Auto Industry News: Indy 500, GM Gets Spanked
You’d be hard pressed to convince me there’s something more exhilarating than motorsports. And that’s why we kicked off this week’s auto industry news with the coveted Indy 500. All eyes were glued to Fernando Alonso, but Takuma Sato and team Andretti Autosport pulled out their bag of tricks for the big “W” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Cheaters Never Win
Meanwhile, GM got spanked for its diesel emissions cheating scandal. “Volkswagen and Ram need to make room on the diesel-emissions bench for General Motors. America’s largest automaker was accused in a lawsuit on Thursday of rigging hundreds of thousands of diesel trucks with at least three so-called defeat devices to ensure that the trucks would meet federal and state emission standards,” said Autoblog. “According to the complaint, on-road emissions testing conducted for the plaintiffs found that Duramax-equipped trucks produced NOx pollutants, comprised of nitrogen and oxygen atoms, two to five times higher than legally permitted,” continued Autoblog.
Tisk, tisk seems to be the theme in this week’s auto industry news. One woman learned the hard way to obey product warning labels; a hairspray can became overheated and exploded in her car, forcing its way straight through the windshield.
Crossovers Dominating the Market
If you’re in the market for a vehicle replacement like the little lady above, then you may want to check this out. “There are a whole lotta new cars on the horizon, an exorbitant number of them are crossovers, and the bounty comes as millions of vehicles come off lease and threaten to send the U.S. auto industry into a frightening downward spiral in the next few years,” said Motor Trend. “Traditionally the industry averages about 39 new vehicle launches a year. But for the 2018-2021 model years, the average will be an anxiety-inducing 57 vehicle launches a year, with 35 percent of those being crossovers,” continued Motor Trend.
Pros: There’s plenty of choice to meet consumer demand. And crossovers certainly have become an attractive, fuel efficient option for shoppers.
Cons: “The segment is becoming crowded already and is poised to grow from 78 nameplates now to 110 by 2021, making the space even more competitive,” said Motor Trend. Get ready for a tailspin…
High Risk, High Reward
Then again, you can just say “to hell” with tradition and take the road less traveled. Pick up Popular Mechanics lately? They just devoted an entire issue to rising autonomous technologies. And while an autonomous driven, WiFi-enabled world produces more anxiety than excitement in someone like me, maybe it’s your cup of tea. And engineers just keep inching closer, from the clean, compact, and connected zero emissions all-electric BMW bike unveiled at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017 in Italy to the Nissan Leaf AT-EV brave enough to tackle the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally.
“The age of driverless vehicles isn’t here yet,” said Fox News Auto. Courtesy of this week’s auto industry news, here are a few 2017 gems to keep on the radar. “According to the valuation experts at Hagerty, 10 vehicles in the 2017 production run by major worldwide automakers stand out as the likeliest to grow in value and appeal to classic car enthusiasts,” continued Fox. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Audi TT-RS, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, Ford Raptor, Mazda Miata RF, Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster, and Toyota 86 all made the cut. So we ask, what’s sitting in your driveway?
