William Maley
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Everything posted by William Maley
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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From the album: Quick Drive: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk
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Acura's crossover lineup has been a bright spot for the Japanese automaker. For example, the redesigned RDX has been setting monthly sales records for sixth straight months since being launched in June. According to Automotive News, deliveries of the RDX "are outpacing 2017 by 22 percent." A fair number of automakers would take this as a sign to continue building out their crossover lineup. But Acura will instead focus on their car lineup. "We don't know what's going to happen in the future. What's critical is that we stay disciplined and balanced. [We'll] do our best to hit home runs with our sedans also," said Acura General Manager Jon Ikeda. Acura wants to emulate the success of the RDX onto their sedans. That means bringing a more aggressive design and adding more performance to their three sedans - the ILX, TLX, and RLX. But what about the CDX?! For a time, we have been hearing murmurs about Acura possibly bringing over the CDX from China. The CDX shares the same platform as the Honda HR-V, but features an extroverted design. But an Acura spokesman tells Automotive News that the RDX "can reach down into that smaller segment with its pricing and sway consumers with its added room." Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article
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Acura's crossover lineup has been a bright spot for the Japanese automaker. For example, the redesigned RDX has been setting monthly sales records for sixth straight months since being launched in June. According to Automotive News, deliveries of the RDX "are outpacing 2017 by 22 percent." A fair number of automakers would take this as a sign to continue building out their crossover lineup. But Acura will instead focus on their car lineup. "We don't know what's going to happen in the future. What's critical is that we stay disciplined and balanced. [We'll] do our best to hit home runs with our sedans also," said Acura General Manager Jon Ikeda. Acura wants to emulate the success of the RDX onto their sedans. That means bringing a more aggressive design and adding more performance to their three sedans - the ILX, TLX, and RLX. But what about the CDX?! For a time, we have been hearing murmurs about Acura possibly bringing over the CDX from China. The CDX shares the same platform as the Honda HR-V, but features an extroverted design. But an Acura spokesman tells Automotive News that the RDX "can reach down into that smaller segment with its pricing and sway consumers with its added room." Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) -
It has been a long time coming, but finally, we have gotten our first look at the upcoming 2020 Toyota Supra. The SupraMKV forums obtained a photo of the upcoming sports car in a transporter with most of the car cover removed from it. Comparing this photo with the FT-1 concept from a few years back, Toyota's designers toned down the front end. The nose isn't as pointy and the bumper has three large intakes - not two like the concept. It also appears the bubble roof has carried over onto the production model. As we reported back in June, the Supra will come with two engines from BMW; the 2.0L turbo-four (265 horsepower) and 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six (335 horsepower). This will be paired with an eight-speed automatic. Toyota will be revealing the Supra next month at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, we have pictures of the FT-1 Concept, a camouflaged Supra prototype, and the production model for your perusal. Source: SupraMKV.com Pic Credit: SupraMKV.com View full article
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It has been a long time coming, but finally, we have gotten our first look at the upcoming 2020 Toyota Supra. The SupraMKV forums obtained a photo of the upcoming sports car in a transporter with most of the car cover removed from it. Comparing this photo with the FT-1 concept from a few years back, Toyota's designers toned down the front end. The nose isn't as pointy and the bumper has three large intakes - not two like the concept. It also appears the bubble roof has carried over onto the production model. As we reported back in June, the Supra will come with two engines from BMW; the 2.0L turbo-four (265 horsepower) and 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six (335 horsepower). This will be paired with an eight-speed automatic. Toyota will be revealing the Supra next month at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, we have pictures of the FT-1 Concept, a camouflaged Supra prototype, and the production model for your perusal. Source: SupraMKV.com Pic Credit: SupraMKV.com -
