Canada is getting the new base model Volkswagen Mk. 8 Golf after all, as well as VWs new ID.4 electric car but not for a while.During the new generation’s debut last month, it seemed uncertain whether dealerships in the U.S. and Canada would see any trims of the Golf besides the high-performance GTI and R versions.Now, VW Canada has confirmed other, lower-spec trims of the Mk. 8 Golf will come to our shores, along with the high performance GTI and Golf R, though whether they hit the U.S., too, is still up in the air. The Mk. 8 Golf as well as the GTI and Golf R variants will start to arrive some time in 2021 as 2022 models, Thomas Tetzlaff, Volkswagen Canadas public relations manager, recently told The Car Guide.That means well see a small gap between the sale of the last Mk. 7 and the first Mk. 8 for some Golf variants, such as the Golf R, SportWagen and Alltrack, none of which will return for the 2020 model year.In other news, the new fully-electric ID.4 will replace the eGolf as the brands small-EV option, and will lead the way in introducing the ID lineup to Canadian showrooms. The ID.4 is a four-door crossover, with a low roofline and a small footprint.The first ID model in Canada will be the production version of the I.D. Crozz concept. This one is planned for early 2021, said Tetzlaff.Next year, Europeans will get the even-smaller ID.3, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. Whether that vehicle will make it to Canada remains to be
Origin: Canada’s getting VW’s Mk. 8 Golf and ID.4 — even if the U.S. might not
U.S.
Ford comes to quick agreement with U.S. workers’ union
Gary Jones, president UAW International, (left) and Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, shake hands today at Ford World Headquarters to begin negotiations for the 2019 contract.Sam Varnhagen / Ford Ford has relatively quickly reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) in the United States, drawing a sharp contrast to the unions six-week strike at General Motors over contract bargaining there.In a statement, Ford said it has put together a proposed tentative agreement on a four-year contract with the union, but would not release any details. The UAW has 55,000 union members at Ford that must vote and ratify the deal before it takes effect.Ford and the union had been in preliminary talks prior to and during the GM strike, which ended last Saturday and is estimated to have cost that automaker about US$2.9 billion. Like other automakers, Ford faces an overall decline in U.S. and Canadian sales, as well as pressure to invest in autonomous technologies for cars that are still well in the future. In discussing its third-quarter 2019 earnings, Ford said it is also facing fourth-quarter headwinds of higher warranty costs, North American incentives that will be more generous than expected, and a drop in sales volumes in China. Uncertainties over commodities, tariffs and currency exchange could also affect its bottom line.In Canada, Ford will cut some 450 workers at its plant in Oakville, Ontario, its second round of layoffs at the facility this year. The latest cutbacks are blamed on the decision to end production of the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT, which are built at the Oakville plant. The workers are expected to be laid off early next year.Ford previously announced it will concentrate on trucks and SUVs rather than cars, and will soon be unveiling a new F-150, Super Duty and Bronco. It will keep the Mustang, of course, and is promising an innovative, Mustang-inspired battery-electric vehicle as well.Once the UAW votes on the Ford contract, it will move on to talks with Fiat Chrysler (FCA), although the automaker’s recent plan to merge with Europe’s PSA Group could disrupt what might otherwise have been equally-smooth
Origin: Ford comes to quick agreement with U.S. workers’ union
U.S. Democratic senator reveals US$462-billion program to get Americans into EVs
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference with other Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 22, 2019.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / Getty The U.S. Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, is moving Democrats climate talk to where the rubber meets the road, proposing a US$462-billion trade-in program to get millions of Americans out of climate-damaging gas vehicles and into electric or hybrid cars over the next decade.Schumers rebate proposal late Thursday joins a mix of trillion- and multi-trillion-dollar programs that Democratic presidential candidates have outlined to urgently cut oil, gas and coal emissions, as climate change weighs as an issue in the 2020 campaigns.Schumer said the proposal to bring clean cars to all of America would be a key part of climate legislation by Senate Democrats. The injection of government-supported spending for electric cars could position the U.S. to lead the world in clean auto manufacturing, he said.The New York Democrats plan would give American car buyers thousands of dollars each to trade in gas-burning cars for U.S.-assembled electric, hybrid or hydrogen cell cars. Lower-income households, and buyers of cars with American-made parts, would get extra credits.About US$45 billion would go to boost availability of charging stations and other electric car infrastructure. And US$17 billion would help automakers increase their production of electric cars, batteries and parts.He didnt outline how he would pay for the plan.Its the opposite direction of President Donald Trump, who has sought to boost U.S. oil and gas production, eliminate tax credits for electric cars, and has mocked electric cars outright. Some Republican lawmakers call the credits an unfair subsidy for what they depict as well-off electric vehicle owners.Schumer, who contends the scheme would create tens of thousands of jobs, pledged to introduce his clean-car program in Senate legislation should Democrats win control there next year.Climate change has become an issue in 2020 campaigns as never before in the United States. Even as polls show climate falling below other issues in terms of priority, an AP-NORC poll conducted earlier this year found that most Americans link worsening extreme weather to man-made global warming. Democrats are more likely than others to consider climate issues a high priority for the
