THE FALL OF WINTER
“I am clearing the way for a fresh start with my resignation,” says Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG. Winterkorn says he didn’t do anything wrong, but indicated that new leadership was required in order for the company to regain its reputation.
HEAVY DUTY
Like its F-150 sibling, the 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty will adopt an aluminum body. During a week in which much of the automotive world is concentrated on Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal, Nissan revealed an updated Altima, Volkswagen revealed a refreshed Passat, and now Ford reveals a new truck. The switch to aluminum will save approximately 350 pounds.
AUTOFOCUS
Canadians registered essentially the same number of SUVs/crossovers in August 2015 as traditional passenger cars. The difference depends on the categories in which you place a handful of true crossovers, but the theme is the same regardless: cars down, SUVs up.
HISTORY
Long before last Friday’s announcement by the EPA that Volkswagen’s 2.0L TDI was emitting far more NOx in real-world driving than on emissions tests, Volkswagen Of America’s sales figures were not in good shape. Through March 2013, VW USA sales had improved in 31 consecutive months. But that 31-month streak turned into a streak of 18 consecutive months of decline as the brand’s market share fell from 3% in 2012 to 2.2% in 2014 2.1% through the first eight months of 2015.
RECALL
Mitsubishi is recalling 1497 Lancer Evolutions and Lancer Ralliarts from model years 2014 and 2015 because, “The affected turbocharged vehicles have a right parking brake cable that may contact the fuel tank, wearing away the tank’s protective coating.”
FRANKFURT
Remember Frankfurt’s auto show? Let Chris Harris take you on a tour of September’s big German auto show, forgotten now that a certain German automaker is caught up in a massive scandal.