Nissan has expanded its probe into former chairman Carlos Ghosn with the investigation into various European subsidiaries that may bring more criminal charges. Automotive News has learned from sources that the focus of the investigation will be around the Renault-Nissan BV based in the Netherlands. This was set up by the two automakers back in 2002 to be a strategic management company that oversees the alliance. But one source says that Nissan is planning to look into "as many as a dozen other Nissan-affiliated subsidiaries set up in the Netherlands," for possible financial misconduct. Japanese prosecutors are looking into some of the companies with the help of Nissan. (Emphasis mine.) This move may signal that the scandal may have reached outward of Japan and bring investigations right to Renault's doorstep. Automotive News also notes this could "further complicate" the delicate relations between the two. That neatly transitions us to a report from Reuters where a source reveals that Renault has told Nissan not to contact its directors ahead of a December 13th meeting of their board. The source says "such contact was outside the agreed channels for communication of the sensitive findings." As we reported back on Friday, Nissan offered Renault "a presentation that summarized the evidence" to help assuage some suspicious held by the French automaker. Renault declined, asking Nissan for the "presence of lawyers and the full report on the allegations." This reportedly came earlier this week as officials from Nissan met with Renault's legal team in France. The meeting tomorrow will see the members of the board discuss the findings of Nissan's investigation and debate the future of Carlos Ghosn. Spokespeople for Nissan and Renault declined to comment. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters View full article -
Rumorpile: Nissan's Probe Into Ghosn Expands Into Other Subsidiaries
William Maley posted an article in Nissan
Nissan has expanded its probe into former chairman Carlos Ghosn with the investigation into various European subsidiaries that may bring more criminal charges. Automotive News has learned from sources that the focus of the investigation will be around the Renault-Nissan BV based in the Netherlands. This was set up by the two automakers back in 2002 to be a strategic management company that oversees the alliance. But one source says that Nissan is planning to look into "as many as a dozen other Nissan-affiliated subsidiaries set up in the Netherlands," for possible financial misconduct. Japanese prosecutors are looking into some of the companies with the help of Nissan. (Emphasis mine.) This move may signal that the scandal may have reached outward of Japan and bring investigations right to Renault's doorstep. Automotive News also notes this could "further complicate" the delicate relations between the two. That neatly transitions us to a report from Reuters where a source reveals that Renault has told Nissan not to contact its directors ahead of a December 13th meeting of their board. The source says "such contact was outside the agreed channels for communication of the sensitive findings." As we reported back on Friday, Nissan offered Renault "a presentation that summarized the evidence" to help assuage some suspicious held by the French automaker. Renault declined, asking Nissan for the "presence of lawyers and the full report on the allegations." This reportedly came earlier this week as officials from Nissan met with Renault's legal team in France. The meeting tomorrow will see the members of the board discuss the findings of Nissan's investigation and debate the future of Carlos Ghosn. Spokespeople for Nissan and Renault declined to comment. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters -
Volkswagen has released some sketches of the upcoming 2020 Passat that will be debuting next month at the Detroit Auto Show. It is clear that the automaker is addressing one of the biggest complaints about the current model, the boring exterior. Volkswagen is taking some ideas from the smaller Jetta with a larger, upright grille; creasing along the side, and new trunk lid design. Aside from the roof, Volkswagen says all of the body panels are new or modified. According to media who got the chance to see the car in person during a preview event, the 2020 Passat's interior features a new center stack with an updated infotainment system. Overall interior space is still expansive. We were hoping that the next Passat would transition over to the MQB platform, but the model will remain on the PQ46 platform that underpins the current model. Why is that? “This segment is shrinking, and we figured that we can give the customers all they need with the current platform instead of spending to switch to a new one,” said Kai Oltmanns, product manager for the Passat to Motor1. Automotive News reports that the 2020 Passat will retain the turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder and six-speed automatic. Pricing for the 2020 Passat will be announced near to its release date, expected to sometime next summer. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Motor1, Volkswagen View full article
