A new report coming out of England finds Mercedes-Benz is open to the idea of building a topless version of the GLC Coupe (pictured) that bowed last week at the New York Auto Show.

“It would be fun, and it’s actually not that much of an engineering challenge,” said Michael Kelz, the chief engineer for the GLC, CLS, and E-Class model lines in a recent interview with British magazine Autocar.

If approved for production, the GLC Cabriolet would fight head-to-head against the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible, a model that currently has the premium convertible crossover segment to itself. The Cabriolet would ride on the same basic platform as the GLC Coupe, and it would presumably borrow the four- and six-cylinder engines that power its hardtop counterpart.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the GLC Cabriolet isn’t public demand; Mercedes expects the convertible crossover segment will actually grow in the coming years as buyers leave traditional convertibles behind. Instead, Kelz explained the Stuttgart-based car maker doesn’t have the production capacity required to add another model to its lineup. To build the GLC Cabriolet, Mercedes would need to give one of its existing cars the ax.

The 5,000th Lamborghini Aventador has rolled off the company’s assembly line in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.

The 5,000 cars represent both the Aventador coupe, which was introduced at the 2011 edition of the Geneva Auto Show, and the Aventador Roadster, which bowed about a year and a half later. Finished in a head-turning hue called Rosso Bia, the milestone car (pictured) is an Aventador Roadster that’s headed for the Italian market. Lamborghini hasn’t disclosed the identity of the new owner.

The milestone makes the Aventador the most successful V12-powered model Lamborghini has ever built. The record was previously held by the Murcielago, the Aventador’s predecessor, which was axed in 2010 after a nearly decade-long production run over which 4,099 examples were built.

The standard Aventador is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 engine that makes 691 horsepower and 509 lb-ft. of torque at 5,500 rpm. Bolted to a seven-speed ISR transmission that spins all four wheels, the twelve sends the Aventador from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 217 mph. Lamborghini gave buyers the chance to buy a more extreme Aventador when it launched Superveloce-badged variants of the coupe and the Roadster. Sold out, both Superveloce models used a 750-horsepower evolution of the V12, and they were markedly lighter than their series-produced counterpart.

Last year, Ram announced that it had no plans to take on the Chevrolet Colorado/ GMC Canyon twins and the Toyota Tacoma with a mid-size pickup truck. However, a new report suggests the company has changed its mind over the past few months.

“I think there’s opportunity there in the U.S. if you look at what’s happened in the mid-size segment here – significant growth last year,” said Ram boss Mike Manley in an interview with The Detroit News.

Ram parent company Fiat-Chrysler will return to the mid-size truck segment in a couple of years’ time when Jeep introduces a pickup variant of the next-gen Wrangler. Manley believes there’s enough room in the segment for both a Wrangler truck and a successor to the Dodge Dakota (pictured), though he wouldn’t confirm that Ram is preparing to launch a model positioned below the 1500.

Launching a mid-size truck could help Ram expand its presence outside of the United States, where the 1500 is often considered too big. A mid-size model likely wouldn’t fare very well in Europe, where pickup sales are low at best, but it could go head-to-head against popular similarly-sized trucks built by Nissan and Toyota in regions like Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia. The global mid-size truck segment is promising enough that even Mercedes-Benz is eager to get a slice of the pie.

If approved for production, Ram’s mid-size model is at least a couple of years away from hitting showrooms.

Jaguar has hinted that its first all-electric model is right around the corner.

“Within two years, we’ll have something that’s not driven by a petrol engine,” revealed Ian Callum, Jaguar’s head of design, during a recent interview with AutoGuide.

Callum joked that the model he’s referring to will be powered by “a couple of hamsters,” but AutoGuide believes he was talking about the battery-powered model that Jaguar has allegedly been working on for the past couple of years. Tentatively called E-Pace, the EV will take the form of a crossover that will ride on the same modular platform as the bigger F-Pace (pictured) and the XE sedan. Earlier reports claim it will feature a striking design inspired by the experimental C-X75 supercar.

Interestingly, Callum suggested Jaguar is preparing a “big surprise” that will be revealed before the end of the year. He stopped short of confirming what the car maker has in store, but it’s not too far-fetched to speculate the British car maker will preview the E-Pace with a close-to-production concept either at the Paris Motor Show or at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The production model will fight in the same segment as the Tesla Model X when it goes on sale about a year later.