Origin: U.S. Democratic senator reveals US$462-billion program to get Americans into EVs
Tentative contract shows U.S. union still has power, but members ready to work
Striking United Auto Workers members picket at the General Motors Lansing Parts and Warehouse for the fifth week of the strike on October 16, 2019 in Lansing, Michigan.Bill Pugliano / Getty On the picket lines at a General Motors transmission plant in Toledo, Ohio, passing cars honked and striking workers celebrated a tentative contract deal by munching on 10 pizzas dropped off by a supporter.They had carried signs for 31 days and demonstrated the muscle the United Auto Workers union still has over Detroits three manufacturers.Details of the four-year pact werent released, but GMs latest offer to end the monthlong strike included wage increases and lump-sum payments, top-notch health insurance at little cost to workers, promises of new products for many U.S. factories and a path to full-time work for temporary workers.Thats a big difference from what GM wanted going into the talks: to slash total labour costs at its factories, which are about US$13 per hour higher than at foreign automakers in the U.S.Terry Dittes, the UAWs chief bargainer with GM, said the deal offers major gains for 49,000 union workers who have been walking picket lines since Sept. 16. Theyll stay off work for at least a couple more days while union committees decide if they will bless the deal. Then workers will have to vote on it. The deal shows that the union, with less than one-third of the 1.5 million members it had at its peak in 1979, still has a lot of clout with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler.I think economically the UAW will do just fine in this agreement, said Art Schwartz, a former GM negotiator who now is a labour consultant in Michigan. The union certainly still has power in this industry.President Donald Trump called UAW President Gary Jones on Wednesday night, but union spokesperson Brian Rothenberg said he did not know what the men discussed.The strike immediately brought GMs U.S. factories to a halt, and within a week, started to hamper production in Mexico and Canada. Analysts estimated the stoppage cut GM vehicle production by 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles, and the costs to GM will hit around US$2 billion.Workers, on the other hand, lost north of $3,000 each on average, the difference between their base wages and $250 per week in strike pay from the union.Its nice to see theres a deal, but without knowing the details Im a little skeptical because we dont know the highlights or the lowlights, said worker Nick Kuhlman, who was among the strikers huddled around a burn barrel on a blustery, gray Toledo afternoon.I just hope it gets done, said Toledo worker Mark Nichols, who thought the strike would last only a week or two and was ready to get back to work because his savings are running low. Striking United Auto Workers members picket at the General Motors Lansing Parts and Warehouse for the fifth week of the strike on October 16, 2019 in Lansing, Michigan. Bill Pugliano / Getty GM apparently was able to close three of four factories that it wanted to shutter to get rid of excess capacity in slow-selling cars and components. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant will get a new electric pickup truck and stay open, but factories in Lordstown, Ohio; Warren, Michigan; and near Baltimore are to be closed. The Lordstown area will get an electric vehicle battery factory, but it wont have nearly as many workers as the assembly plant that for years made compact GM cars.The deal now will be used as a template for talks with GMs crosstown rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. Normally the major provisions carry over to the other two companies and cover about 140,000 auto workers nationwide. It wasnt clear which company the union would bargain with next, or whether there would be another strike.The strike had shut down 33 GM manufacturing plants in nine states across the U.S., and also took down factories in Canada and Mexico. It was the first national strike by the union since a two-day walkout in 2007, and the longest since a 54-day strike in Flint, Michigan in 1998 that also halted most of GMs
Origin: Tentative contract shows U.S. union still has power, but members ready to work
The U.S. gov’t is auctioning off Burt Reynolds’ customized Trans Am
Some 149 classic cars will be auctioned by federal U.S. Marshals this month in the wake of a court case that saw them seized from the owners of an Eastern California solar panel company. And a few of the lots are real gems that shine brighter than others.DC Solar, run by Jeff and Pauline Carpoff, allegedly scammed billionaire Warren Buffet and others out of US$800 million in a Ponzi scheme, says the courts.The cars were seized in December by the FBI.The most interesting car in the auction is a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am. According to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service, the vehicle was owned by Burt Reynolds himself as a memento of the car he drove in the movie Smokey and the Bandit. The vehicle only has 3,394 miles on the odometer.From the photos, we can tell the vehicle has been customized with larger aluminum wheels, which strongly suggests this was Burts personal Trans Am, the one modified with a 600-horsepower 8.2-litre V8.If it is indeed the same vehicle, that means when Jeff or Pauline Carpoff bought it at auction, they actually got to shake hands with the Bandit himself. The vehicle was last sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, where it fetched US$275,000. This could be a chance to get yourself a real bargain!Its the largest single car collection weve ever sold, according to Marshals Services Lynzey Donahue. Proceeds from the auction will be held until the court case resolves, and the judge determines where they will
Origin: The U.S. gov’t is auctioning off Burt Reynolds’ customized Trans Am
Incoming U.S. regulations mean Teslas could fart at you