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Volkswagen has released some sketches of the upcoming 2020 Passat that will be debuting next month at the Detroit Auto Show. It is clear that the automaker is addressing one of the biggest complaints about the current model, the boring exterior. Volkswagen is taking some ideas from the smaller Jetta with a larger, upright grille; creasing along the side, and new trunk lid design. Aside from the roof, Volkswagen says all of the body panels are new or modified. According to media who got the chance to see the car in person during a preview event, the 2020 Passat's interior features a new center stack with an updated infotainment system. Overall interior space is still expansive. We were hoping that the next Passat would transition over to the MQB platform, but the model will remain on the PQ46 platform that underpins the current model. Why is that? “This segment is shrinking, and we figured that we can give the customers all they need with the current platform instead of spending to switch to a new one,” said Kai Oltmanns, product manager for the Passat to Motor1. Automotive News reports that the 2020 Passat will retain the turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder and six-speed automatic. Pricing for the 2020 Passat will be announced near to its release date, expected to sometime next summer. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Motor1, Volkswagen -
If you were hoping that Chevrolet would bring the house down next month with the debut of the mid-engine Corvette at the Detroit Auto Show, we have some bad news for you. GM Authority has learned from GM that Chevrolet isn't planning to show anything car or crossover related at the show. Motor Authority was able to confirm this report by speaking to sources who know GM's plans for future vehicles. It is expected that the Cadillac XT6 crossover will debut at the show. Rumor has it that GM could debut the mid-engine Corvette at the New York Auto Show - the original 1953 Corvette debuted at the Motorama event that year in New York - or hold its own event to have the media focus on the new model and nothing else. The latter option seems the most likely to us. We'll keep you posted if anything changes. Source: GM Authority, Motor Authority View full article
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Mid-Engine Corvette Reportedly Not Appearing In Detroit
William Maley posted an article in Chevrolet
If you were hoping that Chevrolet would bring the house down next month with the debut of the mid-engine Corvette at the Detroit Auto Show, we have some bad news for you. GM Authority has learned from GM that Chevrolet isn't planning to show anything car or crossover related at the show. Motor Authority was able to confirm this report by speaking to sources who know GM's plans for future vehicles. It is expected that the Cadillac XT6 crossover will debut at the show. Rumor has it that GM could debut the mid-engine Corvette at the New York Auto Show - the original 1953 Corvette debuted at the Motorama event that year in New York - or hold its own event to have the media focus on the new model and nothing else. The latter option seems the most likely to us. We'll keep you posted if anything changes. Source: GM Authority, Motor Authority -
The Chinese government is considering a proposal to reduce tariffs on U.S.-Built vehicles from the current 40 percent back down to the 15 percent before the trade war broke out between it and the U.S. Sources tell Bloomberg a proposal has been submitted to the cabinet to be reviewed in the coming days. This proposal stems from a trade summit in Buenos Aires where U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce on the trade war earlier this month. After the meeting, Trump tweeted out that "China agreed to “reduce and remove” tariffs on imported American-made cars, something China did not confirm at the time." Shares of various automakers including Diamler, Ford, and Tesla rose on the news. The trade war between the U.S. and China has taken a toll on automakers. Both BMW and Dimaler have warned of lower profits as tariffs have forced them to raise prices in China. Others such as Volvo and Ford have made changes to production and vehicle plans. China's Finance Ministry didn't respond to Bloomberg's request for a comment. Source: Bloomberg View full article
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Rumorpile: China May Reduce Tariffs On U.S.-Made Cars
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
The Chinese government is considering a proposal to reduce tariffs on U.S.-Built vehicles from the current 40 percent back down to the 15 percent before the trade war broke out between it and the U.S. Sources tell Bloomberg a proposal has been submitted to the cabinet to be reviewed in the coming days. This proposal stems from a trade summit in Buenos Aires where U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce on the trade war earlier this month. After the meeting, Trump tweeted out that "China agreed to “reduce and remove” tariffs on imported American-made cars, something China did not confirm at the time." Shares of various automakers including Diamler, Ford, and Tesla rose on the news. The trade war between the U.S. and China has taken a toll on automakers. Both BMW and Dimaler have warned of lower profits as tariffs have forced them to raise prices in China. Others such as Volvo and Ford have made changes to production and vehicle plans. China's Finance Ministry didn't respond to Bloomberg's request for a comment. Source: Bloomberg -
