BMW has published a short teaser video that previews the all-new 2017 7 Series.
The teaser video reveals previous little about BMW’s next big sedan, but earlier official spy shots confirm the 7 will feature an evolutionary design with LED headlights that stretch into the kidney grille and L-shaped tail lamps connected by a thin bar of chrome trim out back. The sedan’s silhouette and dimensions will not change significantly, and the next 7 will be more of a careful evolution of its predecessor than a revolution.

More significant changes will be found under the skin, where the 7 will weigh up to 290 pounds less than the outgoing model thanks to a brand new modular platform made from lightweight materials. Additionally, the 7 will inaugurate the next generation of BMW’s infotainment system, which will feature gesture recognition software, and it will earn the honor of being the world’s first car with remote-controlled parking technology.

Mechanically, BMW’s next flagship will be available with a brand new straight-six engine that was inaugurated by the 2016 340i. Moving up, buyers looking for more grunt will be able to select a V8 engine rated at about 460 horsepower, and the range-topping model will use a 600-horsepower 6.6-liter V12 designed with input from Rolls-Royce. Rear-wheel drive an automatic transmission will come standard, and all-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost.

Stay tuned, the 2017 BMW 7 Series will be introduced online on June 10th and it will greet the public for the first time next September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. U.S. deliveries are scheduled to kick off next fall.

Takata is preparing to phase out its use of the controversial chemical ammonium nitrate in airbag inflators.
The supplier and automakers have continued to claim that the root cause of the inflator defect has not been determined, though all acknowledge evidence that moisture appears to degrade the ammonium-nitrate propellant. Inflators consequently fire with too much force, causing the metal housing to rupture and send shrapnel flying into the cabin.

“Takata has … committed to cease producing these types of driver inflators,” Takata North America executive VP Kevin Kennedy wrote in prepared testimony ahead of Tuesday’s House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing (PDF). “And we are working with our automaker partners to transition to newer versions of driver inflators in our replacement kits or inflators made by other suppliers that do not contain ammonium nitrate propellant.”

The company also promises to eventually replace certain parts, known as ‘batwing’ inflators, that have already been installed as replacement components in the initial recall campaigns. All of the fatalities and most of the injuries have been associated with batwing inflators on the driver-side airbag.

The supplier is currently producing 700,000 replacement units per month, with output expected to hit a million parts per month by September. By the end of the year 70 percent of the parts output will be handled by competitors, up from a current level of 50 percent.

The company will be working to build replacement inflators for nearly 34 million vehicles sold in the US market.

General Motors has announced plans to revamp component production capabilities at its Grand Rapids Operations factory.
The company expects to spend $119 million in tools and equipment to help build parts for future vehicles, creating approximately 300 jobs.

The plan marks a significant modernization for the plant, which currently employs approximately 500 workers. Three shifts are tasked with building engine components across GM’s many brands, ranging from Cadillac cars to GMC trucks.

The announcement is part of the company’s broader investment strategy, injecting $5.4 billion into US factories over the next three years. Specific details have slowly emerged, accounting for approximately $3 billion of the overall total.

The company suggests the investments will help streamline operations, slash production times and bring improvements to build quality. Several other factories are being outfitted with new robots, upgraded paint shops and promises for more jobs in the coming years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a safety advisory focused on the dangers of “pedal error.”
A study commissioned by the agency found that accidental engagement of the accelerator pedal causes approximately 16,000 preventable accidents each year on US roads.

Such accidents are said to occur when a driver steps on the accelerator when intending to apply the brake, steps on both pedals at the same time, or when the foot slides off the side of the brake pedal. Most incidents also happen at very low speeds, such a when attempting to park.

“While these crashes can affect all drivers, the study shows that drivers under the age of 20 or over the age of 65 experience pedal error crashes about four times more frequently than other age groups,” the agency notes.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the NHTSA recently cited pedal error when it closed an inquiry into allegations of unintended acceleration with the Toyota Corolla. The investigation concluded that a surge in complaints of defect behavior were actually related to drivers’ mistakes.

“Investigations … have not identified any vehicle defects that can cause sudden failures of both the throttle and braking systems and have attributed these complaints to pedal error by the driver,” the advisory adds. “Drivers who believed they were applying the brake in such incidents were often mistakenly applying the accelerator instead.”

The agency recommends properly adjusting seats, avoiding distractions and making a habit of aiming for the middle of the brake pedal every time it is used.

Despite running at the back of the pack, Nissan says it isn’t disappointed by the results of its first test day with its radical new GT-R LM Nismo race car.
In preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans set to run later this month, Nissan began a series of test runs of its front-wheel drive GT-R LM Nismo over the weekend. The results were less than stellar, with the GT-R LM Nismo posting lap times that were more than 20 seconds off the pace of the fastest LMP1 car. In fact, the GT-R LM Nismo was more than two seconds slower than the fastest car a rung down in the LMP2 category. Most of Nissan’s laps were, however, run under rainy conditions.

Darren Cox, head of Nissan’s motorsports operations, wasn’t discouraged by the slower lap times.

“There are a lot of positives to take from the test,” Cox told Autosport. “We have three cars sitting in the garage right now with nothing wrong with them. We only had one problem that stopped us out on track and we covered a total of 1500km across the three cars.”

He added: “We were fastest in the speed trap and at the end Jann [Mardenborough] was one of the fastest cars on intermediates.”

Nissan’s GT-R LM Nismo is a departure from the norm at Le Mans, with the car utilizing a unique front-wheel drive setup. Nissan says the FWD layout allows for better aerodynamics, but, at least, so far the design doesn’t appear to be bearing fruit. Nissan has a few weeks to make adjustment before the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks off on June 13.