Ford is reportedly warming to continuously variable transmissions, after rejecting early examples of the technology.
The company is one of the few major automakers that has not embraced CVTs to improve fuel economy in smaller vehicles. The Blue Oval did offer the technology in several models a decade ago, ranging from the C-Max to the Freestyle, however the drivetrain option has since been phased out of the non-hybrid lineup.

Ford’s development head, Raj Nair, suggests Ford’s experience with CVTs “wasn’t all good,” according to an Automotive News report.

“They are getting better. And we are taking another look, particularly in the low torque applications,” the executive added.

The Fiesta’s 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine is likely among the first candidates to fit the criteria, along with the company’s 1.6- and 2.0-liter small engines, though Nair did not mention which models are under consideration for a CVT.

After several months of evaluation, the jury has released its list of finalists for the 2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards.

The three finalists for North American Car of the Year are the Ford Mustang, Hyundai Genesis and Volkswagen Golf/GTI. On the truck/utility side of things, the jury will choose from the Chevrolet Colorado, the Ford F-150 and the Lincoln MKC.

The winner in each category will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

The NACTOY selection process happens in three phases. Jurors from automotive publications first pool all eligible vehicles (of which there were more than 50), then pare those selections down to a short list for the car and truck/utility categories. From those short lists (below), the finalists are chosen and a vote is held to determine both winners.

2015 North American Car of the Year short list
Acura TLX
Audi A3
Chrysler 200
Ford Mustang
Honda Fit
Hyundai Genesis sedan
Hyundai Sonata
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Toyota Camry
Volkswagen Golf/GTI

2015 North American Truck/Utility of the Year short list

Audi Q3
Chevrolet Colorado
Chevrolet Tahoe
Ford F-150
GMC Canyon
Lexus NX
Lincoln MKC
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Nissan Murano
Porsche Macan
Subaru Outback
Toyota Highlander

BMW has announced an executive shakeup, confirming CEO Norbert Reithofer’s successor and the departure of development chief Herbert Diess.
The company’s current production head, 49-year-old Harald Krueger, will be promoted to take the reins from Reithofer, who will be departing in May — ahead of schedule.

Reithofer’s early departure has been partially blamed on Diess, who allegedly left to take a position at Volkswagen after he learned that he would not be promoted to the chief-executive position, unnamed sources have told Reuters.

VW has tasked Diess with leading its passenger-car brand, taking over the responsibility from group chief Dr. Martin Winterkorn.

“With Herbert Diess we will be welcoming an outstanding personality and one of the most capable minds in the automotive industry to our Company,” Winterkorn said in a statement. “At the same time, this step puts the executive management of both the Group and the brand on an even broader footing.”

Koenigsegg is hoping to set a new Nurburgring street-legal track record with its One:1 supercar.

Introduced earlier this year in Geneva, the One:1 boasts one horsepower per kilogram. Its twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 produces 1,341 ponies and 1,011 lb-ft of torque, but company founder Christian von Koenigsegg suggests the car’s light weight, refined chassis and aerodynamics will likely be more important in raising the bar around the famed racing circuit.

“The massive engine power is nice to have, but far less important than mechanical grip around most tracks,” he said in an interview with Top Gear.

The One:1′s Le Mans-style top-mounted spoiler is hydraulically actuated to switch between low-drag, high-downforce and braking mode, while a Venturi flap deforms beneath the nose to draw more air under the body at high speeds. Downforce is estimated to be more than a half ton, enabling lateral cornering forces to reach 2.0 g.

The company has already launched a preparation initiative at the ‘Ring, gathering data and fine-tuning the setup. The first formal attempt at the record will wait until early next year.

“When spring comes with warmer weather we will continue to test our cars at the Nordschleife to eventually be able to go for a hot lap and truly see what our cars are capable of,” Koenigsegg added.

Volkswagen is reportedly preparing to introduce a new crossover concept next month at the Detroit auto show.
The model is said to be a five-seat crossover based on the seven-seater that is due to arrive on the market in 2016, unnamed sources told Reuters. It is expected to follow on the heels of the larger build, likely arriving in 2016 or 2017.

The German automaker earlier today announced year-to-date sales, showing an overall increase of two percent globally but a steep slide of nearly 11 percent in the US market.

Many automakers are scrambling to release new SUVs and crossovers to accommodate strong demand in the segment. Some analysts point to low gasoline prices as a contributing factor. VW, however, maintains just two options for crossover and SUV customers: the Touareg and the Tiguan.

The company has not yet confirmed any additional details surrounding the new models that will arrive within two years.

Lexus is reportedly considering a production convertible potentially based on the LF-C2 concept, despite official denials of such plans.
Unveiled just last month in Los Angeles, the LF-C2 was initially expected to serve as the drop-top variant of the RC coupe. The company presented the concept as merely a preview of the brand’s future design language, rather than a production model.