Photos by Ronan Glon.

The 2016 New York International Auto Show has has concluded its final day of press conferences.

Like day one, the second round of introductions mostly focused on production vehicles rather than concepts. Notable models include the 2017 Nissan Titan Crew Cab and the US-bound Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Despite a short list of day-two unveilings, the 2016 show will provide visitors with plenty of new vehicles to check out when the Javits Convention Center opens to the public on Friday.

The event continues to be one of the most important global venues for automotive unveilings, typically with an abundance of luxury vehicles. The 2016 public show runs from Friday to Sunday, April 3. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $7 for children. Attendees will likely be screened through metal detectors, potentially resulting in long lines due to heightened security.

Highlights:

Lincoln Navigator Concept
Ford’s luxury division appears to have big plans for its full-size SUV. The Navigator concept follows the Continental’s design language, with unique gull-wing doors that span the first and second rows. Concertina steps deploy nearly to the ground, while the interior features a mix of opulence and technology.

2017 Subaru Impreza Sedan, Hatchback
Subaru has finally shown its long-awaited fifth-generation Impreza lineup. Styling has been refreshed, while the new SGP platform architecture is more rigid and promises a better ride.

2017 Nissan GT-R
Rumors have focused on the next-gen GT-R, however Nissan believes the current model has plenty of life left. The facelift now meshes with Nissan’s latest design language. Designers and engineers also worked to refine the interior, increase engine output and enhance handling.

Full list:

2017 Acura MDX
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia, Giulia Ti
2018 Audi R8 Spyder
2017 Buick Encore
2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible
2017 Chevrolet Sonic
Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth
2016 Ford Mustang GT-H
Genesis New York Concept
2017 GMC Terrain Nightfall
2017 Infiniti QX70 Limited
2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, Trailhawk
2017 Kia Cadenza
Lincoln Navigator Concept
2017 Mazda MX-5 RF
2017 Mercedes-AMG E43
2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 Cabriolet
2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA/CLA45 AMG
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe
MINI Clubman ALL4
MINI John Cooper Works Convertible
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4
2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
2017 Nissan GT-R
2017 Nissan Titan half-ton
Porsche Macan with 2.0-liter four
Scion tC RS 10.0
2017 Toyota 86
2017 Toyota Corolla 50th Anniversary Special Edition
2017 Toyota Highlander
2017 Toyota Prius Prime
2017 VW Golf Alltrack

Image by Brian Williams.

Updated with statement from America Honda Motor Co.

Honda has confirmed that it was aware of Takata’s defective airbag design as early as 2009, but the company failed to inform U.S. regulators about the potential safety risk until years later.

That potentially damaging revelation was discovered following a review of Takata presentations and internal memos. Those documents revealed that Honda secretly asked Takata to develop a “fail-safe” airbag inflator after it observed four injuries and a death linked to its vehicles’ airbags.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin confirmed to Reuters that the automaker requested the design change, but add that the redesign was to “protect against the possibility of future manufacturing errors – it was not an acknowledgement of a larger design flaw in the inflators.” Martin added that Honda did not inform U.S. regulators of the design change request.

The new airbag inflator design, which featured additional gas vents that helped funnel pressure away from the driver, was first installed in some vehicles in 2011. Honda still uses the same airbag design today.

Reuters reached out to the NHTSA for comment on Honda’s legal obligation to inform the administration about the airbag design change, but spokesman Bryan Thomas declined to give a statement. It remains unknown at this time if Honda’s actions broke any laws.

The news, however, could put Honda in the legal cross-hairs of several liability suits. Honda, along with Takata and several other automakers, are facing federal, state and potentially class action lawsuits stemming from the defective airbag design.

“You can’t say, ‘It’s a supplier problem, not ours, so we don’t have to talk about it,” Peter Henning, a corporate law professor at Wayne State University, said. “They are responsible for every part on their car and also responsible to report a problem with any part on that car.”

So far Honda has recalled 8.5 million vehicles due to the airbag defect, with the vast majority of those occurring in 2014 or later.

