A security guard stands under an umbrella at an Audi car seller in Shanghai on August 6, 2014.Johannes Eisele / Getty Images A couple in China is being sued by a car dealership after their daughter scratched the paint of more than 10 new vehicles sitting in the showroom.According to 7news Australia, the couple was accompanying their friend who was visiting the dealership, and brought along their three-year-old daughter. It wasnt until after they left that they found out their daughter had taken a stone and drawn into the paint of 10 new cars, including an Audi Q8.The father, referred to in reports only as Mr. Zhao, is being sued for 200,000 Chinese Yuan (CDN$37,500), according to the Lingui Peoples Court.The dealership says the vehicles can no longer be sold as new cars as a result of the damage, and that it may reevaluate the assessment if the vehicles values are found to have depreciated after their respray. If the dealership tried to still sell them as new cars, they could be sued for false advertising, and would have to compensate triple the purchase price if found guilty so it would rather not take that chance. The vehicles, although new, will have to be sold as used. According to the court, Mr. Zhao rejected the 200,000 RMB demand, but ended up reaching a settlement with the dealership of about 70,000 RMB (around CDN$13,000).The silver lining is that somebody out there is going to get a great deal on an Audi with fresh
Origin: Dad sued after toddler draws on dealer’s new Audis with a rock
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Mercedes-Benz updates lineup with refreshed entry-level GLA
Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 4MATIC (Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert 7,5-7,4 l/100 km, CO2-Emissionen kombiniert 171-170 g/km) // Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 4MATIC (combined fuel consumption 7.5-7.4 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions 171-170 g/km) Mercedes-Benz is updating its lineup with the introduction of the refreshed 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA, the entry-level SUV in the brands successful family of SUVs.The new Mercedes-Benz GLA is ten centimetres taller than its predecessor, to offer more headroom for the driver and passenger; legroom has been improved in the rear as well.The rear seats can be moved fore and aft, and the bench is a 40-20-40 split-folding type.The front section of the GLA is upright, while the overhangs have been made shorter to allow for more off-road prowess, while simultaneously making it easier to park. The wheelbase has been lengthened to 2,729 millimetres, 30 more than the previous generation. Under the hood of the GLA is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 221 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is sent to either the front or all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.Opt for the AMG 35 version of the GLA, and that powerplant delivers 302 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission for the A35 is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, which helps it get to 100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds. Top speed is an electronically limited 250 km/h. All versions of the vehicle have a fun party trick carried over from the full-sized GLS called Car Wash Mode, which folds the mirrors and closes all the windows, including the sunroof, and also turns off the rain-sensing wipers so they arent triggered by the water.The GLA is set to arrive in Canada by summer of
Origin: Mercedes-Benz updates lineup with refreshed entry-level GLA
Pod Point partners with PSA Group for home EV charging
Pod Point partners with PSA Group for home EV charging Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, and DS buyers will be offered Pod Point units Peugeot, Citroen, DS Automobiles, and Vauxhall have signed an EV charge point partnership deal with Pod Point, with the EV charging specialists set to be the exclusive supplier for all PSA Group brands in the UK. Three new pure-electric models are available to order now and due for delivery early next year, with the Peugeot e-208, Vauxhall Corsa-e, and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense all providing a range of more than 200 miles on a charge. Buyers of the 50 kWh models will be offered a charge point from Pod Point as part of the buying process, and the first 500 retail customers will get a free, fully-installed home charger. As well as the three EVs, the PSA Group brands are set offer the Peugeot e-2008 as another pure-electric model, plus PHEVs in the shape of the Peugeots 3008 Hybrid & Hybrid4, 508 Hybrid, and 508 SW Hybrid. DS Automobiles has the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense available, and Vauxhall will offer its Grandland X in Hybrid4 PHEV specification. Pod Point units bought through the PSA Group dealer network will come with an extended five year warranty, and Pod Point will also work with the group’s leasing arm – Free2Move Lease – as its preferred charging provider.
