Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Friday, May 15, 2015.
INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
As if to insult compatriot Volkswagen for struggling to transition between bosses with any kind of harmony, BMW’s Stefan Quandt spoke out – a momentous occasion regardless of what he said – to comment on the automaker’s own transition. “We have set the course for the future and are very happy about a successful generational change at the top of the company,” Quandt said.
INSIDE THE TRANSPORTATION BUSINESS
The new cross-border bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, will be called the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
INSIDE THE ELECTRIC CAR BUSINESS
It was only days ago that we posted on GCBC’s Kinja page that the ELR is a flop. (And it’s even more of a flop in Canada.) It wasn’t the first time. Now Automotive News quotes Cadillac’s marketing chief, Uwe Ellinghaus, as saying, “The MSRP was, indeed, a mouthful.” Granted, even with massive discounts, the ELR is still hardly selling at all. Added Ellinghaus: “We overestimated that customers would realize our competitors were naked at that price.”
REVIEW
Much of the attention paid to the all-new 2016 Kia Sorento has surrounded the availability of a mid-grade 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder. Call it the EcoBoost mentality. The V6 remains the most powerful Sorento, however, and Driving.ca’s John LeBlanc found the overall package to be impressive. “There’s minimal body roll while cornering, and the Sorento’s steering is accurate with plenty of communication about what’s happening at road level – again, what you would find, say, in a BMW X5.”
TTAC
Finally, a decent month for subcompacts. U.S. sales of subcompact cars increased 9% in April 2015.
RECALL
Toyota is recalling the following models for possible air bag ruptures: 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Corolla Matrix, Toyota Sequoia, Pontiac Vibe and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra (300,000); 2004 Toyota Sequoia and Toyota Tundra (176,631); and 2004-2005 Toyota RAV4 (159,700).
General Motors is recalling 49,980 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks for possibly loose seat-frame attachment hooks.
WATCH
Parkour is cool. Fiat 500 Abarths are cool. Put the two together and, well, don’t try this at home.
