Suzuki has issued a recall for the 2010-2013 SX4 and the 2010-2013 Kizashi, affecting more than 60,000 vehicles.
The company has cited a problem with the shift selector, which sometimes allows the transmission to be moved out of ‘park’ without first depressing the brake pedal. The shift-lock failure is said to be caused by a combination of a tilted detent pin and high temperature conditions.

The issue can allow the vehicle to unexpectedly roll away, increasing the risk of a crash and injuries, though it is unclear if any accidents have been blamed on the defect.

Service technicians will install a new shift selector assembly to resolve the problem, with repairs expected to begin by late January.

Photo by Ronan Glon.

After posting record sales of more than eight million units in 2014, Hyundai and Kia are bracing for a significant slowdown in sales growth amid increasing pressure from Japanese rivals.
The duo expect sales to increase by just 2.5 percent in 2015, compared to gains of approximately four percent in 2013 and 2014. If the forecast proves accurate, 2015 growth will be the worst in more than a decade.

The automakers have issued the warning in response to the weak yen, which is expected to give Japanese rivals a competitive edge through the rest of the year. Foreign brands have also continued to erode Hyundai-Kia’s domestic market share in home Korea.

Group chairman Chung Mong-koo suggests the companies will attempt to increase production, cut costs, improve technology sharing and increase research-and-development spending to help the brands compete in the global marketplace despite the currency shift, according to comments quoted by The Detroit News.

Japanese automakers, meanwhile, are expected to increase domestic production to take full advantage of the weak yen. Subaru appears to be one of the first to follow the likely trend, reportedly killing plans to move XV Crosstrek production from Japan to the US.

General Motors has entered the new year with more ignition-switch trouble, one of three new recalls focused on SUVs and pickups.
The latest ignition-switch campaign includes the 2011-2012 Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche; the 2011-2012 GMC Sierra and Yukon; and the Cadillac Escalade from the same model years.

The company suggests the ignition-lock actuator is prone to binding, causing the ignition to get stuck in the ‘start’ position and then potentially snap back to the ‘accessory’ position and kill the engine while underway. Like the small cars, the SUVs will lose power steering, brake assist and airbag functionality when the switch is in the ‘accessory’ position.

The condition is only believed to be present in a few hundred vehicles, though the recall lists more than 83,000. No accidents or injuries have been officially blamed on the defect.

A small batch of 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups are also being recalled to replace the rear axle shaft, after the original parts were installed without proper heat treatment. The defect lead to complete fracture, allowing the wheel to separate from the axle shaft.

The third recall lists just a few dozen Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, also from the 2015 model year. Some left the factory with an improperly-tightened hose clamp that secures the fuel-tank vent line, potentially allowing fuel to leak.

Hyundai will use next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to unveil a new smartwatch app that will be compatible with the company’s first- and second-generation Blue Link systems.
Controlled via voice commands, the smartwatch app will give Hyundai owners instant access to some of Blue Link’s integrated features, including remote start, remote lock/unlock and vehicle finder. In order for the app to work, the smartwatch must be paired via Bluetooth with a smartphone that has a cellular or internet connection.

“This new app expands Hyundai’s exploration into how wearable technology and Blue Link fit into a customer’s lifestyle,” said Barry Ratzlaff, executive director, customer connect and service business development, Hyundai Motor America. “Connecting to your car through a smartwatch and voice recognition was previously something seen only in science fiction movies. Now, we can provide this capability to owners of Hyundai vehicles equipped with Blue Link.”

Hyundai launched its first-generation Blue Link system in the 2012 Sonata and updated the infotainment system starting with select 2015 model year vehicles. Hyundai will updated Blue Link again this year with a new destination search powered by Google.

Hyundai says the smartwatch app will be available to download starting in early 2015.

For most of recent history, the small commercial van segment simply didn’t exist in the United States. Sure there were a few attempts at jumpstarting the class — remember the ill-fated Chevrolet HHR Panel? — but for the most part, full-size vans like the Ford E-Series and Chevrolet Express have reigned supreme.
But then a funny thing happened in 2009 — Ford introduced the Euro-flavored Transit Connect and suddenly a small cargo van in the United States started to make a lot of sense. Fast-forward to modern day and Chevrolet, Nissan and even Mercedes-Benz are getting in on the action.

