On the Design of the Tesla Cybertruck
Franz von Holzhausen knows what he’s doing. Seriously.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Lincoln May Revive Rear “Suicide Doors” on New Continental
Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln unit plans to use rear-hinged rear doors on upcoming versions of its Continental sedan.
BMW Picks Goodby as Its Top Ad Agency for U.S. Market
BMW AG has selected Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to head its U.S. advertising after a four-month review, Advertising Age reports.
Agility
In recent time, the notion of agility has been picked up primarily for those who work at developing software, not producing sedans, and even in the digital arena the term now seems to be less relevant than it was not that long ago.
Meunier to Head Infiniti Global Sales/Marketing
Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti luxury car arm has appointed Christian Meunier to the new position of vice president of global marketing and sales operations.
Pieces of Plastic
Notable developments and uses of polymers, from turbochargers to oil pans to...yes, the Batmobile.
GM Will Recall Pontiac, Saturn Cars to Fix Airbags
General Motors Co. intends to recall 91,000 Pontiac and Saturn cars in the U.S. to fix a sensor that may prevent the front passenger airbag from deploying in a crash.
Bob Lutz Live
Bob Lutz launched himself into the auto industry in 1963, and the ramifications of that have changed the auto industry as we know it today, even though Lutz’s last “official” position in the auto industry, vice chairman of General Motors, came to an end in 2010.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
GM Shuffles Buick Design Chiefs
General Motors Co. has elevated Bryan Nesbitt, its global design chief for the Buick brand since July 2015, to GM global design strategist, Automotive News reports.
GM Wins Ignition Switch Lawsuit in Texas
A Texas county court jury needed less than one hour to decide unanimously that a defective General Motors Co. defective ignition switches didn’t cause a fatal crash in 2011.
Texas Judge Denies GM Bid to Dismiss Ignition Switch Case
The Texas county judge presiding over a lawsuit about a fatal crash blamed on General Motors Co.’s defective ignition switches has rejected GM’s bid to dismiss the case.
GM Says Plaintiff in Ignition Switch Lawsuit “Fabricated” Evidence
General Motors Co. has asked a county court judge in Texas to either dismiss a complaint about the company’s defective ignition switches or tell the jury the plaintiff and his lawyer misrepresented the key involved in a fatal crash.
2017 GMC Acadia: Designing and Engineering a “Professional Grade” Crossover
GMC doesn’t make cars. It makes trucks and utility vehicles. There’s the small Terrain. There’s the large Yukon. And now there’s an all-new seven-passenger Acadia right in between.
Honda Launches New Production System
Honda Motor Co. says its new moving manufacturing system can boost line efficiency 10% while reducing manual part handling by the same level.
GM and Honda Collaborating on EV Batteries
In 2003, Saturn Corporation wanted to provide an additional reason for people to buy its compact crossover, the Vue, so execs at Saturn did something that was almost unthinkable at the time: To create the high-performance Saturn Vue Red Line they turned to Honda to provide a 3.5-liter, 250-hp V6.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Sit on a Citroën
One of the more-clever functional vehicle design elements that has appeared in some time was launched back in 2014 on the Citroën C4 Cactus, the Airbump that’s affixed to the body sides and bumpers of the car.
GM Will Invest $789 Million in Spring Hill Factory
General Motors Co. plans to spend $789 million to update its plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., and prepare it to make an all-new, high-efficiency engine.
GM Settles Third Ignition Switch Bellwether Lawsuit
General Motors Co. has agreed to settle a test-case lawsuit involving a fatality linked to one of its defective ignition switches, thereby avoiding a jury trial.
Jury Sides with GM on Second Ignition Switch Lawsuit
A federal court jury in New York City has rejected claims that a fender-bender accident on an icy bridge was caused by one of the 2.6 million defective ignition switches General Motors Co. recalled in 2014.
Judge Rejects GM Ignition Switch Fraud Claim
General Motors Co. has won a partial victory in a second bellwether lawsuit designed to help resolve hundreds of similar complaints about 2.6 million defective ignition switches GM recalled in 2014.
Second GM Ignition Switch Bellwether Lawsuit Begins
This week marks the start of the second of six trials designed to test courtroom strategies involving hundreds of lawsuits filed about defective General Motors Co. ignition switches.
Ford’s Approach to Additive Manufacturing
Although 3D printing has become something that is hip an almost artisanal among the digital cognoscenti and within the maker movement, there is the set that contains 3D printing as a subset—additive manufacturing—which is something that is being pursued in earnest by a number of mass manufacturers in order to achieve parts and products the likes of which would be difficult if not completely impossible to produce with conventional methods.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
GM Readies Tennessee Plant to Make V-8 Engines
General Motors Co. says it is spending $148 million to prepare its plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., to make 6.2-liter V-8 engines for its large trucks and SUVs.
GM Will Recall 200,000 Vehicles to Replace Takata Airbag Inflators
General Motors Co. plans to call back about 200,000 aging Saturn and Saab cars in the U.S. and Canada to replace driver-side airbag inflators that could explode when triggered by a crash.
UPDATE: Plaintiff in GM Ignition Switch Lawsuits Drops Case, Faces Perjury Charge
Robert Scheuer, who sued General Motors Co. for injuries he blamed on a failed ignition switch, has dropped his claim and now faces charges of lying in court.
Judge Advises Quick Settlement in GM Ignition Switch Trial
The judge presiding over the first jury trial involving General Motors Co.’s defective ignition switches will allow the company to present evidence to the jury that the plaintiff lied to them.
GM Throws a Curve Ball in Ignition Switch Trial
General Motors Co. has diverted attention from its defective ignition switch by asserting the first plaintiff to reach a jury trial over the issue committed check fraud in a home purchase that soured.
Judge Clears First GM Ignition Switch Trial to Proceed
The first “bellwether” lawsuit over defective General Motors Co. ignition switches has been ruled worthy to proceed to trial next week.
