MOTORING NEWS - VW and its joint ventures with Chinese partners FAW and SAIC will start withdrawing 4,86-million vehicles fitted with potentially faulty air bags made by Japan's bankrupt air bag company Takata by March 2018.
Chinese authorities announced that Volkswagen will recall almost five million vehicles in China over airbag concerns - a new blow to the German automaker in the world's largest car market.
The announcement came just 10 days after VW and its local partners agreed to recall 1,82-million vehicles owing to a faulty fuel pump.
In March, Volkswagen recalled nearly 680 000 premium Audis in China over defects in coolant pumps that could lead to engine fires and another 572 000 due to potential problems arising from leaks in the sunroof.
The latest recall involves vehicles built between 2005 and 2017, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
Of the vehicles being recalled, more than 4,7-million units were made in Chinese factories and 103 573 are imports.
Takata has recalled some 100-million airbags produced for some of the largest automakers, including about 70-million in the US, due to the risk that they could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.
The defect has been linked to 16 deaths and scores of injuries worldwide. China is a crucial market for VW, which sold nearly four million vehicles in the world's biggest auto market last year.
Porsche our of Le Mans
The manufacturer Porsche, which recently confirmed its participation in the FIA LMP1-H World Endurance Championship up to the end of the 2018 season and which has been actively involved in the development of the technical regulations that will come into force in 2020, has just announced the withdrawal of its LMP1 hybrids from the end of the 2017 season.
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, promoter of the WEC and organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, regrets this departure, as it does the abruptness of the decision from one of endurance racing's most successful and lauded manufacturers.
However, the ACO and the FIA, guardians of the existence and quality of the FIA World Endurance championship, have immediately set to work to put forward to everyone involved in endurance racing the outline of the 2018 season - a season which promises to be quite exceptional thanks to the introduction of innovations.
Clearly, stability and the reduction of costs, but also inventiveness and audacity, will be vital in making it possible to stage an increasingly spectacular and attractive championship with the sport of endurance racing at the forefront. This unprecedented 2018 World Championship is expected to excite competitors, partners and fans of endurance racing alike.
Honda Technology
Honda has confirmed that electrified technology will now feature in every new car model launched in Europe.
The announcement was made by Honda Motor Co. President and CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, during his conference speech at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Hachigo-san made the commitment as he unveiled Honda's new electric vehicle, the Urban EV Concept. "This is not some vision of the distant future; a production version of this car will be available in Europe in 2019," he said, confirming that the concept is set to become a reality within two years.
Honda's Urban EV Concept is built on a completely new platform, and showcases advanced technology within a simple and sophisticated design. The Honda emblem on the concept is backlit in blue, which previews a new styling feature for the company's future EVs.
At a global level, Honda aims to have electrified technology in two-thirds of its new car sales by 2030. In Europe, the target year is 2025, as interest is particularly strong.
"Here in Europe, we see this move towards electrification gathering pace at an even higher rate than elsewhere," Hachigo-san commented, adding that Europe was therefore particularly appropriate for the global premiere of the "next step" in Honda's "Electric Vision" strategy.
Philip Ross, senior vice president of Honda Motor Europe, followed Hachigo-san by introducing the new CR-V Hybrid Prototype. "On sale from 2018, this vehicle will be the first Honda hybrid SUV sold in Europe," he said.
The CR-V Hybrid powertrain delivers real-world efficiency and effortless driveability. The i-MMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) two-motor system does not need a conventional transmission - instead, a more compact multi-mode unit with a single fixed-gear ratio seamlessly delivers torque to the wheels.
Ross also announced the new Honda Power Manager Concept, a fully integrated energy transfer system that can distribute electricity to and from the main grid, as well as directing power flow from renewable sources and managing the interaction of an electric vehicle battery connected to the home.
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