Not wanting to be left on the outside looking in, Chrysler’s Ram division is now throwing its hat into the ring with the Fiat Doblo-based Ram ProMaster City. Curious to check out the latest big thing in small vans, we packed our work gloves and boots and headed to Austin, Texas, to put the ProMaster City through its paces.

Italian roots
Despite its Americanized badge, the Ram ProMaster City is little more than a lightly re-worked version of the Fiat Doblo. But that badge engineering isn’t such a bad thing in the case of the ProMaster City. That’s because the Doblo on which it’s based has been named European Van of the Year twice and has sold more than 1.3 million copies since being introduced in 2000.

Moreover, the Doblo, like the Ford Transit Connect, was designed in Europe with tiny European villages and roads in mind. That means the ProMaster City is perfectly suited for zipping in and out of the heavy traffic and tight parking spots that are typical in our congested city centers.

Building a better box
Features like eye-catching exterior styling and the latest in-car electronics need not apply here — with commercial vehicles, it’s all about utility.

To that end, the Ram ProMaster has been graced with a fairly generic mug, with form taking a back seat to function. The van’s lights were placed high and slightly inboard so that any accidental bumps with a loading dock wouldn’t result in the replacement of an entire light cluster. And although it’s plain, the ProMaster City’s front end has been fitted with some wind-cheating cues to helping it to achieve 29 mpg on the highway.

As with all commercial vehicles, the business end of the ProMaster City is its cargo area. In this case, the ProMaster City has been engineered with nearly vertical walls and a large rear opening, providing enough space for a fully-loaded pallet. Payload capacity is a class-leading 1,883 pounds.

The cargo version of the ProMaster City ships with little more than a floor, some walls and a ceiling, but there are a number of different storage solutions available via the aftermarket.

One nice touch that you’ll only find on the ProMaster City is a sliding door locking mechanism. Standard on both sliding doors of the ProMaster City, the system latches the door open so that it won’t come sliding back on you if you open the door with too much force or happen to be parked on a steep hill. The latch disengages when the handle is pulled to close the door.

The ProMaster City can’t match its bigger brothers in terms of towing prowess, but it’s still capable of hauling a respectable 2,000 pounds.

Office on wheels
As you might expect, the interior of the ProMaster City isn’t lavishly equipped, but it is comfortable and highly functional.

The ProMaster City’s high seating position and large windows gives the driver a commanding view of the road ahead. Those attributes combined with tight proportions make the little van surprisingly easy to drive.

Seats are comfortable with good thigh support, ensuring that the ProMaster City can double as an all-day office on wheels. A durable cloth is the only seating material available.

Storage is ample throughout the ProMaster City’s cabin, including a large space overhead for notebooks and the like. As an added extra, that overhead compartment also includes a storage net so its contents don’t come crashing down on your head.

Fitting of the class, most of the ProMaster City’s interior is made from hard plastics, but the armrest areas have been graced with soft-touch material for added comfort.

Instrumentation is basic but straightforward. Controls for cruise control and Bluetooth hands-free are located on the steering wheel.

A basic radio comes standard, but a miniaturized 5-inch version of Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system with navigation can be ordered.

And although it may be from the land of manual transmissions, the ProMaster City is available exclusively with an automatic gearbox. In this case it’s a nine-speed unit driving the front-wheels.

Familiar to the Chrysler lineup, the ProMaster City uses a 178 horsepower, 174 lb-ft of torque version of the company’s 2.4L Tigershark four-cylinder engine. Performance is just fine, but more importantly the four-cylinder delivers good economy — 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, netting a combined rating of 24 mpg.

Chrysler says a diesel is under consideration, but there are no plans to offer an oil-burner at this time.

The Ram ProMaster City is available in several different configurations, but the choices basically boil down to how many windows and seats you want.

Leftlane’s bottom line
With a host of innovative features and class-leading payload, the Ram ProMaster City should have no problem carving out a niche in the small but growing compact van segment. We doubt many families will take the plunge of the five-passenger Wagon version of the ProMaster City, but the Cargo model promises broad appeal across many different industries.

2015 Ram ProMaster City, priced from $23,130. Destination, $995.

Photos by Drew Johnson.