Add another 662,000 more vehicles to GM’s list of recalls, the sixth such announcement this month. The vehicles in question this time around consist of 490,000 full-size trucks and SUVs, along with 172,000 Cruze compacts.

The latest batch comes hot on the heels of the announcement Friday of an additional 824,000 cars recalled in the expanding faulty ignition switch case. That particular scenario has earned GM an NHTSA investigation for delaying fixes linked potentially to at least 31 accidents and 12 deaths.

According to Automotive News, this latest safety notice has nothing do with the ignition switch issue. Instead it addresses a transmission cooler line fitting that could leak transmission fluid onto a hot surface, which may cause a fire. The recall affects 2015 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs.

GM said it is aware of three “incidents” but no injuries. There has been at least one reported case of a the newly launched Yukon catching fire in spectacular fashion during a test drive, but it is not known at this time whether the transmission cooler line fitting was the culprit.

The announcement also addresses the mysterious sales halt of the Chevy Cruze. Some may have an interconnecting bar on a half shaft that, according to GM, “may not meet GM specification and could fracture and separate.” If that happens while driving, the vehicle could lose power to the wheels. Or it could cause the vehicle to roll away if parked on an incline without the parking brake applied.

The latest round brings the total number of GM vehicles recalled this month to 4.8 million.

Photo by Mark Elias.

Wyoming and Idaho have respectively announced plans to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of freeway from 75 to 80 mph starting on July 1st.

Both states will conduct a separate study this spring to determine where the speed limit should be raised and what effect the measure will have on traffic. The studies haven’t started yet, but both states admit the speed limit will primarily be raised on rural stretches of multi-lane highways.

“In the Boise [Idaho] area 80 mph isn’t appropriate, and possibly in other congested areas in urban spots,” affirmed Senator Jim Patrick in an interview with television station KMTV.

Although Wyoming has made it clear that two-lane highways will not get a speed increase, some lawmakers are nevertheless worried that raising the speed limit will increase the number of accidents because the de facto speed that most cars travel at will become 85 mph.

Last September, the Utah Department of Transportation raised the speed limit from 75 to 80 mph on 289 miles of interstates 15, 80 and 84. The state has not reported an increase in accidents since the new limit came into effect, and state officials admit many Utahns have barely noticed the new limit because they were already driving 80 in 75 mph zones.

“People are driving the speed they are comfortable driving and it brings them into compliance with the law” explained John Gleason, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation.

America’s Autobahn

Texas made national headlines about a year and half ago when it opened State Highway 130 with a posted speed limit of 85 mph, the highest in the United States. Designed to bypass I-35, SH 130 is a limited-access toll road that costs over $8 without a toll transponder.

Photo by Ronan Glon.

A new report indicates Mercedes-Benz will travel to next month’s Beijing Motor Show to unveil a long-wheelbase version of the new 2015 C-Class.

Designed to take on similarly stretched variants of the BMW 3-Series, the Audi A4 and the Volvo S60, the C-Class L will be 2.3 inches longer than its regular-wheelbase counterpart. The extra space will benefit the rear passengers, and the interior will undoubtedly be marginally more upscale than the one found in the standard C.

Technical details haven’t been announced yet but expect the long-wheelbase C to use the same four-cylinder engines as its standard counterpart. All models will come with an automatic transmission, and a diesel engine will not be offered because oil burner sales are dismal at best in China.

Both the long- and regular-wheelbase variants of the 2015 C will be built in Beijing by a 30-year old joint-venture between Beijing Automotive and Daimler called Beijing Benz. The factory currently builds regular- and long-wheelbase variants of the E-Class, the last-gen C-Class and the GLK-Class crossover.

Mitsubishi has announced plans to wind down production of the Lancer Evolution performance sedan.

The According to Japan’s Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun (Automotive News Daily), Mitsubishi will cease building the tenth iteration of its halo sports sedan, the Lancer Evolution X, by the end of this year. Sales since the model’s 1992 debut have totaled 92,000 domestically and 154,000 worldwide.

The Lancer Evolution was created when engineers from Mitsubishi’s rally program shoehorned the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and all-wheel-drive system from the Galant VR-4 into a compact Lancer model (sold in the US as the fourth-generation Mirage). With performance befitting of sports cars costing tens of thousands more, the “Evo,” as it came to be known, instantly garnered a dedicated enthusiast following at home.

Mitsubishi never intended it for export, but tales of its sport sedan bona fides soon spread beyond Japan’s borders, feeding a booming gray market in the UK and Australia by the mid-1990s. From 1996-99, the Lancer Evolution won a then-unprecedented four consecutive World Rally Championship titles, further cementing its performance credentials. By the time the Lancer Evolution VIII was finally offered for sale in the US in 2003, it had already developed a rabid enthusiast fan base thanks to its superb spec sheet.

The automaker acknowledged the model’s role as an image leader for the brand when performance was a key component of its marketing plans. However, in the face poor sales in recent years Mitsubishi has decided to rebrand itself as an eco-friendly car company. As such, it intends to concentrate its resources towards developing electric and hybrid vehicles.

It has been reported that a future Mitsubishi flagship might utilize a hybrid-electric drivetrain. However, it will likely not be based on the Renault Megane platform that will underpin the next-generation Lancer, and thus the Evolution name may be dropped altogether. In any case, it is believed that such a car would be at least two years away from production.