Origin: Pod Point partners with PSA Group for home EV charging
Canadian gov’t will charge VW with violating environment law via emissions tests
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 The federal government is charging Volkswagen for allegedly importing cars into Canada that company executives knew violated emissions standards.The German automaker faces 58 charges for violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act for bringing 128,000 cars into Canada with illegal emissions between 2008 and 2015.The company faces another two charges for providing misleading information.Canadas case against Volkswagen comes more than four years after the company admitted to installing software on 11 million cars worldwide to trick emissions-testing equipment into concluding the cars ran more cleanly than they actually did.Volkswagen pleaded guilty to charges in the case in the United States in March 2017 and was fined more than $4.3 billion.The companys first court appearance on the Canadian charges is to take place
Origin: Canadian gov’t will charge VW with violating environment law via emissions tests
Chevrolet Suburban first vehicle with star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
CHEVROLET SUBURBAN RECOGNIZED BY FILM INDUSTRY, GETS HOLLYWOOD STAR.Chevrolet The Chevrolet Suburban SUV has just earned itself a major award for its work not on the pavement, but on the silver screen.Usually its humans who get their names shown off on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but its impossible not to recognize the contribution Chevys carry-all hauler has made to the film industry.When a convoy of black Suburbans appears on screen, you know thats not the time to leave your seat to buy popcorn, points out Dennis McCarthy, Hollywood picture car coordinator.His dossier includes big-budget films like The Avengers, Black Panther, and a few Fast and Furious installments.The Suburban first debuted on screen in 1952, and since then its appeared in over 1,750 TV shows and films. Since 1956, a Suburban has been in at least one TV show per year, and at least one film per year since 1960.The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded the honor to the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban nameplates, though the star only names the Suburban. More than its role in films, the Suburban also gets recognition for having the longest-running vehicle nameplate in history, dating all the way back to 1935.The nameplate will continue for the foreseeable future, with an all-new version (along with a new Tahoe) to be unveiled soon, perhaps with independent rear
Origin: Chevrolet Suburban first vehicle with star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
Ford partners with McDonald’s to create car parts made of coffee
Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s USA will soon be giving vehicles a caffeine boost by using part of a familiar staple in the morning routine, coffee beans, in vehicle parts such as headlamp housing.Ford Cars and coffee? Its usually a gathering of car folks that takes place on the weekend, early in the morning. But that aint the kind of cars-meet-coffee crossover Fords researchers are interested in.The automaker is instead, believe it or not, teaming up with McDonalds to turn the restaurants coffee bean waste into car parts, to help reduce Fords carbon footprint.The parts are made of coffee chaff, which is the dried skin of the coffee beans that naturally falls off during the process of roasting them. Chaff is usually used for garden mulch, but through an innovative process, Ford thinks its able to turn them into reinforcing material for plastic.The chaff is heated under pressure in a low-oxygen environment, and mixed with other materials to create pellets that can be formed into car components. Headlight housings and other interior and underhood components could be made from the material. The bioplastic made from the chaff is up to 20 per cent lighter and uses 25 per cent less energy to mold. The heat properties of the chaff are also better than the components that Ford currently uses.A lighter car that uses less energy to build will help Ford reach its targeted CO2 emissions reductions, as well as better its fuel economy ratings.So next time you pull up to a cars and coffee event in your Mustang and somebody offers you a hot cup of joe, tell them youve already got one under the hood. Then get a regular coffee, before they look at you
Origin: Ford partners with McDonald’s to create car parts made of coffee
Jaguar boosts IPace efficiency with system tweaks
Jaguar boosts I-Pace efficiency with system tweaks Improvements have come from developments on the racing Jaguar Jaguar has rolled-out a range of updates to its I-Pace range, which see the pure-electric model’s range improved by up to 12 miles on a single charge. The improvements have come about thanks to technical knowledge gained from the I-Pace e-Trophy single-make race series. Battery management, thermal systems, and all-wheel drive torque settings have all been tweaked. The changes will be implemented on all new I-Pace models going forward, and existing customers are being invited to have the improvements retro-fitted to their models. The upgrade is complimentary, and enhanced over-the-air software upgrade functionality will be added at the same time. This means that the I-Pace now has a range of up to 292 miles (WLTP), despite no physical changes being made to the car’s hardware. Jaguar has changed the torque distribution between front and rear motors to offer greater efficiency in Eco mode. The I-Pace retains its permanent all-wheel drive status however. Thermal management improvements see greater use made of the active radiator vanes, closing them more frequently to smooth out aerodynamics more often. The car’s usable battery capacity has been improved too, allowing the I-Pace to run down to a lower state-of-charge than previously. Again, the gross capacity of 90 kWh remains, but the net capacity has been increased. Jaguar has also worked on the brake energy recuperation system to use regen more efficiently when the battery has a high state of charge, and the amount of energy recovery has been increased at lower speeds for a similar effect. Finally, the predictive range calculation algorithm has been refined for a more accurate and consistent estimate, one more reflective of the driving style. Performance figures remain the same, with a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds possible, while recharging is still possible at 100 kW on ultra-rapid points.
