German officials have announced a plan to upgrade a stretch of the Autobahn to support autonomous vehicles.
The government will outfit part of the highway with equipment to enable vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The sensors and wireless gear will work in conjunction with vehicle-to-vehicle communications capabilities of prototype and production models.

“The goal is to network the road and the vehicles to reduce traffic jams and increase road safety,” said transportation ministry spokesman Ingo Strater, according to quotes published by Bloomberg.

The government aims to support domestic development of next-generation autonomous technology by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group, among other automakers.

The pilot project will be focused on segment of the A9 autobahn connecting Munich and Berlin, though the government has not yet detailed a time-frame for completing the upgrades.

Image by Ronan Glon.

Believe it or not, the Mercedes-Benz’s R-Class crossover is still in production at the company’s Tuscaloosa, Alabama, production facility, but that won’t be the case for long.
That’s because on Tuesday Mercedes-Benz announced that it will shift R-Class production away from Tuscaloosa this summer to clear up room for its more volume-oriented utility models. Production of the R-Class will be moved to contract manufacturer AM General in Indiana.

“Within our growth strategy we are expanding our global production network and will additionally use the capacities of a contract manufacturer. We are thus increasing flexibility and continue to improve our competitiveness,” said Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management.

Mercedes will use its newfound capacity in Alabama to increase production of its M-Class, GL-Class and upcoming GLE Coupe lines of utility vehicles.

Launched in 2005, Mercedes was ultimately forced to pull the R-Class from the U.S. market in 2012 due to slumping sales. Despite its weak reception here, the R-Class built a loyal following in China, where it has been sold exclusively since 2013.

AM General is best known for building Hummer-branded vehicles. The shift to AM General is somewhat ironic as the plant is staffed by the UAW, the very same labor union that has been trying to organize Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa plant for years.

Volkswagen Group has issued a recall for six different models sold under the VW and Audi brands, each outfitted with the company’s 3.0-liter TFSI engine.
Customers in 2013 first began complaining of a fuel odor from the engine compartment. The company launched several investigations in 2013 and 2014, however no abnormalities were uncovered at the time.

Further analysis completed later in 2014 found that a small leak can form at the connection between the fuel rail and the injector if a certain valve is positioned ‘unfavorably’ in the tolerance range during dynamic driving. The problem is being handled as a formal recall, as leaking fuel increases the risk of a fire.

The campaign affects more than 26,000 vehicles, including the 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5 and Q7; the 2012 Audi A6 and VW Touareg Hybrid; and the 2012-2013 Audi A7.

Service technicians will replace fuel rails and install a reinforced retaining bracket to resolve the potential leaks.

Kia has invoked another popular film series in its latest Super Bowl commercial.
“The Perfect Getaway” features Pierce Brosnan listening to a pitch from his agent. Brosnan interrupts the presentation several times with visions of a James Bond-style plot, but the agent has other ideas for a ‘getaway’ to promote the Kia 2016 Sorento.

“To demonstrate the vehicle’s off-road capabilities and sophisticated personality, Kia teamed up with actor, Pierce Brosnan, to create a getaway so unexpected that even Pierce himself did not see it coming,” the automaker notes.

The commercial continues the theme Kia used for its Super Bowl XLVIII segment, which featured Laurence Fishburne in his Morpheus wardrobe from The Matrix.

Nissan has released an animated video to demonstrate the two-stage turbocharger that can be found inside the new Titan XD‘s Cummins engine.
The system uses a sequential arrangement, with a smaller turbocharger optimized for low airflow and a larger compressor geared for higher exhaust flow.

With a lower inertia, the smaller unit can spool up faster and significantly reduce perceived lag time. The larger compressor, meanwhile, helps maximize power in the higher rpm range.

The M² system from Cummins Turbo Technologies serves as the airflow control between both turbochargers. A patented rotary valve directs exhaust gasses to the compressors or bypass ports.

“We are excited to have Cummins as a partner to launch the new TITAN XD,” said Nissan Titan chief product specialist Rich Miller. “The Indiana-made Cummins 5.0L V8 is a perfect fit for our truck that was designed in California, engineered in Detroit, and will be assembled in Mississippi.”

The new Titan will arrive first in its XD trim, featuring the Cummins diesel engine, ahead of the gasoline-powered variants.