Tesla Model 3 Starting September 2020, electric vehicles sold in the U.S. will be required to make an artificial noise while traveling under 30 km/h, for the safety of pedestrians who may otherwise not hear the near-silent vehicles.While most car companies will probably fit their EVs with some kind of whirring or fake engine noise, its well-noted Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks normal is just a setting on a washing machine.That explains why Musk said in a Tweet that Tesla vehicles will be able to make much more fun noises, like coconuts being used to imitate horse clip-clops; goat bleats; and, er farts.💨 🐐 sounds too (also, of course) Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 6, 2019The coconuts mention is a reference Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail; in the dry British comedy, King Arthurs servant clicks two coconut half-shells together in lieu of Arthur riding a real horse. As for the farts, were not sure theres a real impetus for their inclusion, other than the fact theyre hilarious, as are goats bleating.The feature was added to the Model 3 last month, and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently proposed new rules that would allow the customization of the sounds used. On top of these heads-up noises, Tesla car horn sounds may similarly be made customizable, The Verge reports. Laws vary state to state, but most suggest as long as the horn can be heard from 200 feet away and arent an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle, youre okay.That theoretically means you can make your car fart constantly or on command win-win!While everybody is having fun in North America, it seems like the Europeans will have to do with much more boring options, as usual. While their rules will come into place in 2021, they state electric vehicles should sound similar to the sound of a vehicle of the same category equipped with an internal combustion engine, prompting us to make a fart of a different
Origin: Incoming U.S. regulations mean Teslas could fart at you
U.S. trend: Porsche owners trading in their cars for Jeeps
Its a Porsche thing you wouldnt understand. If that marketing tagline sounds a little familiar, so will the brand of vehicle many Americans who own Boxsters and Caymans are buying once its time to trade in their German sports cars.No, theyre not moving into BMWs or Audis, or even Teslas, according to Klaus Zellmer, Porsche North America CEO.The exec apparently told Autoblog that Boxster and Cayman owners who dont go straight into another Porsche product are most likely to opt for a Jeep Wrangler.It seems the executives in Germany just about lost their lederhosen when Zellmer told them about the buying habits of those crazy Americans, who are more than willing to go from Porsche precision to one of the roughest-riding sport-utes on the market. Autoblog suspects its because these folks primarily bought their low-slung Porsche sports cars as the familys third vehicle and only for its fun factor and once the lease is up, theyre out to try the next driving adventure on the bucket list.We think the blogs on to something. As it says, just as with the Boxster, you can still get a Wrangler with a
Origin: U.S. trend: Porsche owners trading in their cars for Jeeps
U.S. workers’ union starts first strike against GM in 12 years
Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) who are employed at the General Motors Flint Assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, slow down salary employees entering the plant as they strike early on September 16, 2019.Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty The United Auto Workers union is leading its first strike against General Motors in 12 years, digging in for a fight over jobs and benefits that could cost the carmaker dearly.The strike that took effect at midnight may cost GM about US$50 million a day in earnings before interest and taxes due to lost production, Dan Levy, an analyst at Credit Suisse, said Sunday.While GM touted an offer to invest in plants across the U.S. and boost wages and benefits, UAW leadership has been rocked by a corruption scandal and needs to show willingness to bring the fight to an automaker thats been scaling back its workforce.The union is playing some hardball. It seems they are pretty far apart, said Kristin Dziczek, vice-president of the labor and economics group at the Center for Automotive Research. GMs offer still doesnt address some of the unions demands.GM has offered US$7 billion of investment in eight U.S. plants and more than 5,400 additional jobs, most of which would be new hires. But the union said GMs proposal fell short in key areas including health care, use of temporary workers and the length of time it takes for shorter-tenured members to get to top-scale pay.The union is seeking pay raises for entry-level workers, who currently start at less than US$20 an hour, and to get them to the peak wage of almost US$30 an hour in three or four years, instead of the current period of eight years.Going into this bargaining season, our members have been very clear about what they will and will not accept from this contract, UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said at a press conference on Sunday.Temporary employees and those working their way up the pay scale are doing the same work for less compensation, said Ted Krumm, the head of the unions bargaining committee. We are fighting for the future of the middle class, he said. GM countered that it made the union a generous offer to invest in factories in four states, including a new vehicle in the Detroit-Hamtramck sedan plant that had been slated to end production in January.In Lordstown, Ohio, where GM has idled the factory that once had three shifts of workers making Chevrolet Cruze compact cars, the automaker plans to set up the first union-represented electric-car battery plant in the U.S. There are also four electric trucks coming that other UAW plants will build.GM offered workers a signing bonus of US$8,000 per member if they ratify the deal, plus wage gains or lump-sum payments in all four years of the contract. The carmaker says its offering to keep members health-care contributions the same as in the current contract.The walkout will be just the second national work stoppage at GM since a 67-day strike in 1970. GM did have a 54-day strike at a key plant in Flint, Michigan, in 1998 that effectively shut down most of its assembly
Origin: U.S. workers’ union starts first strike against GM in 12 years
GM expands Sierra, Silverado brake-issue recall to 3.4 million trucks in U.S.