General Motors has expanded its ignition-switch recall yet again, adding another 824,000 vehicles to the list.

Although the company changed the switch design in 2006, capping the initial recall at 2007, some of the older parts could have remained in dealer inventories for several more years. In a limited number of cases, newer vehicles that were built with the revised switch could have been unknowingly repaired with a defective part.

“About 95,000 faulty switches were sold to dealers and aftermarket wholesalers,” GM noted. “Of those, about 90,000 were used to repair older vehicles that were repaired before they were recalled in February.”

The company is unaware of any accidents, deaths or fatalities associated with the estimated 5,000 defective units that made their way into newer vehicles. It is nonetheless taking the “extraordinary step” of recalling all compatible years because it is “not feasible” to track the parts.

Vehicles added to the recall include 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHRs, along with 2008 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, Pontiac Solstices, Pontiac G5s and Saturn Skys.

“We are taking no chances with safety,” Barra said. “Trying to locate several thousand switches in a population of 2.2 million vehicles and distributed to thousands of retailers isn’t practical.”

Although the company promises to be approaching the situation with quick action and an “abundance of caution,” the announcement timing — at 5:15pm on a Friday — suggests the company may be trying to minimize additional attention.

The announcement comes after weeks of nearly continuous bad press, including several lawsuits and investigations related to the recall. Reports also point to a mysterious sales halt for the Cruze — Chevrolet’s best-selling model in the US — without any official disclosure of an apparent problem.

Ford chief executive officer Alan Mulally pocketed a cool $23.2 million in cash and options last year, reflecting the company’s strong performance in 2013.

According to a proxy released by Ford on Friday, Mulally took home $23.2 million in 2013 in the form of base pay, bonuses, stocks and personal expenses. That total included a $2 million salary and a $5.88 cash bonus.

Mulally’s 2013 compensation was a significant jump over the $20.9 million he earned in 2012, but down from his $29.5 million he pulled in in 2011.

Mulally’s heightened compensation was tied to Ford’s strong performance in 2013. Last year the Dearborn-based automaker posted $8.6 billion in pre-tax profit, approaching the company’s all-time record. Since taking the helm at Ford in 2006, Mulally has earned $183 million.

Bill Ford Jr. was the second-highest paid executive at Ford last year with a take home of $11.95 million. Mark Fields, Ford chief operating officer, saw his pay climb from $8.8 million in 2012 to $10.2 million last year.

Ford is a solid place for a CEO to make a living – at cross-town rival General Motors, CEO Mary Barra is expected to pull down “just” $14.4 million this year.

General Motors has reportedly received a lawsuit threat from disgruntled Chevrolet dealers in France.

The US automaker late last year confirmed plans to completely pull its Chevrolet brand out of European markets, as sales have failed to gain much traction in the past five years.

A group of retailers is said to be preparing to announce its legal action next week, accusing the company of providing unacceptable compensation for stepping away from its franchise contracts. They are reportedly seeking damages for restructuring costs and a negative impact on the value of their inventory and businesses in general.

A GM spokesman told Reuters that “all contracts have been respected,” and the company is negotiating cancellations individually with each dealer.

French customers will still be able to buy a limited number of Chevrolet models after the pullout, however they will be found in Opel showrooms. Dealers associated with GM’s German brand are also expected to honor Chevrolet warranties and provide parts or service.

Jaguar has confirmed rumors that it is considering whether to fit a turbocharged four-cylinder from its upcoming “Hotfire” engine family under the hood of the F-Type sports car.

“As long as we can deliver the character and performance we expect of the car, we would be open to a four cylinder,” F-Type Coupe program director Russ Varney told Auto Express. “These days, I don’t think the engine configuration is important. It’s the power and the torque and the way it delivers them that’s important.”

More than just an efficiency-enhancing option, the turbo four would trim pounds and improve weight distribution compared with the entry-level motor, a 340-horsepower 3.0-liter supercharged V6. Those factors could potentially make it more of an enthusiast’s option than the six, especially given the level of output Jaguar is eyeing for the mill.

“We like the sound of any configuration of engine that gives 350bhp and it does not matter how many cylinders it uses to deliver that,” Varney said. “As long as we can deliver an honesty and legitimacy about the performance of the F-Type, then we can use whatever powertrain we like. If it brings some other benefits, like lighter weight and lower consumption, then why would we not do it?”

As expected, BMW has confirmed plans to build the X7. The announcement was made at the company’s South Carolina plant, which will serve as the exclusive production facility for the all-new SUV.

“I have been asked many times: ‘Why don’t you offer a BMW X model beyond the BMW X5?’ And today, I’m happy to provide the answer to that question,” said BMW chairman Dr. Norbert Reithofer. “We have decided to develop and build a totally new X model – the new BMW X7.”

The company has yet to announce full details surrounding the new SUV, though separate rumors suggest the German company may be co-developing a large SUV with partner Rolls-Royce.

“I promise this SAV will also be highly fuel efficient while offering outstanding driving performance,” Reithofer added. “It will be a true BMW.”

Investments of approximately $1 billion will help the Spartanburg plant achieve a 50-percent jump in production capacity, representing 450,000 vehicles annually, by the end of 2016. The investment will also increase the workforce by 10 percent, adding 800 jobs.

The X7 isn’t expected to arrive until 2018, but it will be preceded by another new model — the X4 — that will also be built in South Carolina.