We have been talking about the next-generation Jetta GLI for almost a year. The next-generation model is expected to get some infusion from the GTI with the same turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder producing 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It will also swap the torsion-beam rear suspension for a multi-link setup. The one item we have been wondering is where Volkswagen is planning on debuting it. For some time, we thought the Detroit Auto Show in January would be the place. But Autoblog reports that the Windy City will be the place for the GLI. A Volkswagen representative told the outlet the next GLI would be premiering during the Chicago Auto Show's Press Days - February 7th and 8th. Source: Autoblog View full article
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We have been talking about the next-generation Jetta GLI for almost a year. The next-generation model is expected to get some infusion from the GTI with the same turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder producing 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It will also swap the torsion-beam rear suspension for a multi-link setup. The one item we have been wondering is where Volkswagen is planning on debuting it. For some time, we thought the Detroit Auto Show in January would be the place. But Autoblog reports that the Windy City will be the place for the GLI. A Volkswagen representative told the outlet the next GLI would be premiering during the Chicago Auto Show's Press Days - February 7th and 8th. Source: Autoblog -
Al Oppenheiser is possibly one of the most important people working at General Motors being the chief engineer for the fifth and sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. He helped bring back one of the most iconic muscle cars and make into something quite special. But Oppenheiser will soon face a new challenge. Car and Driver reports that Oppenheiser will move over to GM's newly formed AV/EV organization to work on zero-emission-vehicle development. GM spokesman Michael Albano explained that they are moving "some of our best talent" to help work on their electrification efforts. Albano did acknowledge this was a lateral move, Oppenheiser would remain as a chief engineer. "We have launched the final variant of this generation of Camaro, so the time is right" for him to move, said Albano. What will be Oppenheiser's responsibility in this new position? Car and Driver says it will be "broader than one specific vehicle," meaning he'll be working on a number of vehicle styles. Source: Car and Driver View full article
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Al Oppenheiser Moves from Camaro to Work on Zero-Emission Vehicles
William Maley posted an article in Chevrolet
Al Oppenheiser is possibly one of the most important people working at General Motors being the chief engineer for the fifth and sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. He helped bring back one of the most iconic muscle cars and make into something quite special. But Oppenheiser will soon face a new challenge. Car and Driver reports that Oppenheiser will move over to GM's newly formed AV/EV organization to work on zero-emission-vehicle development. GM spokesman Michael Albano explained that they are moving "some of our best talent" to help work on their electrification efforts. Albano did acknowledge this was a lateral move, Oppenheiser would remain as a chief engineer. "We have launched the final variant of this generation of Camaro, so the time is right" for him to move, said Albano. What will be Oppenheiser's responsibility in this new position? Car and Driver says it will be "broader than one specific vehicle," meaning he'll be working on a number of vehicle styles. Source: Car and Driver -
This morning, Tokyo prosecutors have indicted former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, and former representative director Greg Kelly for violating Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. According to Japanese media, Ghosn allegedly failed to report 5 billion yen (about $44 million) from the 2010-2014 fiscal years. Prosecutors also rearrested both men on new allegations for under-reporting compensation totaling 4 billion yen (about $35.5 billion) from the 2015-2017 fiscal year. Prosecutors had until today to either indict or re-arrest Ghosn and Kelly. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold someone in custody for 20 days. After that, they need to either indict, set them free, or re-arrest the person with new charges. The last option resets the clock and allows prosecutors to continue their investigation. Both Ghosn and Kelly have denied any wrongdoing according to Japanese media. Nissan was also indicted today on charges of filing falsified securities reports. As we reported on Friday, a company can be held accountable if employees make false statements in company reports under Japanese law. “Making false disclosures in annual securities reports greatly harms the integrity of Nissan’s public disclosures in the securities markets, and the company expresses its deepest regret. Nissan will continue its efforts to strengthen its governance and compliance, including making accurate disclosures of corporate information,” said Nissan in a statement. There's also a new twist in the case. Reuters reports that Ghosn and Nissan are currently fighting over access to an apartment Rio de Janiero. In a filing to a Brazilian court last week, Nissan (who owns the apartment) is trying to block Ghosn from getting access into the apartment as it would “represent an incalculable risk of destruction of potential evidence of crimes allegedly committed.” The company says there are three safes that were found in an