GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Grows to 64 |
- GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Grows to 64
- Toyota Mirai Pricing to Eventually Compete with Diesels
- Crashes Increase on Daylight Saving Time Switch
- Lexus Still Best at Internet Lead Response
- Average Fuel Economy Falls in February
- 2016 Chevy Spark Teased
| GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Grows to 64 Posted: Share this Article The total number of deaths officially linked to faulty ignition switches in GM vehicles has risen to 64. GM's special compensation fund setup to reimburse victims has just approved seven more death claims and four more injury claims, taking injury totals to 11 approved for serious injuries and 97 approved for less severe injuries. Thus far, 109 compensation offers have been made by GM, 84 of which have been accepted while five have been rejected. When a victim or victim's family accepts the payment, they give up their right to sue GM over the issue. In total, 4,343 claims were submitted, 478 of those seeking compensation for death. 742 claims have been ruled ineligible, while 1,571 claims are still under review. SEE ALSO: GM Ignition Switch Deaths Hit 51, Expected to Continue Rising The issue stems from a faulty ignition switch in GM's small cars including the Chevy Cobalt and Saturn Ion. The key can turn to the 'off' position inadvertently, causing the engine to stall and the airbags to become disabled. Due to a rush of applications submitted just before the Jan.31 deadline, the fund will need until least six months to finish. GM set aside $400 million for compensation, but it may go as high as $600 million. Each approved death claim will receive at least $1 million. Discuss this story at our GM Forum Loading, please wait...  |
| Toyota Mirai Pricing to Eventually Compete with Diesels Posted: Share this Article Toyota is aiming for its Mirai fuel-cell vehicle to eventually be price competitive with diesels. The 2016 Toyota Mirai will launch with a starting price of $58,325 including destination but the Japanese automaker is hoping to cut its price in the coming years. According to Katsuhiko Hirose, project general manager for Toyota's fuel cell development division, the company wants its fuel cell vehicles to be priced roughly the same as a modern diesel. Don't expect it to happen anytime soon as Hirose said it could take 15 years, even if executives want it done in half the time. SEE ALSO: 2016 Toyota Mirai Review Hirose believes that fuel cell vehicles will take about the same time to be accepted as hybrids did, which was about 10 to 15 years. In the same interview with Automotive News, the project general manager also noted that the currently weak infrastructure for hydrogen refueling shouldn't be viewed as an obstacle to purchase due to the Mirai's range – about 310 miles, which is substantially more than the majority of electric vehicles available. [Source: Automotive News] Discuss this story at our Toyota forum Loading, please wait... |
| Crashes Increase on Daylight Saving Time Switch Posted: Share this Article You can expect a spike in more than yawning following daylight saving time taking effect today. According to a recent study conducted by the University of British Columbia, car accidents increase by 17 percent in the first week that daylight saving time goes into effect. According to Sam Schwartz, former New York City traffic commissioner, the change in people's sleeping patterns after clocks springing forward an hour affects their driving. SEE ALSO: Car Crashes Cost US Economy Almost a Trillion Dollars a Year Daylight saving time went into effect this past Sunday and experts suggest that people get extra sleep if possible as they try to adjust to the time change. [Source: CBS] Loading, please wait... |
| Lexus Still Best at Internet Lead Response Posted: Share this Article Lexus dealers are the best at responding to internet leads for the second straight year according to the 2015 Pied Piper Internet Lead Effectiveness Benchmarking Study. The study is conducted by sending inquiries to 13,637 dealerships across the country representing all major brands and gauging the responses. Lexus scored the highest while Porsche, Fiat, Dodge and Infiniti close out the top five. On the bottom end, Scion scored the lowest, with GMC, Hyundai, Volvo and Buick sitting at the bottom of the list. Infiniti had the greatest increase on the study compared to last year, jumping 8 spots on the list, while Mini and Mitsubishi also saw large improvements. Each dealership is assigned a letter grade, from A to F, depending on their response. Lexus dealers received an A grade 22 percent of the time, compared to the industry average of just 5 percent. Lexus dealers also responded 99 percent of the time, gave a reason to act quickly 66 percent of the time and gave reasons to buy from their specific dealership 29 percent of the time. Overall, the industry as a whole improved slightly over 2014, but there are still issues. About every 12th customer (8 percent) got not response at all, while Lexus was the only brand to respond to over 98 percent of customer inquiries. One in ten customers got no response at all from BMW, Cadillac, Honda, Hyundai, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Scion, Subaru and Volvo dealers. Included in the inquiry was a specific question that could not be answered by an auto response. Hyundai, Jaguar and Mini dealerships did the best in this area, answering the question more than 60 percent of the time. On the other end, Chevy, Ford, GMC, Lincoln and Ram dealerhips answered the question less than 33 percent of the time. Discuss this story at our Lexus Forum Loading, please wait... |
| Average Fuel Economy Falls in February Posted: Share this Article The average fuel economy of light vehicles sold in the United States dipped to 25.1 mpg in February, falling by 0.2 month-over-month. Bad weather is blamed for the drop in fuel economy by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, the researchers responsible for tracking fuel economy at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research department. Market share of trucks and SUVs rose in response to the harsh winter and falling fuel prices, causing average fuel economy to fall. Since the researchers began tracking fuel economy in October 2007, average fuel economy is up by 5.1 mpg. Average fuel economy peaked in August of 2014 at 25.8 mpg. With good weather on the horizon and gas prices on the rise, expect the average fuel economy of new light vehicles to begin improving. Loading, please wait... |
| Posted: Share this Article Chevrolet plans to show off a redesigned Spark at the upcoming New York Auto Show on April, 2. The brand has released a new teaser photo to give a sense of what the new small car will look like. Sharp angles add a more aggressive appearance to the new Spark, which is adopting the brand's new corporate styling that has already appeared on the new Volt. SEE ALSO: 2016 Camaro Comes into Focus With Sharp New Look No other details were offered about the upcoming Spark, which in its current form uses a 1.2-liter inline four-cylinder engine that makes 84 hp. It will debut in New York alongside the new 2016 Chevy Camaro. The new Spark will also be revealed at the Seoul Auto Show at the same time as the NY reveal. Discuss this story at our Chevy Spark Forum Loading, please wait... |
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