Honda Hit with $70M from Feds

Honda Hit with $70M from Feds
Bentley Plans to Add New Model to its Lineup
Subaru Recalls 200K Vehicles for Brake Issue
GMC Canyon Nightfall Edition Revealed
Ask the Engineer: What do You Want to Know About the 2016 Toyota Tacoma?
Volvo S60 Cross Country Stands Tall Before Detroit

Posted:

Honda has agreed to pay two separate $35 million fines to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for under-reporting death and injury claims.

The first fine is the result of Honda failing to notify NHTSA of 1,729 claims of injury or death that took place in its vehicles. The second fine is for Honda's failure to report certain warranty claims and claims under customer satisfaction campaigns through the same time period.

Federal law requires all automakers to submit any potential safety concerns to NHTSA.

Along with the fines, Honda has agreed to comply with NHTSA oversight which will make sure that Honda develops new written procedures for compliance with early warning report procedures, train certain personnel at least every year and complete two third-party audits of the automaker's compliance with its reporting obligations.

The Japanese brand cites three key areas where its reporting system failed: Data entry errors, coding errors and narrow regulatory interpretation. Honda says that it has already made a number of steps to correct these issues including correcting the computer programming issue, changing policies, implementing new training, enhancing oversight and reprogramming warranty and property claims information.

"Today's announcement sends a very clear message to the entire industry that manufacturers have responsibility for the complete and timely reporting of this critical safety information," said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind. "The actions we are requiring will push Honda to significantly raise the bar on the effectiveness of its EWR reporting program. Our ongoing oversight will ensure compliance and determine if there is cause for additional actions."

Discuss this story at our Honda Forum

Bentley Plans to Add New Model to its Lineup

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Bentley is already considering another model for its lineup once the British automaker's SUV heads to production.

In part of its bid to sell 20,000 vehicles annually by 2020, Bentley is looking to the future once its SUV goes on sale in 2016. Currently, the company expects to sell about 3,000 SUVs per year and according to Bentley it has already seen interest from 4,000 potential buyers even though no one has seen the final product yet. Speaking in London, Wolfgang Duerheimer boasted that the Bentley SUV "will be the most exclusive, most luxurious and most expensive SUV in the world." Duerheimer also shared that the automaker sold a record 11,020 vehicles last year, up nine percent from 2013.

The U.S. remains Bentley's largest market, contributing 29 percent of its total sales, but China will be the company's most important market where one in three luxury vehicles sold last year wore the Bentley nameplate. It is believed that Bentley's SUV will enter the market at around $214,000 and is part of the company's vision of expanding its lineup beyond just luxury sedan and coupe models.

More importantly, Duerheimer confirmed to the press that the company is still considering adding another model to its lineup once the SUV is on sale. It's a possibility that Bentley could be considering another SUV model, perhaps even a crossover, that would slot under the first as a more entry-level offering.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Discuss this story at our luxury lifestyle forum

Subaru Recalls 200K Vehicles for Brake Issue

Posted:

Subaru is calling back 200,000 vehicles once again to fix an issue with the brake lines.

In States that use road salt in the winter, affected vehicles can suffer from brake line leaks due to corrosion. The 2008 through 2011 Impreza, 2008 through 2014 WRX and STI and the 2009 through 2013 Forester are affected by this problem.

This same recall was conducted last year, but it is being undertaken again because Subaru dealers were given incomplete instructions on how to fix the problem according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

To fix the problem, Subaru dealers will apply anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake lines, free of charge. The company will fix cars outside of the 21 State area on owners request.

The 21 affected States are: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin plus the District of Columbia.

Discuss this story at our Subaru WRX Forum

GMC Canyon Nightfall Edition Revealed

Posted:

GMC has revealed a new special edition package for its mid-size Canyon pickup.

Called the Nightfall Edition, the special edition package gives the Canyon blacked-out style and is available on SLE crew cab models with either 2WD or 4WD. The package includes a black grille, black assist steps, factory spray-in bedliner, 18-inch multi-spoke aluminum wheels with dark inserts, polished exhaust tip, automatic climate control and remote start.

SEE ALSO: GMC Trademarks 'Nightfall Edition'

News of the Nightfall Edition was first reported here on AutoGuide, after GMC filed to trademark the name. GMC says that the special edition is meant to "give style-conscious customers" a new option.

GMC will show off the truck in person at the upcoming 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

Discuss this story at our GMC Forum

Ask the Engineer: What do You Want to Know About the 2016 Toyota Tacoma?

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The next-generation Toyota Tacoma will debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week and here's your chance to ask the chief engineer anything you want.

Does it have a new engine?

Is the body made of aluminum?

How much can it tow?

Did you cram the turbocharged engine from the Lexus NX200t under the hood? (probably not).

Ask anything you like and with any luck Toyota will select your question to answer during a live stream.

SEE ALSO: 2016 Toyota Tacoma Revealed

AutoGuide.com Editorial Director Colum Wood will be hosting the live stream Q&A with Tacoma Chief Engineer Mike Sweers and professional off-road racer Ryan Millen at the North American International Auto Show immediately following the Tacoma's unveiling.

The press conference will begin at 12:50 PM EST on Monday, January 12 and you can watch it all in our browser at the end of this story.

Leave your question below, post it here, or tweet it at @Toyota using the hashtag #TacomaChat.

Volvo S60 Cross Country Stands Tall Before Detroit

Posted:

Volvo will bring a ~~car~~ ~~crossover~~ new thing to Detroit this year that stands in a segment of its own.

The company announced today that it will bring a "Cross Country" variant of the S60 sedan to the Detroit Auto Show. With it, Volvo is trying to cash in with a new skew on crossovers by building a cross-bred sedan and utility vehicle.

Its ride height is increased by 2.5 inches and comes with all-wheel drive, a combination that Volvo says will make the S60 Cross Country "the only truly capable and stylish all-road sedan crossover on the market."

2015 Detroit Auto Show Preview

Apart from adding a higher riding suspension, the car also comes with high profile tires wrapping 18- or 19-inch alloys and the company's T5 inline five-cylinder turbocharged engine making 250 hp.

Volvo will presumably package the car with the same six-speed automatic that it does for the U.S. market S60. Volvo will sell the S60 Cross Country in the U.S., Canada, Russia and Europe. The company says it expects to begin delivering the S60 Cross Country on a limited basis starting in the summer, but it didn't announce what, if any, production limits exist.

Discuss this story at our Volvo forum

Car Reviews

Thursday, 8 January 2015

Honda Hit with $70M from Feds

Honda Hit with $70M from Feds

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