2016 Chevrolet Silverado Under pressure from the U.S. federal government, General Motors is recalling roughly 3.46 million big pickup trucks and SUVs Stateside to fix a brake problem.The roughly 300,000 trucks affected in Canada were already recalled this past summer.The recall covers the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2014 through 2018 model years.Also included are the Cadillac Escalade from 2015 to 2017, and the GMC Yukon and Chevy Suburban and Tahoe from 2015 through 2018.GM says that as it ages, the pump in the power-assist brakes can put out less vacuum power than needed, increasing stopping distance and the risk of a crash.The recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the problem in November of last year.Dealers will recalibrate the electronic brake control module at no cost to customers. Owners were to be notified starting Sept. 6.NHTSA, the U.S. governments road safety agency, began investigating the problem last year after getting 111 complaints from owners of poor brake performance. At the time the agency had nine reports of crashes that had caused two injuries.GM says the problems occur rarely and mostly at low speeds like driving in parking lots. Even with the problem, the brakes continue to function and exceed the requirements of the appropriate federal motor vehicle safety standard, GM spokesman Dan Flores said.The vacuum pump is lubricated with engine oil that flows through a filter screen. In some of the trucks, oil sludge or other debris can clog the screen, reducing oil flow and causing the pumps vacuum output to drop, Flores said.The trucks, he said, have a secondary power brake assist system which works when there are problems with the main system, but it is limited at lower speeds. The reprogramming will activate the secondary system faster.GM isnt replacing the pumps because pump failures are rare and already are covered by an extended warranty, Flores said. This remedy will improve brake performance in any situation where brake vacuum drops, he
Origin: GM expands Sierra, Silverado brake-issue recall to 3.4 million trucks in U.S.
VW to pay US$97 million, restate mileage on U.S. gas-powered cars
A staff member cleans the logo of a SUV VW Touareg on display ahead of the annual general meeting of German carmaker Volkswagen, in Berlin on May 3, 2018.Tobias Schwarz / Getty Images Volkswagen will revise fuel economy labels on several gasoline-powered models and pay US$96.5 million to drivers after an investigation discovered software that could optimize efficiency during government tests but not during real-world driving.A joint investigation between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board discovered the automaker had equipped roughly 1 million vehicles with transmission software that causes gear shifts during EPA prescribed test conditions in a way that sometimes optimizes fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions during the test, but not under normal driving conditions, the agency said in a statement.In 2015, the company admitted to rigging diesel vehicles to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. After putting aside some US$32 billion to settle lawsuits and pay damages, the automaker faces further claims from disgruntled investors and customers tied to that scandal.The most recent investigation found that transmission software reduced the fuel economy on about 98,000 gasoline-powered vehicles by 1 mile per gallon, according to the EPA. Volkswagen will forfeit emissions credits for the under-reporting, the agency said.Affected models are several sedans and SUVs from model years 2013 through 2017 sold by Volkswagen in U.S. under the VW, Audi, Porsche and Bentley brands. Separately, VW said it would reimburse drivers of the vehicles with faulty mileage ratings as part of a US$96.5 million settlement with private plaintiffs, the company said Friday. The company will pay customers US$5.40 to US$24.30 for each month of owning or leasing vehicle, the company said.Volkswagen is committed to providing customers with transparent fuel economy data for our vehicles, in line with U.S. labeling requirements, Pietro Zollino, a spokesman for Volkswagen Group of America, said in a
Origin: VW to pay US$97 million, restate mileage on U.S. gas-powered cars
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