William Maley

Both the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee announced this week they would start investigations into General Motors' ignition switch recall. The recall which affects 1.62 million vehicles worldwide has been linked to 31 crashes and 13 deaths. The Detroit News reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York is heading up the Justice Department's investigation. This is the office that has been investigating Toyota's unattended acceleration recall since 2010 to determine whether or not the company misled Government officials over claims of sudden acceleration. According to two people familiar with the matter, the office's office’s criminal division deputy chief has reached out to lawyers to gather information for a possible subpoena to GM. This is a possible sign to a preliminary investigation. When asked for comment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and GM declined. The other investigation is coming from the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee who is looking into why General Motors failed to act quickly on this problem. “Significant questions need to be answered. Did the company or regulators miss something that could have flagged these problems sooner? If the answer is yes, we must learn how and why this happened, and then determine whether this system of reporting and analyzing complaints that Congress created to save lives is being implemented and working as the law intended,” said U.S. Representative Fred Upton, R-Michigan, chairman of the Committee. The committee is also looking into why National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ignored complaints over GM vehicles turning off via the faulty ignition switch. Source: The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

The next Camaro has a number of things that will be changing such as a new platform and a new place where it will be built. One item that doesn't appear to be changing as much is the design. Edmunds has learned from a source that the company is planning to go down the evolutionary route with the design of the next Camaro. "The difference between the existing and redesigned (Camaro) is not drastically different. It looks like a worked-over current-model Camaro. It is on a different platform, so that is a significant difference, but when they modified it to be on a different platform, the styling did not change that much," said the source. The Camaro is expected to debut at the Detroit Auto Show next year. Source: Edmunds William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

At one time, Acura was a shining star in the automotive world. Thanks to impressive quality and a fun to drive quotient that many luxury automakers couldn't match at the time, Acura seemed it was going places. But in recent years, Acura has been a bit of a rut. Odd designs, complicated interior layouts, and trying to convince buyers that they're on the same level as Mercedes-Benz and BMW hasn't played in their favor. But Honda hopes to change that. This week, the company announced that Acura and Honda would be separated into their own divisions. Taking charge at the Acura division will be Michael Accavitti, who is currently Senior Vice President for Auto Operations at American Honda. Jeff Conrad, head of Acura sales becomes the head for Honda. The two will report to John Mendel, executive vice president of what is now called the Automobile Sales Division. "Our goal is to accelerate the already strong sales growth of the Honda and Acura brands through a more cohesive strategy, with a heightened focus on the unique needs of luxury and mainstream customers. These moves will more completely align the major activities for the Honda and Acura brands under dedicated brand leaders to take advantage of new opportunities in the marketplace with greater speed and efficiency," said John Mendel. Source: Honda William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. Press Release is on Page 2 American Honda Strengthens Auto Sales Division to Accelerate Sales Growth of Honda and Acura Brands 03/10/2014 - TORRANCE, CA American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will strategically realign its automobile sales and marketing operations into separate divisions organized by brand, as the Honda Division and Acura Division. The moves, effective April 1, are intended to create greater clarity and more cohesive sales and marketing plans that are right for the products and customers of each brand. In conjunction with the strategy, the following executive changes were announced: Michael Accavitti will become senior vice president and general manager of the Acura Division. In his new role, Accavitti will be responsible for all sales, marketing and parts and service business for the Acura brand. Accavitti joined Honda in 2011, and is currently the senior vice president of Auto Operations, which includes responsibility for national marketing for the Honda and Acura brands. Jeff Conrad will become senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. Conrad will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities for the Honda brand. Conrad joined American Honda in 1982, and is currently the vice president and general manager of Acura Sales. American Honda automotive operations have long been separated by function rather than by brand. These moves will result in exclusive divisions, with dedicated sales and marketing teams for Honda and for Acura. Both brands will be housed under a single "American Honda Auto Division" to be headed by John Mendel, executive vice president of what is now called the Automobile Sales Division. "Our goal is to accelerate the already strong sales growth of the Honda and Acura brands through a more cohesive strategy, with a heightened focus on the unique needs of luxury and mainstream customers," said Mendel. "These moves will more completely align the major activities for the Honda and Acura brands under dedicated brand leaders to take advantage of new opportunities in the marketplace with greater speed and efficiency." Further, the strategy behind the creation of the Acura Division coincides with the recently announced establishment of a new Acura Business Planning Office, also effective April 1. This new entity will focus on strengthening the business and product strategies for the Acura brand. Erik Berkman, currently president of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., will become an executive vice president of Honda North America, Inc., and will lead the Acura Business Planning Office. "The realignment strategy that has created a new Acura Division reflects our growing commitment and the increased level of resources and leadership we are focusing on the Acura brand on a global basis," said Mendel. In addition to steady sales growth for the Honda and Acura brands in each of the past two years, both brands will continue to introduce new models in 2014. This spring, Honda will launch the all-new 2015 Honda Fit, to be followed later this year by an all-new compact Honda SUV. The Acura brand will introduce the all-new 2015 Acura TLX luxury performance sedan by mid-year. "The best time to make a change is when you're in a position of strength and we are not only coming off a great sales year, we are continuing to create new opportunities with a series of new and exciting Honda and Acura models," said Mendel. American Honda enjoyed near record automobile sales of 1,525,312 vehicles in 2013, the second best sales total in company history. Sales of Honda brand cars and trucks totaled 1,359,876 vehicles, an increase of 7.4 percent. Honda was led by the success of core models, with the Honda CR-V posting all-time record sales in 2013 to rank as the top-selling SUV in America, the Civic ranking as the top-selling compact car, the Odyssey ranking as the top-selling minivan, and Accord ranking as the best-selling car in America with individual car-buyers. Sales of Acura brand cars and trucks totaled 165,436 vehicles, an increase of 5.9 percent, and its best sales total since 2007. Further, sales of the Acura MDX and RDX in 2013 combined to achieve Acura's best sales year ever for light trucks. View full article

