VW and Chrysler issue large recalls

Both Volkswagen and Chrysler have announced large recalls to address possible fuel leaks and potential accidental air bag deployments.

Volkswagen is recalling more than 228,000 vehicles sold in the American market, including 2007-2009 model year Golf, Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Rabbit and 2006-2010 New Beetle small cars.

VW says on all of the recalled vehicles except the New Beetle, a small plastic tab in the windshield wiper fluid reservoir could rub against a fuel supply line under the hood. A fuel leak could develop and lead to fires.

Volkswagen is beginning its recall in late January and dealers will either remove the plastic tab or inspect the position of the clamp and adjust it free of charge.

On New Beetles under recall, a fastening clamp on the hydraulic hose of the power steering system could be located in the wrong place and rub against a fuel supply line that could create a fuel leak and cause a fire.

According to VW spokesman Kerry Christopher, there had been no reports of fires, crashes or injuries.

Chrysler is recalling more than 367,000 minivans to address potential accidental air bag deployments in 2008 model year Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. The automaker said water could leak near the heating and air conditioner drain, which could cause the air bag warning light to go off and deploy the air bag by accident.

Chrysler's recall is expected to begin in February and dealers will replace the drain ring free of charge.

Chrysler spokesman Vince Muniga said the automaker was aware of 30 complaints of air bags deploying inadvertently and five injuries since February 2008.

Owners can contact Volkswagen at (800) 822-8987 and Chrysler (800) 853-1403.

Nissan LEAF 2011 European Car of The Year

In a historic moment for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and zero emission vehicles, the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF was awarded 2011 European Car of the Year.

The world’s first mass-marketed, affordable, zero-emission vehicle for the global market beat 40 contenders to win one of the industry's most important accolades. This is the first time in the 47-year history of the annual competition that the award has gone to an electric vehicle. Nissan LEAF’s rivals included vehicles from brands such as Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Dacia, Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and Volvo. The jury included 57 leading motoring journalists from 23 European countries.

“The jury acknowledged today that the Nissan LEAF is a breakthrough for electric cars. Nissan LEAF is the first EV that can match conventional cars in many respects,” said Håkan Matson, President of the Jury, Car of the Year.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “This award recognizes the pioneering zero-emission Nissan LEAF as competitive to conventional cars in terms of safety, performance, spaciousness and handling. It also reflects Nissan’s standing as an innovative and exciting brand with a clear vision of the future of transportation, which we call sustainable mobility. With three other electric vehicles in the pipeline from Nissan – and with the imminent market introduction of four additional electric vehicles from our Alliance partner Renault – Nissan LEAF represents a significant first step toward a zero-emission future.”

Nissan LEAF is powered by a compact electric motor in the front of the car, which drives the front wheels. The AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 ft.. lbs. of torque, enough for a maximum speed of 90 mph. The electric motor is powered by a Nissan-developed laminated lithium-ion battery with an output of more than 90 kW. The car has a range of 100 miles between charges ,making it a viable alternative for many urban drivers.

The vehicle is fully equipped with features such as regenerating braking, air conditioning, satellite navigation, parking camera and advanced on-board IT and telematics systems. Innovative connectivity will allow an owner to set charging functions to monitor the car's current state of charge and the remaining battery capacity, as well as to heat or cool the interior of the car remotely via mobile phone or computer. 

Deliveries in Japan and the United States begin this month. In Europe, deliveries start in early 2011 to Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands. The zero-emission car is currently being built in Japan, but will also be produced in Tennessee, and in Europe when new manufacturing facilities open in late 2012 and early 2013.

Nissan’s innovative thinking extends beyond zero-emission mobility. Under the PURE DRIVE label, Nissan manufactures an extended line-up of environmentally friendly, internal combustion engine vehicles offering class-leading fuel efficiency supported by advanced green technologies. In Europe, the company will soon launch an advanced gas-electric hybrid luxury sedan wearing the Infiniti badge.

