Automotive News: Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Owners are Suing GM, U.S. may take 'weeks or months' to review FCA diesel emissions fix, VW 'to address diesel fix concerns but offer no compensation'
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Owners are Suing GM
Owners are alleging the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 goes into “limp mode” after only about 15 minutes of track driving.
The lawsuit is a bit similar to what Ford Shelby GT350 owners are suing Ford over, with Corvette Z06 owners saying General Motors knowingly sells allegedly defective Z06 models that, “while marketed as having track-proven structure and technologies, cannot actually be operated safely on a racetrack and enter a performance-limited limp mode while tracked, even on public roadways.”
“We believe we’ve found GM to be guilty of a classic bait and switch – one that cost thousands of consumers dearly, up to $120,000, and broke state consumer protection laws,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. “The defect in question markedly limits the car’s performance – the sole reason these hotrod enthusiasts bought the Corvette Z06 in the first place. If they’d known of this defect at the time of purchase, they likely wouldn’t have spent six figures on the Z06.” read more »
U.S. may take 'weeks or months' to review FCA diesel emissions fix
A U.S. Justice Department lawyer said at a court hearing on Wednesday it could take "weeks or months" before regulators decide whether to approve a software fix for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV diesel vehicles.
In May, the Justice Department sued Fiat Chrysler, accusing the Italian-American automaker of illegally using software to bypass emission controls in 104,000 diesel vehicles sold since 2014. Fiat Chrysler hopes regulators will quickly approve the company's proposed software update as part of certifying 2017 diesel models to allow them to go on sale and then use that software to update the 104,000 vehicles on the road.
Leigh Rende, a Justice Department lawyer, said at a San Francisco federal court hearing "there is uncertainty" about whether the fix will be approved. "It could be weeks or months away," Rende said of a decision. "This is really a technical decision." read more »
VW 'to address diesel fix concerns but offer no compensation'
Volkswagen is to provide a two year guarantee for the cars in Europe fitted with emissions cheating devices which it agreed to modify.
A number of UK consumers have complained that the modifications have affected performance and reliability.
The two year guarantee will cover exhaust and emissions control parts.
The European Commission has been putting pressure on VW to compensate customers over its emissions scandal, but the company has refused. read more »
Munich, home to BMW, considers diesel ban to tackle pollution
Munich, home to carmaker BMW, has become the latest German city to consider banning some diesel vehicles amid "shocking" nitrogen oxide emissions in the Bavarian capital.
"As much as I would welcome avoiding such bans, I think it is just as unlikely that we can continue to do without bans in the future," Munich mayor Dieter Reiter was quoted as saying by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday.
Asked about the latest nitrogen oxide readings, which the paper said violated European air quality standards well beyond busy trunk roads, the mayor said: "The results are shocking, nobody expected this."
The scandal over rigged diesel emission tests at Volkswagen has already thrown the future of diesel engines into doubt, and has highlighted carmakers' struggle to comply with ever stricter rules on the nitrogen oxides emissions. read more »
Inadvertent air bag deployment triggers Fiat Chrysler minivan recall
Wiring may short-circuit, resulting in the driver-side airbag deploying without warning. read more »
