As expected, General Motors has detailed a $1 billion expansion plan for its Warren Technical Center campus.
The multiyear project involves construction of new design studios and a new multi-story information-technology building adjacent to the company’s existing Michigan IT Innovation Center, along with new testing areas at the Advanced Energy Center.

Many of the existing research-and-development facilities, most of which date back to the 1950s, will be renovated or rebuilt with extensive office upgrades and reconfiguration of various work areas.

“This is an investment in our people who work at the Tech Center because it is positioning the company for long-term growth by enabling new levels of innovation and collaboration into our workplace,” said GM development head Mark Reuss. “We will transform this campus into a collaborative workplace of choice for our current team and future talent.”

GM expects the project to create approximately 2,600 new GM salaried jobs in core areas such as engineering, IT and design, adding to the current workforce of more than 19,000 employees.

The 326-acre tech center was designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen and landscape architect Thomas Church, with construction beginning in 1949. It has since been recognized as a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Five million additional vehicles representing a mix of Honda and Toyota models are being added to the global Takata recall campaign.
While some of the vehicles added to the recall were built by Honda in the United States, the expansion does not cover any vehicles sold here. Added to the campaign were several million Hondas (reportedly including the subcompact Fit) sold in Japan and just under 300,000 cars sold under Toyota’s kei car brand, Daihatsu.

This comes on the heels of announcements by Nissan and Toyota that several million additional units in the United States were joining the roster of recalled vehicles which now totals more than 36 million according to Automotive News estimates.

Nissan recalled an additional 1.56 million vehicles, including 326,000 sold in North America and 288,000 in Japan. Additional models include the 2004-2005 RAV4, the 2003-2006 Tundra, the 2004-2007 Sequoia, the 2005-2007 Corolla, and the 2005-2007 Lexus SC. Some of the models are being recalled across the country, while others are being handled on a regional basis in states and territories with high absolute humidity.

Honda has continued to investigate reports of injuries and fatalities associated with Takata airbags–some as recently as March–despite a massive recall campaign that has been underway in the United States since last year. A fatal incident in January was also believed to be linked to a faulty Takata inflator. The company launched a voluntary ad campaign in March to reach Honda and Acura owners who may be driving vehicles that have been recalled and not yet fixed.

“The goals of this campaign are to save lives and prevent injuries,” said Honda’s US executive VP, John Mendel, when the ad campaign was announced. “Honda hopes that this new consumer information campaign will bolster our existing and continuing efforts to reach our customers and maximize the vehicle repair completion rates associated with recalls to replace Takata airbag inflators.”

“American Honda continues to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata airbag inflator recalls to get their vehicles repaired at authorized dealers as soon as possible. Vehicle owners can check their vehicles’ recall status at www.recalls.honda.com for Honda owners or www.recalls.acura.com for Acura owners or by calling their authorized dealer,” the company said in a statement regarding the ongoing campaign.

All manufacturers with vehicles carrying airbags with the faulty Takata components have been under increasing pressure from regulators to further expand recall efforts.

British boutique automaker David Brown Automotive has announced it will travel to this year’s edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance to introduce the U.S.-spec version of the Speedback.
The U.S.-spec Speedback will be all but identical to the model that has been on sale in England for about a year. Built on a modified Jaguar XKR platform, the coupe features a retro-inspired design that pays homage to the Touring Superleggera-designed Aston Martin DB5 best known for its highly-publicized appearance in a James Bond film.

The retro treatment continues inside with features like a wood-rimmed steering wheel and a set of vintage-looking round analog gauges, but the Speedback can be upgraded with a long list of modern tech features including A/C, navigation and a high-end sound system. Interestingly, the tailgate folds down to reveal a small two-person bench seat designed for impromptu picnics.

Power for the Speedback comes from a Jaguar-sourced 5.0-liter V8 engine that uses a supercharger to make 510 horsepower and 461 lb-ft. of torque. Linked to a six-speed automatic transmission, the eight-cylinder sends the coupe from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 155 mph.

Additional details and availability will be announced in the days leading up to the car’s public unveiling next August. The company predicts the hand-built Speedback will cost £495,000 before options are factored in, a hefty sum that currently converts to approximately $753,000.

Volkswagen has introduced a new concept called GTI Clubsport at the annual GTI Meet that is taking place right now near Lake Wörthersee, Austria. Based on the three-door version of the hot hatch, the hot-rodded GTI was built to celebrate the nameplate’s 40th anniversary.
The GTI Clubsport is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 261 horsepower, about 40 more than a stock 2015 GTI equipped with the optional Performance Package. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and an electronically-controlled front differential called XDS.

The GTI Clubsport can sprint from zero to 60 mph in less than 6.4 seconds and it reaches an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. The concept benefits from upsized brakes all around and a stiffer suspension setup.

Visually, the Clubsport concept immediately stands out from a regular-production GTI thanks to a more muscular-looking front bumper fitted with a splitter, a pair of large air ducts and a big U-shaped air vent with honeycomb inserts. The back end gets a black roof-mounted spoiler and twin round exhaust pipes, while concept-specific 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped by low-profile tires and decals above the rocker panels add a finishing touch to the look.

What’s next?
Unlike most of the show cars presented each year at the Wörthersee meet, the GTI Clubsport is not merely a design study. Volkswagen has confirmed the concept will spawn a yet-unnamed limited-edition model that is scheduled to go on sale globally next year. The hot hatch will keep the concept’s 261-horsepower turbo four, positioning it between the standard GTI and the 292-horsepower Golf R, but buyers will be able to order it with a six-speed manual transmission.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has expanded its recall for the Jeep Cherokee to fix a problem with the airbag system.
The company began logging the first problems early last year, when side curtain and seat-mounted side airbags inadvertently deployed in several vehicles in Dubai, at a press event in Italy and at the company’s Jeep Territory off-road test-drive course in Moscow. Another deployment occurred at a 4×4 event in Moab, Utah.

Engineering analysis determined that some of the vehicles had deployed the airbags after the occupant-restraint control (ORC) module determined that the vehicle had crossed the rollover-protection threshold. The Cherokee “was experiencing more angle on off-road events than previously seen on other Jeep vehicles.”

After matching ORC part numbers to individual VINs, the company accidentally omitted approximately 62,000 vehicles from the original recall issued several months ago. The error was discovered after a vehicle experienced the condition but was not included in the initial recall population.

“The campaign will upgrade software that governs side-curtain and seat-mounted side air bags following a small number of inadvertent deployments – most of which occurred in harsh, off-road environments,” the company said in a statement. “They were prompted by maneuvers that dramatically changed the vehicles’ angle of operation, relative to the ground, and the air-bag systems – sensing potential rollover conditions – automatically activated.”

The issue is being resolved via a software update.