Nissan has won the CoTY award in Europe before. In 1993, the UK-built Nissan Micra became the first car from a Japanese automaker to win the accolade and started Europe’s love affair with the little car that continues today with the recent launch of the newest Nissan Micra model.

A Less Than Casual Drive Through The Streets of Paris

Here's a ride she'd never forget.... in a 1968 Ferrari 275 GT (300 HP)

Open up your screen to full size... turn up the volume and try to image doing what this driver does on the early morning streets of Paris... across town in 9 minutes!!!

Once they saw this 1978 video, the Paris Police looked for this driver for years but never found him. Remember, these are public streets with no baracades or driver assistance warnings anywhere. Flat-out driving as fast as you can go in traffic. Pretty amazing stuff that wasn't staged.

Enjoy. Watch it all. You can change your underwear later.

Playing Full Out At Going Green

By Lary Coppola

I have to admit, being raised on big-block, mega-horsepower, gas-guzzling V8s, I was more than mildly skeptical about Electric Vehicles (EVs) — until I actually drove one. I came away a believer that EVs are the future — not everyone’s future — but for a lot of folks, it will be. While the automotive industry has seriously experimented with alternative fuels (remember hydrogen fuel cells?) for the past decade, it seems they’ve finally settled on electricity as the alternative power source.

Just to clarify the difference between a hybrid and an EV, hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, run on a combination of gasoline and battery power, while a pure EV is 100 percent battery-powered. 

Nissan is committed to EVs — so much so, it will offer an EV version of a new commercial van, the NV2500, it will debut in 2011. Company CEO Carlos Ghosn stated without hesitation, "A new era is beginning in the global automotive industry. At Nissan and Renault, we are working together to lead the way to mass market zero emission mobility." Ghosn is car guy in the Lee Iacocca mold. He “gets it” about what consumers want, and his stunning success turning Nissan, and its luxury brand, Infiniti, around by delivering some of the best selling product on the market proves that.

Nissan has put its money where its mouth is, gambling almost a billion dollars over more then a decade that the Leaf will change the way we drive. And make no mistake, EVs are coming — The high-performance Tesla sports car hit the market last year, and 2011 will see Ford debut an electric version of its Focus, along with the long-anticipated Chevy Volt, Mini E, Mitsubishi MiEv, and a plug in version of the Toyota Prius. The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show previewed no less then 20 EVs — some from manufacturers you’ve never heard of.

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GE Commits To Buy 25,000 EVs by 2015

With a name like General Electric, why wouldn't GE embrace the electric car? The company has announced plans to buy 25,000 of them by 2015.

Jeffrey Immelt, GE's CEO, said the company would convert half of its corporate fleet to electric vehicles (EV) by 2015 in an effort to jump start the technology and help develop a potentially big new market for the company.

"By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action," Immelt said in a statement  The company had hinted at the plan in late September.

GE builds natural gas-fired generators for utilities, electric motors, advanced electric meters and a home electric car charging station called the WattStation, all of which could be in higher demand if drivers buy electric cars. It stands to reason they could also build motors for EVs as well as expand sales of its charging stations.

GE estimates the expanding market could bring it up to $500 million in new revenue over the next three years. The first mass-market electric cars are expected to go on sale next month, including the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

GE said it will buy 12,000 GM vehicles starting next year, beginning with the Volt. It plans to add others as manufacturers expand their electric car offerings. Every major automaker has plans to introduce cars that can be powered by electricity over the next two years.

EVs are cheaper to fuel and operate than gasoline powered cars, but they are more expensive to buy, mainly because of the high cost of batteries. The battery that powers the $33,000 Nissan Leaf costs about $12,000, nearly the price of a gasoline-powered car the Leaf's size — although the Leaf's lithium-ion batteries are guaranteed for 100,000 miles or 8 years, and can be replaced a cell at a time, which wculd stretch out the expense.

Carmakers hope to be able to sharply reduce the cost of the batteries over time, but in order to do so they need to sell more electric cars. That's where GE comes in. GE is hoping that its planned purchase will help drive down costs by increasing production volumes and assuring carmakers that they will have at least one big buyer.

