Landwind is working hard on its own interpretation of the trendy Evoque.
- GM explains delay in brake light recall of 2.7 million cars – DetN: General Motors Co. told federal investigators Thursday why it took the Detroit automaker five years to recall 2.7 million cars for brake light malfunctions after it first recalled a small number of vehicles for the same problem.
- An Increase in Recalls Goes Beyond Just G.M. – NY Times: So far this year, Ford has recalled more than 2.9 million vehicles in the United States, far surpassing last year’s 1.2 million vehicles. Other automakers are reporting higher recall numbers as well.
- Motor Trend, Automobile magazines reshaped in consolidation – Automotive News: Source Interlink, the publisher of magazines including Motor Trend, Hot Rod and Super Street, is restructuring its automotive titles under a new branding group called The Enthusiast Network.
- Major Shake-up at Automobile Magazine – thedetroitbureau.com: The publishing crunch has caught up with another major automotive magazine, the parent of Michigan-based Automobile ousting its long-time editor-in-chief and moving its headquarters to California as part of a broader shake-up in its troubled media network.
- About Expensive Cars and Luxury Hotels – Via Google News: He’s the guy who ask the hotel to wash his car for free, drinks all the alcohol and buys replacements from the store and takes the free shampoo with …
- Porsche considers a turbo for next 911 GT3 RS – Autocar: New flagship 911 GT3 RS could receive a turbocharged flat-six engine for improved performance and reliability.
- Ford recalls nearly 1.4m US vehicles – FT: Carmaker has identified software fault in SUVs that could cause the steering to default to manual rather than power steering mode
- Chrysler, on the rebound, casts wider net for interns, graduates – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is going outside the Midwest to attract young talent and enhance the company’s reputation among college students and graduates worried about job security at a domestic automaker.
- Bits Blog: Police, Pedestrians and the Social Ballet of Merging: The Real Challenges for Self-Driving Cars – NY Times: John J. Leonard, a veteran Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticist, thinks that Google is trying to tackle tremendous challenges in its autonomous driving project.
- GM judges hear claims of 60 deaths as defect suit merger mulled – DetN: A panel of federal judges heard arguments on where to merge 90 ignition defect suits against General Motors Co., with New York and California courts as the lead contenders, as lawyers for car owners claimed to know of many more related deaths than the 13 acknowledged by the automaker.
- New York pushes for clean car expansion – Via Google News: Car manufacturers applauded the action plan but said a lot of work needs to be done to meet the 3.3 million goal with zero-emission vehicles making …
- Suspended GM engineer questioned by House investigators – DetN: A House committee investigating General Motors Co.’s handling of a recall of 2.6 million vehicles linked to at least 13 deaths and 47 crashes interviewed a suspended engineer at the center of the crisis earlier this month.
- Economic cost of crashes in 2010 was $277 billion, NHTSA says – Automotive News: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today revealed that the total economic cost of car crashes in the United States rose 20 percent from a decade before to $277 billion for the 33,000 deaths and 3.
- Ford to recall nearly 1.4 million vehicles in N.A. – Automotive News: Ford said today it is recalling nearly 1.39 million SUVs and sedans in North America, most for the possible loss of power steering. The largest of today’s four recalls included about 915,000 older model Ford Escapes and Mercury Mariners.
- Niedermeyer: Google’s self-driving car terrifies – Via Google News: Google’s surprise reveal of its first in-house self-driving car prototype shook the the auto industry like a California earthquake this week, and quickly …
- Intel Intros Tech Platform for Connected Cars – Via Google News: Intel officials on May 29 introduced the In-Vehicle Solutions family of hardware and software products—from compute modules to an integrated …
- “Fastest Car on the Planet” Set for Testing in 2015 – Via Google News: Now the people behind Thrust SSC have set themselves an even more challenging target to reach the land speed record of 1,000 mph in a new car …
- US: Nissan Murano build adds 500 Canton jobs – Just-auto: US production of the Murano crossover will add 500 jobs at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi assembly plant, the automaker said on Thursday (29 May).
