Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ outspoken chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, has publicly downplayed the growing friction between the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The agency earlier this week singled out FCA when it scheduled a public hearing to determine if the company is failing to effectively “remedy safety defects and issue required notices” in a list of 20 different recall campaigns. The controversial recall of older Jeep models over fuel-tank fires is on the list, likely due to its low fix rate years after the campaign was first announced.

In a speech following his SAE Foundation award for industry leader of the year, Marchionne suggested that all automakers, not just FCA, are under increasing pressure from the NHTSA.

“We have done and continue to do a phenomenal amount of work to ensure that we make our cars as safe as we can and that we respond to any recall initiative in an efficient fashion,” he said, as quoted by Automotive News. “The real issue is, for organizations like ours and I’m sure for others, the process of adjustment to this new regulatory environment is going to be painful.”

Replacement-part production and owner outreach are both grey areas that have come under increasing scrutiny from the NHTSA. The agency has encouraged some automakers go above and beyond their legal obligations, sourcing replacement parts from multiple suppliers or using ad campaigns and social media to notify owners.

The agency will hear statements from FCA officials and the public during its July 2 hearing, before deciding if further action is warranted.

BMW has revealed the 435i ZHP Coupe Edition, bringing a wide range of aesthetic and suspension upgrades.
The package pays tribute to the ZHP Performance Package available for the last few years of the E46 3-Series. The original ZHP option code featured an M-Tech II body kit, unique shifter knob, upgraded suspension parts and special cam shafts that raised power output to 235 hp and enabled a higher redline.

The F30-generation ZHP package, available only for the 2016 model year, adds the typical M Sport upgrades along with a new track-handling package, limited-slip differential and other M Performance parts.

A retuned engine and performance air intake add an extra 35 horsepower and 32 lb-ft of torque, bringing total output up to 335 ponies and 332 lb-ft of twist. The extra power helps the coupe get up to 60 mph two second faster than the basic 435i, with five seconds shaved off the 50-to-75 mph time.

The track-handling package adds 18-inch Orbit Grey V-Spoke wheels, along with four-piston M Sport brakes up front and two-piston calipers at the rear

The ZHP build is visually distinguished by BMW’s M Performance aerodynamics package. Both the front splitter and spoiler are built from bare carbon fiber, while the kidney grille and rear diffuser are painted black.

The company will only be making 100 examples of the 435i ZHP, available with either an eight-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox. Buyers can choose from Alpine White or Black Sapphire Metallic body paint. Pricing will be announce closer to the July production start.

Tesla Motors has fired back after Consumer Reports complained of a problem that allegedly made its Model S P85D ‘undriveable‘ due to a door-handle problem.
The magazine claimed that a retractable handle failed to deploy, forcing the driver to crawl across from the passenger seat. More importantly, the handle issue is said to have disabled the vehicle.

In its original report, CR implied that driving functionality could only be restored for a period of two minutes via a smartphone app, limiting the travel distance. The claim was removed from the blog post after Tesla argued that the driver actually has two minutes to start the car from when the function is activated from the app, and the vehicle can then be driven indefinitely.

Responding to conjecture that a tester may not have pressed the brake pedal when attempting to start the car or shift into park, CR claimed “we’re not complete idiots,” according to a statement published by USA Today. “We’re not backing away from ‘undriveable.’”

“In instances when hardware, like the door handle, need to be replaced, we strive to make it painless for a customer to get their Model S serviced,” Tesla said in a statement. “Every fix is an opportunity for us to learn and apply towards making owning a Model S a great experience.”

Defective Takata airbag inflators may be disproportionately dangerous for certain models, with failure rates exceeding two percent in some cases.
As part of its defect acknowledgement and recall expansion, which now lists nearly 34 million vehicles, Takata published ballistic testing data from thousands of airbag inflators received from the field. The results indicate a much worse problem than the company first suggested.

The highest failure rate of 2.16 percent was associated with inflators used in the 2004-2007 Honda Accord and the 2003-2007 Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe. The numbers equate to likely inflator rupture in more than one in 50 vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims the engineering analysis and testing have yet to pin down a specific root cause for the ruptures. The existing evidence suggests the inflator modules are not airtight, allowing moisture to enter the components and degrade the chemical propellant. The inflators consequently fire with too much pressure, potentially sending shrapnel into the cabin.

“The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We will not stop our work until every air bag is replaced.”

The highest failure rates have been observed in areas of high absolute humidity, however the NHTSA has forced Takata to implement nationwide recall campaigns for both driver- and passenger-side inflators. The fix campaigns could still be rolled out on a regional basis, however, reflecting the higher failure risk in states and territories with balmy climates.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has scaled back its aluminum ambitions for the next-generation Jeep Wrangler.
The company had been considering an all-aluminum body, helping reduce fuel consumption thanks to a lighter curb weight and presumable switch to a downsized engine for base packages.

Chief executive Sergio Marchionne now claims the company is considering using aluminum for secondary components such as the hood, tailgate and doors, all mounted on a traditional steel body.

“We’ve run the numbers and we’ve simulated mileage and the impact,” he said at an SAW Foundation award ceremony, as quoted by Automotive News. “Because of the difference in cost — not just of the material but the actual assembly process — I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close.”

Marchionne sparked controversy when he previously mentioned that the next-generation off-roader could switch to an aluminum unibody, threatening to move production out of the current Toledo plant. Keeping the steel body-on-frame construction presumably diffuses the potential dispute over the relocation.

Previous reports suggest the company is also considering a hybrid powertrain to help reduce fuel consumption, though the Wrangler’s iconic styling and solid axles are promised to remain.