Here are six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Friday, March 13, 2015.
REVIEW
Yes, we’re linking to yet another 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen review. Except yesterday, in a Canadian publication, it was rightly called the Golf Sportwagon. In Car & Driver, as in VW USA nomeclature, it’s the SportWagen.
INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
GM’s powertrain warranty will be reduced in the U.S. from 100,000 to 60,000 miles on MY2016 Chevrolet and GMC models as GM didn’t find the increase to 100K attracted buyers. But what signal does this send to consumers?
INSIDE THE TRUCK BUSINESS
Anticipated Ford F-150 resale value is higher than it was on the old truck, Detroit Free Press reports, and the bulk of new F-150s sold by Ford are high-end models. Very high-end, according to Automotive News’ Nick Bunkley.
INSIDE THE AUTO “MEDIA” BUSINESS
Is Jeremy Clarkson too big too fail? CNBC quotes the BBC’s Danny Cohen as saying, “No one person is bigger than the BBC.”
RECALL
GM is recalling 64,000 Chevrolet Volts, Automotive News reports, although the recall hasn’t yet been posted to the NHTSA site. Owners who leave the car idling too long in a garage might run into carbon monoxide issues. And here we were thinking everybody already knew that.
Ford is recalling 1608 F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks (model year 2008-2010) with the 6.4L diesel engine for “affected steering gears may not install properly, and as a result, there may be insufficient clamp load on the joints which may cause the steering gear retention bolts to fracture.”
Kia’s recall of 208,858 2014-2015 Soul and Soul EVs is the result of an accelerator pedal which may bend and fracture.
WATCH
Remember this price.
