Honda has launched a new ad campaign, “The Other Side,” featuring the Civic Type R concept.
The company’s YouTube page features an interactive video showing both sides of the Civic family. Running through the segment initially shows a father using his basic hatchback to pick up the kids from school, however pressing and holding the ‘R’ button reveals a matching sequence as the Type R runs from bad guys after serving as a getaway vehicle for a smash-and-grab robbery.

The latest Type R was recently introduced at the Paris Motor Show, previewing the production model. The hatchback is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged i-VTEC engine, bringing the power output up to 280 horsepower.

The video shows the +R button that switches to a performance-driving mode, stiffening the suspension and tweaking the steering and throttle settings.

Honda is expected to ship the Type R sometime next year, however the company has no plans to offer the model in the US market.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ new head of the Ram division has blamed the brand’s recent Consumer Reports failure on customer ignorance in the face of new technology.
Bob Hegbloom points out that the average age of a pickup truck is 11 years. Many new buyers consequently are only familiar with technology that was offered in vehicles a full decade ago.

“Eleven years ago, did anyone know what a Wi-Fi hotspot was?” the executive asked, according to quotes published by Bloomberg. “There’s going to be some growing pains.”

Consumer Reports pointed to infotainment systems as a “growing reliability plague” for many automakers, though the poor ratings are blamed on poor design rather than customers that are new to such technology. The magazine also suggests that tech issues are usually not the only problem for the low-ranking brands.

“Infotainment system problems generally don’t exist in a vacuum,” said CR‘s automotive testing director, Jake Fisher. “A close look at the results suggests that cars with a lot of in-car electronic issues usually have plenty of other troubles, too.”

Despite Hegbloom’s comments, FCA made an even stronger statement when it replaced its quality head the day after four of its brands fell to the bottom of the survey rankings. Chrysler has also faced growing criticism over its alleged mishandling of recalls and resistance to acknowledging well-known defects in its vehicles.

Nissan has detailed a sequential turbocharger system that will be used in the next-generation Titan diesel.
Built by Cummins, the technology takes advantage of two turbocharger sizes to optimize boost at both low and high rpm. The smaller, lighter unit quickly spools up when the engine is near idle, while the larger turbocharger takes over for higher pressure when the engine is under higher loads.

An electronic rotary valve provides the control for the system, managing which turbocharger receives more exhaust flow. It can also serve as a wastegate or raise the back pressure, working as an exhaust brake and increasing exhaust temperature to help clean the diesel particle filter.

The setup is expected to squeeze up to 300 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque from the 5.0-liter V8 engine, according to Car & Driver.

The next-generation pickup is due to be unveiled in January at the Detroit auto show.

Ferrari has been hit with a $3.5 million fine from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failing to comply with reporting requirements.
The agency accuses the Italian luxury brand of violating federal law by declining to submit reports surrounding three fatal accidents.

The company previously qualified as a small-volume manufacturer, exempting it from quarterly early-warning reporting (EWR), however the company was still required to notify the agency of any fatal accidents involving its vehicles.

“There is no excuse for failing to follow laws created to keep drivers safe, and our aggressive enforcement action today underscores the point that all automakers will be held accountable if they fail to do their part in our mission to keep Americans safe on the road,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The NHTSA has also established a consent order that requires Ferrari to improve its EWR reporting processes, train personnel on the EWR requirements, communicate the improvements to the agency and retroactively submit any missing reports.

“Early warning reports are like NHTSA’s radar, helping us to find unsafe vehicles and make sure they are fixed,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman. “Companies that violate the law and fail to comply will be subject to comparable swift NHTSA enforcement action.”

Notably, the NHTSA appears to have only initiated action after a letter from Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal pointed out that Ferrari had never reported a death or injury claim through EWR. The revelation will likely fuel criticism that the agency has not been proactive in its mission to enforce federal safety regulations.

Aston Martin has won a federal exemption to tighter safety regulations that recently went into effect.
The company had petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to grant a temporary stay, allowing the current-generation DB9 and Vantage to be sold for several more years without any design modifications.

Bringing the existing models into compliance would have allegedly required an investment of approximately $30 million, equating to approximately $45,000 per vehicle sold in the US market between 2014 and 2017.

Dealers later joined the campaign, arguing that showrooms would have to be shuttered and employment would be threatened if the offending models were no longer legal to sell to US buyers.

“The basis for the grant is that compliance would cause substantial economic hardship to a low volume manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with the standard,” the agency wrote in its exemption notice.

Aston Martin now has until 2017 to bring its full lineup into compliance, allowing the next-generation models to arrive with the necessary design considerations to improve crashworthiness.