- BMW to Recall 1.6 Million Cars – WSJ: BMW said it will recall about 1.6 million cars of its 3 Series worldwide, part of an initiative to replace passenger-side front airbags affecting seven major automakers.
- GERMANY: BMW replacing 1.6m E46 3-series passenger airbags – Just-auto: After recently being asked by US agency NHTSA to check airbags on older 3-series sold in high-humidity markets, BMW has now said it would replace passenger airbags on 1.6 million E46 3 Series vehicles produced between May 1999 and August 2006, extending a smaller recall campaign run in 2013.
- BMW to recall 1.6 million cars worldwide for airbag concerns – Reuters: German automaker BMW said on Wednesday it is recalling about 1.6 million cars worldwide to replace passenger-side front airbags made by Takata Corp 7312.T because the inflators could break apart during deployment and injure passengers.
- CHINA: BMW plans 400,000 local cars a year – Just-auto: BMW plans to raise capacity at its two Chinese factories to 400,000 cars over the next two years, finance chief Friedrich Eichiner has said.
- Tesla asks hackers at Beijing contest to report vulnerabilities – Automotive News: Tesla Motors, whose Model S sedan is the target of a hacking contest in Beijing starting today, said it will investigate and rectify any vulnerabilities discovered as a result of the competition.
- BMW to recall 1.6 million 1999-2006 3-series cars to replace airbags – Automotive News: BMW will recall around 1.6 million cars — including about 574,000 in the United States — to replace passenger-side front airbags because of potential problems involving rupturing inflators.
- Government to make crash test mandatory in India – Via Google News: Safety is a big issue when it comes to the automobile industry, particularly in India, and despite that, a majority of cars sold in the market are not up to …
- Toyota delays delivery of 23,000 vehicles covered by neighbor’s tar, soot – Automotive News: Toyota has to delay delivery of thousands of vehicles, including some 20,000 for export, because it has to clean up a mess left by a neighbor.
- Tesla confirms lower-priced Model III will go on sale in ’16 or ’17 – Automotive News: Tesla Motors said Tuesday that its lower-priced successor to the Model S sedan and Model X crossover, expected to go on sale in 2016 or 2017, will be named the Model III.
- Daimler to unveil new Smart 4- and 2-seat cars – Automotive News: The new-generation Smart ForFour and ForTwo will be unveiled today. The arrival of the ForFour gives the Daimler subsidiary a second model in its portfolio for the first time since 2006.
- More Magnesium in Japanese Auto-Parts Makers’ Mix – Wards: A Japan Magnesium Assn. official predicts demand will grow 3% to 4% over the next five years thanks to a new alloy mix incorporating calcium, making it possible to die-cast magnesium components on the same line as aluminum parts.
- Peugeot reveals Hybrid Air driven car (VIDEO) – Via Google News: The hybrid air system adds around 100kg to the weight of a conventional car; around half the amount of an electric battery powered hybrid system.
- BMW expands battery for electric cars agreement with Samsung – Via Google News: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or more popularly known as BMW, the largest luxury car maker in the world, expanded its order of batteries for electric …
- Teenagers’ Cars Are Older, Smaller and Less Safe, Study Finds – NY Times: New research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says teenagers tend to drive cars that put them at greater risk of dying in a crash.
- GM Recall Probe Turns to Top Lawyer – WSJ: Senators pressing General Motors on why executives weren’t aware of defective cars on Thursday turn to the auto maker’s top lawyer whose staff signed off on wrongful death payouts that pointed to the fatal flaw.
- Driverless cars will require industry shift, Nissan scientist says – Automotive News: Automakers intending to bring driverless cars to market need to work as much on software design as mechanical engineering, the researcher leading Nissan’s automated-vehicle program says.
- GM’s top lawyer to tell Senate panel of mistakes on ignition switch – Automotive News: GM’s top lawyer said his staff made mistakes in handling an ignition-switch defect and delayed recall that spurred U.S. government investigations.
- House Passes Interim Fix for Highway Trust Fund – NY Times: The measure passed despite objections by conservative groups who said funding of the nation’s roads and bridges should revert to local and state government control.
- Able to Build Cheaper Cars than Brazil, Mexico to Become Top Car Producer in LatAm – Via Google News: Hecho en Mexico Pacific Alliance member Mexico is poised to overtake Brazil, the leading economy in Mercosur, as the top Latin American auto …
- Hyundai Motor Group car sales in China, India up 8.2 pct in June – Via Google News: Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s fifth-largest automotive conglomerate, said Wednesday that its sales in China and India …
- Documents Show General Motors Kept Silent on Fatal Crashes – NY Times: When asked by federal regulators to explain deadly crashes, G.M. repeatedly said it had no answers — despite having reached internal conclusions on the causes.
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster revealed – Autocar: New 565bhp, 201mph V12 Vantage S Roadster is Aston Martin’s fastest drop-top yet.
- Mulally joins Google board – Automotive News: Former Ford CEO Alan Mulally has joined the board of directors of Google as the technology giant ramps up development of autonomous light vehicles.
- Ex-Ford chief Mulally joins Google’s board – Reuters: Google Inc has appointed former Ford Motor Co CEO Alan Mulally to its board of directors, drafting a seasoned Detroit executive into its ranks as it develops a self-driving car and tries to get its software into more automobiles.
- Surge in Diesel Sales Outstripping Overall US Auto Recovery – thedetroitbureau.com: For the first six months of 2014, in fact, diesel sales surged a full 25% year-over-year, compared to a 4% upturn in the overall American automotive market. Meanwhile, hybrid vehicles have posted a nearly double-digit decline as buyers are finally seeing the appeal of the new generation of clean-burning, higher-torque diesels.
- Auto Industry Draws Battle Lines Against Hackers – Wards: Auto executives will form a voluntary information-sharing and analysis center for the industry to target the threat of hackers.
- Obama Pushes Congress to Invest in Smarter Roads – thedetroitbureau.com: After spending much of his two terms prodding automakers to improve the mileage of vehicles as well as their operational efficacy, President Barack Obama today encouraged automakers to continue the development of “vehicle to vehicle” technology research and pushed lawmakers to fund its use.
- VW brand seeks €5bn in annual savings – FT: German carmaker seeks to lower fixed costs, find savings in procurement and reduce development costs, which have increased 80% since 2010
- Saleen Plans Performance-Tuned Version of Tesla Model S – thedetroitbureau.com: Able to turn a 0 to 60 launch in little more than 4 seconds, the Tesla Model S has changed many folks image of battery cars as little more than electrified stone ponies. Now imagine what you might get when tuner Steve Saleen gets to play with the Tesla Model S.