Statement from Honda: “Honda categorically rejects the assertion that a redesigned airbag inflator component is evidence that the prior inflator design contained a safety defect. As technology evolves, Honda and other automakers regularly work with suppliers to make design changes.

It was Honda’s understanding at the time that all inflator ruptures were due to Takata manufacturing errors associated with a previous inflator design. Thus, Honda’s request to Takata to incorporate a change into a new airbag inflator design, was prudent on our part. Importantly, we are aware of no customers experiencing rupture events with the new inflator design.

Regarding Honda’s reporting obligations, Honda does have an obligation to report safety defects to NHTSA, and we fully comply with this requirement. However, it is not NHTSA’s expectation, nor the industry practice, that automakers will automatically report every new inflator design to NHTSA.”

The Chevrolet SS sport sedan may live to see a second generation if some folks at General Motors have their way.

It has been widely expected that the demise of GM’s Holden manufacturing operations in Australia would mark the end of the rebadged Commodore, but an interview with GM’s Al Oppenheiser by caradvice.au seems to indicate that there may yet be hope for the nameplate’s future.

When asked point-blank by the caradvice.au correspondent whether a replacement was coming along that could take over where the Zeta-platform SS leaves off, Oppenheiser said, “[m]aybe.”

Essentially, the SS has two things going for it. For one, it is meeting GM’s meager sales expectations, meaning that while it doesn’t sell in any meaningful volumes, in Oppenheiser’s own words, “[i]t sells what it’s supposed to.”

Secondly, the sedan may have a significant proponent in GM’s Mark Reuss. Reuss, currently in charge of global product development, was previously the managing director of Holden. When the product planner has a soft spot for specialty cars, that can be good news for enthusiasts.

Nothing is guaranteed of course, and Oppenheiser stopped well short of promising anything. For now, the SS soldiers on in its current form as a 2017 model. What happens after that is anybody’s guess.

H/T to Ed. Photo by Andrew Ganz.

Honda has confirmed that it was aware of Takata’s defective airbag design as early as 2009, but the company failed to inform U.S. regulators about the potential safety risk until years later.

That potentially damaging revelation was discovered following a review of Takata presentations and internal memos. Those documents revealed that Honda secretly asked Takata to develop a “fail-safe” airbag inflator after it observed four injuries and a death linked to its vehicles’ airbags.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin confirmed to Reuters that the automaker requested the design change, but add that the redesign was to “protect against the possibility of future manufacturing errors – it was not an acknowledgement of a larger design flaw in the inflators.” Martin added that Honda did not inform U.S. regulators of the design change request.

The new airbag inflator design, which featured additional gas vents that helped funnel pressure away from the driver, was first installed in some vehicles in 2011. Honda still uses the same airbag design today.

Reuters reached out to the NHTSA for comment on Honda’s legal obligation to inform the administration about the airbag design change, but spokesman Bryan Thomas declined to give a statement. It remains unknown at this time if Honda’s actions broke any laws.

The news, however, could put Honda in the legal cross-hairs of several liability suits. Honda, along with Takata and several other automakers, are facing federal, state and potentially class action lawsuits stemming from the defective airbag design.

“You can’t say, ‘It’s a supplier problem, not ours, so we don’t have to talk about it,” Peter Henning, a corporate law professor at Wayne State University, said. “They are responsible for every part on their car and also responsible to report a problem with any part on that car.”

So far Honda has recalled 8.5 million vehicles due to the airbag defect, with the vast majority of those occurring in 2014 or later.

Volkswagen and Porsche have announced recall campaigns for the 2011-2016 Cayenne and Touareg.

The pedal assemblies used in both SUVs may have been installed without a necessary circlip on the pedal pivot pin. If the pin slides out of position, the hinge can fracture and allow the brake pedal to become dislodged.

“A customer may not be able to properly actuate the brakes with a dislodged brake pedal,” VW said in a statement. “A non-functional brake or reduced braking power could result in a crash.”

VW claims to be unaware of any field failures in the US, though ‘single events’ have been reported overseas. The defect has not been blamed on any accidents or injuries with the Cayenne.

Service technicians will simply inspect the assembly and verify proper installation of the circlip. The campaign affects around 135,000 vehicles in the US market, including 88,300 Cayennes and 46,700 Touaregs.