audit and are waiting to be opened. Ghosn has been trying to get into the apartment since late November when a lawyer representing Ghosn asked for permission to enter the apartment. It currently houses “personal belongings, documents, cash, objects and art pieces” that Ghosn wants to retrieve. “Nissan has been cooperating with authorities to investigate misconduct on the part of its former chairman, and is working to prevent the destruction of any potential evidence that could occur by allowing access to residences in question,” a Nissan spokesman told Reuters. The apartment was purchased in 2011 by a Nissan subsidiary after the company opened a plant in the nearby city of Resende. In a filing, Nissan said it had bought the apartment expecting that Ghosn’s trips to Brazil would “become more constant” after the factory opened. It should be noted that Ghosn was born and maintains Brazilian citizenship. Jose Roberto de Castro Neves, a lawyer representing Ghosn told Reuters he didn't know about the existence of three different safes and that it was “absurd speculation” that they may contain evidence of wrongdoing. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters, 2 View full article
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This morning, Tokyo prosecutors have indicted former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, and former representative director Greg Kelly for violating Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. According to Japanese media, Ghosn allegedly failed to report 5 billion yen (about $44 million) from the 2010-2014 fiscal years. Prosecutors also rearrested both men on new allegations for under-reporting compensation totaling 4 billion yen (about $35.5 billion) from the 2015-2017 fiscal year. Prosecutors had until today to either indict or re-arrest Ghosn and Kelly. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold someone in custody for 20 days. After that, they need to either indict, set them free, or re-arrest the person with new charges. The last option resets the clock and allows prosecutors to continue their investigation. Both Ghosn and Kelly have denied any wrongdoing according to Japanese media. Nissan was also indicted today on charges of filing falsified securities reports. As we reported on Friday, a company can be held accountable if employees make false statements in company reports under Japanese law. “Making false disclosures in annual securities reports greatly harms the integrity of Nissan’s public disclosures in the securities markets, and the company expresses its deepest regret. Nissan will continue its efforts to strengthen its governance and compliance, including making accurate disclosures of corporate information,” said Nissan in a statement. There's also a new twist in the case. Reuters reports that Ghosn and Nissan are currently fighting over access to an apartment Rio de Janiero. In a filing to a Brazilian court last week, Nissan (who owns the apartment) is trying to block Ghosn from getting access into the apartment as it would “represent an incalculable risk of destruction of potential evidence of crimes allegedly committed.” The company says there are three safes that were found in an audit and are waiting to be opened. Ghosn has been trying to get into the apartment since late November when a lawyer representing Ghosn asked for permission to enter the apartment. It currently houses “personal belongings, documents, cash, objects and art pieces” that Ghosn wants to retrieve. “Nissan has been cooperating with authorities to investigate misconduct on the part of its former chairman, and is working to prevent the destruction of any potential evidence that could occur by allowing access to residences in question,” a Nissan spokesman told Reuters. The apartment was purchased in 2011 by a Nissan subsidiary after the company opened a plant in the nearby city of Resende. In a filing, Nissan said it had bought the apartment expecting that Ghosn’s trips to Brazil would “become more constant” after the factory opened. It should be noted that Ghosn was born and maintains Brazilian citizenship. Jose Roberto de Castro Neves, a lawyer representing Ghosn told Reuters he didn't know about the existence of three different safes and that it was “absurd speculation” that they may contain evidence of wrongdoing. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters, 2 -
The past couple of years has seen a lot of talk about consumers are turning away from cars towards trucks and utility vehicles. U.S. automakers have responded to this trend by announcing cuts to their car lineup - General Motors being the latest one. But other automakers are being more cautious. Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America told a gathering at the Detroit Economic Club last week that car sales are reaching the point of bottoming out - just under 30 percent in November sales. Unlike the American brands, Lentz isn't giving up on cars as they represent more than 4 million compact, midsize, and near-luxury cars sold to buyers. "There’s no way I’m going to walk away from that. We are always going to have a bias toward passenger cars,” said Lentz. The Associated Press reports that sales of passenger cars "are on pace to be 800,000 vehicles below 2017, while truck and SUV sales should increase by the same amount." Source: Associated Press View full article
