The US Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency are promoting a proposal that aims to slash emissions from medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks.
The agencies want fuel consumption reductions of up to 24 percent for large trucks by 2027, while medium-duty trucks would face a lower target of 16 percent during the same period.

If the proposed goals are reached, the DoT claims the reductions will result in $170 billion in saved fuel, one billion metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions and 1.8 billion fewer barrels of oil consumed.

“Once upon a time, to be pro-environment you had to be anti-big-vehicles. This rule will change that,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx wrote in a blog post. “In fact, these efficiency standards are good for the environment – and the economy. When trucks use less fuel, shipping costs go down. It’s good news all around.”

The agencies further argue that the proposed standards would achieve $10 in benefits for every dollar invested in fuel-efficient technology. The buyer of a long-haul truck in 2027 would recoup the additional costs of fuel-efficient technology in two years of operation, Foxx claims.

Officials will likely continue to promote the proposal before attempting to formally establish the new regulations as law.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has decided to publish accident reports involving autonomous vehicles.
The agency last year began requiring automakers to submit reports for any crashes involving self-driving technology, however the records were not made available to the public.

Under pressure from critics interested in scrutinizing the safety of autonomous vehicles, the DMV has changed course and decided to release the records. Details of the accident scenarios is included in the public reports, but personal identifying information, such as drivers’ names or VINs, remains redacted to protect the privacy of involved parties.

“It took too long, but the DMV is now getting right,” said Consumer Watchdog privacy director John M. Simpson in a blog post. “The robot cars are being tested on public roads and people have a right to know as much as possible about what goes wrong.”

Google’s fleet of self-driving vehicles has been involved in a dozen accidents, but none have been at fault when operating autonomously. The search giant has logged more than a million miles in its modified Lexus crossovers, and its tiny two-seaters are now testing on public roads around Mountain View, California.

Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn said the company expects only “limited” growth until the German automaker can bring new SUV and CUV models to market in the coming years.
In an interview with Reuters, Horn called VW’s ambitious goal of 800,000 annual U.S. sales “a relevant objective” but downplayed its importance in terms of Volkswagen’s long-term strategy in the U.S. market. In the interim, VW will focus on defending its existing market share in the United States.

“[I]f you just focus on one year and one number you would do crazy things, so the most important thing is to have a long-term strategy,” he told the German wire service.

Volkswagen has been widely criticized for failing to anticipate America’s shift back toward larger vehicles in the climate of economic recovery, but new product is in the pipeline. As many as five new CUV/SUV offerings are on the way, and they are expected to give the automaker’s North American arm a much-needed boost.

Scheduled to land next year, the first crossover will be a seven-seater model that will stretch nearly 200 inches long. It will essentially be a toned-down version of the CrossBlue concept that was presented to the public at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show.

A five-seater version of the CrossBlue will follow shortly after. Inspired by the CrossBlue Coupe that was presented in Shanghai two years ago, the crossover will cater to buyers who want a sportier and less utilitarian-looking large crossover. It will ride on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, and it will share the bulk of its engines with its seven-seater counterpart.

Moving down, the next-gen Tiguan will be about ten inches longer than the current model but about a foot shorter than the five-seater CrossBlue. A sportier-looking version of the Tiguan will join the lineup shortly after the regular model bows in 2017, but details are currently vague at best.

At the bottom end of the spectrum, Volkswagen will build a Polo-sized crossover aimed right at the Nissan Juke, Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V, among others. Whether this tiny CUV will make it to the United States is still a matter of speculation.

The two big crossovers will be built alongside the Passat in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Tiguan will be assembled in Puebla, Mexico. Both facilities are being overhauled to increase capacity.

Volkswagen’s Chattanooga factory expansion could create approximately 9,800 jobs in Tennessee, according to a study forecasting potential direct and indirect economic impacts in the state.

The company will add more than a half million square feet to the existing plant, with major expansion of the assembly, body and paint shops. A new warehouse will also be built on the site. The investment required to complete the expansion will top $1 billion. Construction began in February.

CrossBlue photos by Chris Doane. GTE Cross Coupe photos by Brian Williams.

Automakers may no longer be able to use Nurburgring lap records as bragging tools for new vehicles.
Track management reportedly decided to implement speed limits at several sections, just days before Koenigsegg was scheduled to attempt a record-breaking run in its One:1 ‘megacar,’ according to a blog post from the producers of a documentary, Apex, that will highlight the rivalry between the One:1, the Porsche 918, the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari.

“All have shown what they’re worth on the track, but the Koenigsegg One:1 has yet to do so,” said JF Musial, CEO of filmmaker TangentVector. “The sudden notification from Nürburgring management couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment for everyone.”

The decision has been blamed on an accident earlier this year that resulted in a spectator fatality. Track managers are said to be set on maintaining the restrictions through the end of the year, though the limits are expected to be reviewed eventually and could be overturned.

Musial suggests there is still some confusion surrounding the restrictions, as Koenigsegg was notified that they would have to obey speed limits but Lamborghini allegedly posted a sub-seven-minute record time in the Aventador SV a day after the limits were initially announced.

Porsche is celebrating the end of production for its flagship 918 Spyder.
The 918th and final example rolled off the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen assembly line 21 months after the first car, and six months after the hybrid supercar sold out globally.

Introduced in 2010 at the Geneva Motor Show, the 918 Spyder served as a technology demonstrator for high-performance hybrid technology. Its 4.6-liter V8 produces 608 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, while electric motors on the front and rear axles bring total output up to 887 ponies and 590 lb-ft of torque.

Rivaling the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1, Porsche’s halo sports car can hit 60 mph from a standstill in just 2.8 seconds and eventually reach 211 mph.

“In September 2013, the super sports car – with 887 hp of system power – set the lap record for street-legal vehicles with production tires on the North Loop of the Nürburgring with a time of 6 minutes 57 seconds – a record that has never been equalled by any other car since,” Porsche boasts.

Although the production run is finished, Porsche promises the 918 Spyder builds a technological foundation for hybrid and sports cars of the future. The next-generation 911 may be one of the first examples, heading to the market with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain in 2018 or 2019.