Mercedes-Benz is in the process of bringing out the new S-Class Coupe and working on a S-Class Plug-In Hybrid. But is there room for a pure electric S-Class? According to Dr Uwe Ernstberger, the head of Mercedes-Benz's large cars, it could happen. Ernstberger told Top Gear that a fully electric S-Class isn't a good fit for the time being, "a complete electric car will be done in the future." The big hurdle for this? The batteries. "We have to work on the capacities of the batteries to get a better package in the car. Because you do not want to lose all the comfort features of an S-Class for transporting a battery only," Ernstberger said. For now, those who want a bit of green in the S-Class will have to wait for the plug-in model, due out next year. Source: Top Gear William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Another twist in the General Motors' ignition switch recall story. Automotive News reports that the company may have a possible legal shield from lawsuits stemming from the recall. During the restructuring process, GM negotiated with state attorney generals and consumer groups to carry product liability on vehicle faults after it left bankruptcy in 2009. Those faults prior to 2009 would need to take it up with old GM. So far, any lawsuits brought against the company for pre-2009 faults have gone nowhere. "It is true that new GM did not assume liability for claims arising from incidents or accidents occurring prior to July 2009.Our principle throughout this process has been to the put the customer first, and that will continue to guide us," said GM spokesman Greg Martin in a email. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Since Volkswagen launched the Amarok pickup in 2009 in certain parts of the world, it has become a success for the company. It has also made many people in the U.S. clamor Volkswagen to bring the Amarok here. Before the model was launched, Volkswagen was considering selling it in the U.S. However the decision was made that the Amarok wouldn't be a good fit. But Volkswagen appears to be reconsidering their decision. "It's a question mark, but it starts to be discussed. Let's put it this way: we start to discuss it again and whether it's attractive for us," said Volkswagen North American CEO Michael Horn to Autoblog. But don't think the current Amarok will be coming to the U.S. "We are just reworking our truck strategy, and this is part of thinking about it. But the Amarok fits not very well to the efforts of the market," said Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, head of Volkswagen Group powertrain development. What could this mean? Well it could mean the next-generation Amarok could grow in size to meet the tastes of the U.S. or that a new model for the U.S. is on the table. One thing is for certain; this is mostly theoretical for the moment. Source: Autoblog William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Bentley has lineup expansion on the mind. Auto Express reports that the British luxury car maker is considering adding a smaller model towards the end of the decade. This comes from comments made by Kevin Rose, Bentley's Sales and Marketing boss. "We’ve said that we’re looking at an SUV, then we’ll replace the Continental and Flying Spur. Then a small car could be something we’d do," said Rose. “A small car would enable us to have something up against Aston Martin and Maserati.” Rose went onto say, “Price is an important part of exclusivity, so it’s hard to see us coming down to anything under £100,000.” So what could this entry level model could be? A previous rumorpile report from September says it could be a four-door coupe that will use the upcoming MSB platform from Porsche and feature V6 and diesel engines. Source: Auto Express William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