Electric utilities, and local governments which would also benefit from the adoption of electric cars, are also expected to buy thousands of vehicles. The feds are offering $7,500 tax credits to electric car buyers to help make the cars more affordable and some states and cities offer additional subsidies that can reach $8,000. Washington State offers $3,500.

Still, only 30,000 electric vehicles are expected to be sold next year, out of a projected 13 million new cars. J.D. Power and Associates predicts that by 2020 that number will grow to 275,000, still only about 2 percent of total car sales.

Tesla Motors Recalling Roadsters

Tesla Motors, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles, is recalling 439 of its 2010 model year Roadsters to address potential fire hazards connected to battery cables. The recall involves Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 vehicles with a 12-volt auxiliary cable, which may be routed improperly, and could cause the wire to become exposed.

Contact between the bare wire and carbon fiber could lead to a short-circuit and a fire in the right front head lamp area, according to a notice by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The two-seater electric sports car, the only vehicles currently sold by Tesla, sells for more than $100,000 and plugs into a conventional outlet for recharging. The company has sold about 1,300 Roadsters in at least 30 countries.

The automaker plans to introduce its next-generation electric sedan, the Model S, by 2012, and is working with Toyota to develop an electric version of Toyota's RAV4 small crossover vehicle.

As part of the recall, Tesla will check the routing of the cable and install a protective sleeve over the wire free of charge. Owners can call the company at 877-888-3752.

NWAPA Announces Mudfest 2010 Winners

SUV of the Year decided at the 16th Sport Utility Vehicle Competition

 

 The results are in from the Northwest Automotive Press Association's Mudfest 2010 event, which was held in Vancouver, Washington, September 30 and October 1. Twenty SUVs and CUVx competed in four scored categories-Affordable, Family, Luxury, and Off-Road-with the overall highest-scoring vehicle being declared the SUV of the Year.

The 2010 winners are: 

SUV of the Year:  
2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged

Best Affordable SUV: 
2011 Subaru Outback

Best Family SUV: 
2010 Acura MDX

Best Luxury SUV: 
2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged

Best Off-Road SUV: 
2011 Land Rover LR4

The 20 NWAPA members who tested and scored every vehicle both days noted the Range Rover's "elegant look" and "outstanding performance on- and off-road." One tester said of the LR4, "What can you say? A great SUV." The Outback was praised for its "aggressive handling," while another tester said the Subaru "flew over the [off-road] track." The Acura MDX garnered much praise from the journalists, who called it "very sporty with a beautiful interior." One tester said its "quality and refinement [were] first class."

Mudfest (shorthand for the Northwest Sport Utility Vehicle of the Year Competition), is a yearly event bringing journalists from the Pacific Northwest and the latest in off-road vehicles together for two days of testing. The first day involves an on-road route, where vehicles are tested in every-day situations and scored on design, handling, braking, and more. The second day of the event puts vehicles through their paces on an off-road track, where handling and ride are rated.

Each vehicle was also assigned to one of four categories in addition to vying for SUV/CUV of the Year. The Family category included scoring for kid-friendly features and versatility, Affordable vehicles were scored on features for the money and power vs. MPG, Luxury vehicles were rated on materials and technology, and Off-Roaders had to prove their capability and gear capacity.

Sport-utility vehicles are a mainstay of the Pacific Northwest automotive market, and journalists from this region are among the most knowledgeable critics of this segment. Mudfest is the most widely recognized event of its kind in North America.  This annual event allows member journalists to test the performance, handling, and braking, as well as the on-road and off-road demeanor, of each competing SUV. Vehicles invited to participate include all-new and recently updated models. The previous year's winners are also invited to defend their title.

NWAPA (www.nwapa.org) is a professional trade organization of automotive journalists from throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Founded in 1991, NWAPA includes 38 voting members, representing more than 100 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, media groups and online resources. Non-voting members are comprised of representatives from automotive manufacturers and related industry professionals.