Origin: Jaguar boosts IPace efficiency with system tweaks
Burning BMW extinguished with – yech! – liquid human waste
A Russian driver whose newer BMW SUV caught fire was lucky we guess? a passing sewage truck was able to extinguish the blaze using, ugh, liquefied human waste.The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road when the driver (we assume on his way to drop the kids off at the pool) noticed his SUVs engine bay filling with smoke. Thats when the proverbial s*** really hit the fan.Luckily, the driver of a tanker truck nearby was able to offer some help. The tanker could have been filled with anything but gasoline and still effectively snuff the blaze water, milk, ginger ale, anything.Nope. Our poor BMW drivers luck came with a caveat, that the nearby truck dealt in waste disposal, and the tank was filled with you guessed it human feces. Yknow, maybe gasoline would have been better after all?The BMW owner, seemingly left with no choice, okayed the truck driver to aim his hose at the vehicle and let it rip. The BMW X6, already infamous for looking like crap, received a healthy dose of deuce to douse the flames.As the vehicle continued to spew smoke out of the engine bay, the driver attempted to open the hood so the truck driver could really let the poo fly. Eventually the fire was put out, thanks to your friendly neighbourhood waste disposal guy.Video of the extinguishings garnered the attention of more than 43,000 people, many of whom were likely sitting on the toilet themselves while they watched. Some 7,000 comments were also posted, most proclaiming they would have just let the vehicle burn.If you were standing by watching your car burn, what would you prefer? To have your whole vehicle smattered with scat, or to watch it burn to the ground? Either way, this BMW is toast.Take Our Poll
Origin: Burning BMW extinguished with – yech! – liquid human waste
Used EV values increasing with demand
Used EV values increasing with demand The price of a used Renault Zoe is actually climbing Demand for electric cars is seeing used values increasing, according to new analysis by CarGurus. While petrol and diesel models have depreciated between January 2017 and November 2019, EVs have seen appreciating values. Looking at the four most searched for electric models on the company’s site – BMW’s i3, the Nissan Leaf, Renault’s Zoe, and the Tesla Model S – prices either rose or remained level for months at a time. In most cases, they significantly out-performed the most searched for petrol and diesel equivalents over the same period. The average asking price for a used 2015 Renault Zoe increased by 18% between January 2017 to November 2019, from £6,425 to £7,612. To compare, the Ford Fiesta of the same age decreased by 22% from £9,165 to £7,160 over the same period. BMW i3 values increased by 1% based on 2014 examples, while petrol or diesel Mini hatchbacks by comparison fell by 14%, both since the start of the year. A 2015 Nissan Leaf sees an average drop in value of just 9% from January 2017 at £10,438. Same age petrol or diesel VW Golf models dropped by 17% over the same period. Many drivers are changing to electric cars, and now the market has been around for a around nine years, there are a number of used models available – which wasn’t the case even a few years ago. With used models seeing a far lower purchase price but the same low running costs, it’s easy to see the appeal of a used electric car.
Origin: Used EV values increasing with demand
Volkswagen electrifies classic Type 2 with e-Golf powertrain
Volkswagen of America has unveiled an electric version of the iconic Type 2 Microbus, fitted with the 134bhp powertrain from the e-Golf. The conversion was undertaken in collaboration with EV West, a Californian electric car specialist, with the aim of “showcasing the possibilities of the e-Golf powertrain to motivate classic VW models”. The van is visually unmodified, sporting its original raised stance, two-tone paint and minimalist interior, with obvious changes limited to the addition of a charging port behind the fuel filler flap and removal of the 59bhp air-cooled four-cylinder petrol engine. The e-Golf powertrain has been carried over largely unmodified, with Volkswagen claiming that the Type 2’s independent rear suspension setup “makes a perfect mate to the transverse driveline”. While the e-Golf achieves a WLTP-certified range of 144 miles, the converted Type 2 is said to be capable of only 125 miles, due to its increased weight and lower drag coefficient. The van’s four-speed manual gearbox has been removed to make way for the e-Golf’s single-speed unit, with the 35.8kWh battery housed in specially designed fireproof boxes under the front seats, where the fuel tank once sat. Volkswagen will also replace the Type 2’s analogue gauge cluster with digital dials to better allow the driver to monitor outputs and states of charge. In September, Volkswagen revealed an electric Beetle Cabriolet, created by conversion firm eClassics and powered by the 81bhp powertrain from the
Origin: Volkswagen electrifies classic Type 2 with e-Golf powertrain
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