A promotional video shows six sedans piloted by different drivers, including famous stuntman Buddy Joe Hooker, as they travel around Hyundai’s Mojave Desert test track.

Diesel engines are off to a slow sales start in BMW’s U.S.-market car models, the brand’s top executive in the states has revealed.

Speaking with Car and Driver, BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch stated that initial demand for diesel-engined 3-Series and 5-Series models hasn’t exactly been strong.

“The 328d is selling so-so, the 5-series is a bit disappointing,” Willisch said. “These are still early days, and low fuel prices haven’t helped diesel technology.”

Launched last summer, the 328d is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 180 horsepower, 280 lb-ft of torque and a 45-mpg highway rating. The 535d utilizes a twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six that’s good for 38 mpg along with 255 ponies and 413 lb-ft of twist.

On the other hand, BMW’s diesel crossovers have fared beter, with Willisch commenting that he’s pleased with X5 diesel volume and “quite positive that the X3 diesel will do well.”

Over the course of the wide-ranging interview, Willisch also defended BMW’s rapidly expanding model range, claiming that new niche products like the 4-Series Gran Coupe bring different buyers to the brand. Additionally, he refused to comment on the future of the manual transmission option for the M5 and M6 beyond their current generation, and revealed that the stick shift take rate for non-M 3-Series and 4-Series models has fallen into the low single digits.

Photo by Mark Elias.

The move comes more than a decade after officials commissioned civil planning firm Wade Trim to produce an analysis (PDF) of posted speed limits on 11,000 km of provincial highways. After reviewing accident data, vehicle speed observations, road design and other factors, the analysts called for a new maximum limit of 120 kmh on most rural divided highways.

The Ministry of Transportation appears to have heeded the guidance, which also stressed the importance of minimizing collisions with animals and reducing speed when conditions are less than ideal.

The province is said to be preparing several pilot programs to test the viability of active safety controls. Variable speed zones will be outfitted with equipment to track vehicle speed and road conditions, automatically reducing the limit as needed, while a wildlife detection system will be tested in another area.

Studies have concluded that most motorists will drive at a speed they consider reasonable for the road, weather and traffic conditions, regardless of the posted limit. Posted limits that are much higher or lower than drivers’ natural pace have been blamed on higher accident rates.

“Crashes … appear to depend less on speed and more on the variation in speeds,” the 2003 report noted. “The likelihood of a crash occurring is significantly greater for motorists traveling at speed slower or faster than the mean speed of traffic.”

Motorists in other Canadian provinces with 100 kmh maximum limits have campaigned for the ceiling to be raised to 120-130 kmh (75-80 mph), consistent with speed limits in many US states and in other countries. Proponents argue that such speeds are consistent with modern highway design, without bringing an increase in fatality rates.

“Safety on our highways is our number one priority, and is the foundation for every decision that has resulted from this review,” said BC Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone in an announcement highlighting the higher limits. “The actions we’re taking were the subject of a thorough technical review by our engineers, and the ministry is committed to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of speed limits and other highway safety measures.”

Many of the relatively low speed limits were established during the oil crisis of the early 1970s, aiming to save fuel rather than lives. Drivers in Ontario were able to travel 70 mph (113 kmh) before the cap was lowered, however the government never returned to the previous laws after the energy supplies stabilized.

“Most industrialized countries on Earth post 120-130 kmh speed limits on divided freeways,” says Ontario-based advocacy group Stop100. “In Ontario, those speeds are illegal, drivers are fined and have their insurance rates increased for no reason.”

In a June 2013 agreement with the agency, Chrysler promised to install trailer hitches on approximately 1.56 million Jeep vehicles including 2002-2007 Liberty and 1993-1998 Grand Cherokee SUVs. The accessory add-on is aimed at minimizing the risk of fuel-tank rupture and fires, which have already been associated with more than 50 deaths.

The government notes that Chrysler waited until December 2013 to select a hitch supplier, delaying the first production run until last month.

“Assuming that all of these owners will respond to the notification, it will take Chrysler at least 4.7 years and 2.06 years respectively to produce the required number of Grand Cherokee and Liberty hitches at the current rate of production,” the NHTSA’s chief counsel, O. Kevin Vincent, wrote in a letter to the automaker.

The agency has asked the company to provide a detailed explanation of its decision to use just one supplier, and the costs and lead times that would be required to add additional suppliers.

“Although NHTSA acknowledges that recall campaigns may have low completion rates for any number of reasons, the agency has no intention of allowing Chrysler, or any other manufacturer, to delay recall completion to the detriment of safety,” the scolding letter adds.

The company has argued that Jeep vehicles affected by the recall are currently safe, even without the recall fix.

Through development collaboration with German steering specialist ZF Lenksysteme, the ATS’ electronic power-steering system has been revised with new software programming that promises to improve feedback at high speeds without sacrificing drivability in parking lots.

The system considers wheel speeds, steering angle and the car’s chassis mode to determine the optimum steering assist throughout a broader range of driving scenarios.

ZF Lenksysteme’s Kevin Woodward claims his company’s steering gear already provides a high level of torsional stiffness and low operating friction for an “almost perfect” linear response, while minimizing fuel consumption compared to conventional hydraulic systems.

GM has focused on handling in its quest to make the ATS a viable competitor against its German rivals. Both the coupe and sedan are relatively lightweight for the segment, while optional magnetic dampers help reduce body roll during spirited driving.

The 2015 ATS models are expected to arrive on the market later this summer.