Later reports suggested Lexus axed production ambitions amid pressure from dealers. The sales force is said to have been displeased with the low-volume potential from the LF-C2, impatient for Toyota’s luxury division to instead produce a new three-row SUV.

Despite the objections, the company is said to be considering several different open-air options that could serve as replacements for the IS convertible, unnamed sources have told Automotive News. Executives reportedly view the move as necessary in the brand’s quest to woo younger buyers.

Potential production models allegedly include a convertible RC and a drop-top version of the LF-LC. The latter model would likely achieve even lower sales volume, but would better serve as a halo car.

Image by Brian Williams.

Honda has announced plans to again expand its Takata airbag recall, bringing the company’s overall tally up to 5.4 million vehicles.
The move follows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recommendation to issue nationwide recalls for driver-side airbags. The agency has agreed with automakers that data does not yet show a problem with passenger-side airbags outside of high-humidity zones, however.

“Honda hopes that the expansion of this action nationwide will both address customer concerns and further assist in the ongoing industry investigation of abnormal airbag deployments in the vehicles from all affected manufacturers,” the company said in a statement.

The latest campaign affects certain 2001-2007 Accords, 2001-2005 Civics, 2002-2006 CR-Vs, 2003-2011 Elements, 2003-2004 Odysseys, 2003-2007 Pilots, and the 2006 Ridgeline. It also includes several Acura models, including the 2002-2006 MDX, the 2002-2003 TL and the 2002 CL.

Both Honda and Toyota have called for all major automakers to centralize their investigative efforts as the companies continue to struggle to identify the full extent of the problem.

While Texas may make headlines for its exclusive claim to 85-mph highways, some other western States are starting to generate useful statistics about the safety effects of raising speed limits.
Utah, which has allowed 80-mph travel on some stretches of interstate highway since 2008, has been studying the effects of the increase for several years and has found that its drivers are involved in fewer accidents and are more likely to comply with posted speed limits than they were prior to the limit hikes.

According to Missoulian.com, studies conducted in 2012 showed 11-20% decreases in speed-related crashes along sampled sections of Interstate 15 in Utah. A 2009 study found that the number of drivers exceeding the posted limit decreased by 20% when the limit was raised. 36% of Interstates in Utah currently are currently signed 80 mph.

Wyoming and Idaho recently joined Utah in raising speed limits on some rural interstates to 80 mph. As the limits were raised earlier this year, neither state has sufficient data to make any conclusions about possible safety impacts, however Boise Weekly reports that the Idaho State Police have handed out more citations during the period from July (when the limit was raised) to November of this year than they did in 2013.

Lawmakers in Montana are looking to join their neighbors in raising limits, and bills expected to be introduced by state legislators next year could make that a reality.

Photo courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation.

Toyota has trademarked two model names for the Lexus brand. “LC 500″ and “LC 500h” have been registered and are presumed to be a flagship grand tourer.

The LC takes its name from the LF-LC Concept, which was previously thought to augur a revival of the SC, the stylish sports coupe introduced in 1992. However, it appears that the luxury 2+2 will now launch a new nameplate altogether.

The LC is also the likely answer to the much-speculated “successor” for the Lexus LFA. While not a “second-generation” of the supercar per se, it will occupy a halo position in the Lexus lineup. Instead of a V10, the LC is expected to utilize a version of the Lexus RC F‘s 5.0L 467hp V8. Likewise, its sticker price will probably be quite a bit lower than the LFA’s $375,000.

The “500h” appears to confirm a hybrid version as well. The exact powertrain for that model is unknown, though it could be a version of the 5.0L V8 hybrid found in the LS 600h.

Chassis-wise, the LC might ride on a modified version of the next-generation LS platform. The flagship sedan is due in late 2016, and the LC 500 and 500h are expected to arrive in late 2017.

A report coming out of England finds Volkswagen could be preparing to enter the highly-competitive world of Formula 1.
According to the BBC, the Wolfsburg-based automaker has reportedly asked Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s former team principal, to prepare a report that outlines the pros and cons of participating in F1. Anonymous sources close to Volkswagen have revealed that executives believe F1 would be a better promotional tool for the brand than its successful World Rally Championship program.

Volkswagen’s motivation for considering an entry into F1 appears to be largely financial. The BBC reports that Mercedes-Benz, which recently won this year’s F1 Constructor’s Championship, spent about $160 million on its F1 program. The automaker’s television appearances over the course of the season amounted to about $2.8 billion when converted into advertising value.

During the same time period, the Volkswagen Group spent about $393 million on its miscellaneous motorsports programs but the advertising value of its on-screen appearances amounted to merely $30 million.

Some sources claim that Volkswagen would go racing by inking a deal with the Austrian Red Bull team while others believe it would form its own team from the ground up. Regardless, 83-year old F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and 77-year old Volkswagen Group Chairman Ferdinand Piëch have had a difficult relationship for decades so analysts expect Volkswagen will not commit to the sport until one of the two executives steps down.

Volkswagen has refused to provide insight into its motorsport future and flatly denied all F1-related rumors.