You could say the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is patient zero in the European Van invasion we are currently experiencing in the U.S. When it was introduced as the Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter back in the early 2000s, the vans became popular as they offered impressive space and fuel economy. Now with competitors such as the new Ram Promaster and upcoming Ford Transit featuring the recipe, Mercedes-Benz knows they have to be one step ahead. "The Sprinter is the benchmark and the norm of the Euro-style vans. There is a revolution happening in the segment and big changes coming that were caused by the Sprinter -- vans with a smaller footprint but big cargo volume," said Bernie Glaser, Mercedes-Benz USA vice president and managing director of the van unit for the U.S. To keep the Sprinter in the running with the new contenders, Mercedes-Benz has some plans in the works including a new four-wheel drive variant that will go on sale next year and the addition of 30 more dealers over the next five years. There is also talk of 12 passenger Sprinter model and the introduction of the new V-Class into the U.S. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

General Motors' problems with the 1.6 million vehicle recall over a faulty ignition switch are growing. This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sent a 27 page document with 107 questions asking about the recall and the timeline. Questions range from how the investigation process on the ignition "was not as robust as it should have been" to when GM decided to start investigating crashes with the 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5 where the air bag did not deploy. NHTSA has also requested documents ranging from complaints from owners to lawsuits involving GM vehicles in the recall. "We are a data-driven organization, and we will take whatever action is appropriate based on where our findings lead us," NHTSA said in a statement. "In addition to getting NHTSA the information they need, we are doing what we can now to ensure our customers' safety and peace of mind. We want our customers to know that today's GM is committed to fixing this problem in a manner that earns their trust," said GM in a email statement to Automotive News. General Motors has until April 3rd to comply with the document. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), NHTSA William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. Press Release and NHTSA's Special Order document is on Page 2 "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued General Motors LLC a Special Order as part of a Timeliness Query investigation of the automaker. The Special Order is part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the timeliness of General Motors’ recall of faulty ignition switches to determine whether GM properly followed the legal processes and requirements for reporting recalls. General Motors’ response to this Special Order must be provided to NHTSA by April 3, 2014. We are a data-driven organization, and we will take whatever action is appropriate based on where our findings lead us." View full article

The current Honda Accord and I had a difficult beginning. When the automaker introduced the Accord Coupe Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, I was wondering what real changes had been made and being more interested in the early 80’s Accord on loan from The Henry Ford in their exhibit. Then when Honda revealed the production Accord Sedan and Coupe, I was wondering what was going at Honda because it looks almost the same as the old one. But recently, I spent a week with a 2014 Honda Accord EX Sedan and I said, “Oh, I get it now.” Read on to see what I mean. On the face of it, the 2014 Accord EX Sedan doesn’t look that much different from the last-generation model. The two models have a similar design profile. Honda made a couple of changes with the front end with a new grille surround and a set of LEDs running along the outer edge of the headlights. In the back, there is a restyled trunk lid. However, there is one big difference between the old and new Accord; length. Park the two next to each other and the 2014 model is about 3.6 inches shorter than the last-generation. Not only does this bring the Accord back into the midsize classification, it also makes the overall design look better proportioned. Moving into the Accord EX’s interior, its the same story as the exterior. There really isn’t anything that breaks new ground. It’s just a lesson on how to build one that is very comfortable and well built. Materials range from soft-touch plastics on the door panels and dashboard to faux brushed metal trim. Build quality was excellent. All Accords come equipped with a large eight-inch color screen that displays radio, audio inputs, trip computer, backup camera, and Honda’s LaneWatch system. LaneWatch uses a camera on the right-side mirror to keep an eye on the Accord’s blind spot. The system activates when you flick the turn signal to make a right turn or by pressing a button on the turn stalk. The system is a great idea as it provides that extra amount of security and certainty when making lane change or a pass. I would like to see Honda add a blind spot monitoring system as well to add a bit more security. Aside from LaneWatch, controlling the audio system and trip computer was very easy thanks to a well placed set of controls that featured large buttons. The Accord’s interior space has to be at the top of the class. On the EX, they were wrapped in comfortable cloth with heat. The front seats provided excellent support and comfort. Despite a cut in overall length and a 0.2 inch reduction of headroom, space in rear seat is still large. My 5’7” frame was able to get comfortable and even stretch out back here. For thoughts on the powertrain and handling, see the next page. For most Accords, they’ll be equipped with the powertrain combination found in my tester; a new 2.4L EarthDreams four-cylinder engine with direct-injection paired with a CVT. The 2.4 produces 185 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. However, the new Accord Sport gets a slight bump in horsepower and torque to 189 and 182 respectively. Honda is known for building four-cylinders that are very smooth, but have to be pushed to an inch of its life to get it moving at a decent clip. The new 2.4L follows that somewhat as its power delivery is very smooth. However, you don’t need to reach the outer limits to get moving. The engine builds power starting in the midrange, which makes power delivery more linear. More impressive is the CVT which takes the place of a five-speed automatic. The transmission has been engineered to simulate shifts to make it seem like you’re driving an automatic. This illusion works for the most part aside from pressing the pedal to the floor and the whine from the transmission comes into play. My average fuel economy for the week landed 31 MPG, which puts it right in line with the EPA ratings of 27 City/36 Highway/30 Combined. Another item Honda is very well known for is using a double-wishbone suspension setup in the front and rear for the Accord. With this generation, Honda swapped swapped the double-wishbone in the front to a more compact MacPherson strut setup. This change may cause many to worry that the fun to drive aspect of the Accord would be lost. It hasn’t. The Accord feels confident and collected when being pushed around. Steering feels nicely weighted, giving more confidence to a driver. Don’t think the Accord’s suspension is a one trick pony though. On the ‘fine’ roads of Michigan, the Accord’s suspension was able to provide a very smooth ride. Impacts from bumps and potholes were minimized. One area Honda still needs to work on is wind and road noise. Both were noticeable during my week with the vehicle. On the face if it, you may think Honda really didn’t change anything with the 2014 Accord EX. But first glances can be deceiving. While the Accord does not have the sleek and sexy styling as some of its competitors, it does have a number of improvements to the interior, powertrain, and ride qualities that embarrass many of its rivals. To put it quite simply, the Accord just does everything right for a midsize sedan. Disclaimer: Honda Provided the Accord EX, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2014 Make: Honda Model: Accord Trim: EX Engine: 2.4 DOHC 16-Valve i-VTEC EarthDreams Four-Cylinder Driveline: Front-Wheel Drive, CVT Horsepower @ RPM: 185 @ 6400 Torque @ RPM: 181 @ 3900 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 27/36/30 Curb Weight: 3336 lbs Location of Manufacture: Marysville, Ohio Base Price: $25,680.00 As Tested Price: $26,470.00 (Includes $790.00 Destination Charge) Options: N/A William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article