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US expands probe into ZF-TRW airbag failure-to-deploy to 12.3 million vehicles

DETROIT — U.S. auto safety regulators have expanded an investigation into malfunctioning airbag controls to include 12.3 million vehicles because the bags may not inflate in a crash. The problem could be responsible for as many as eight deaths. Vehicles made by Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Fiat Chrysler from the 2010 through 2019 model years are included in the probe, which was revealed Tuesday in documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It involves airbag control units made by ZF-TRW that were installed in the vehicles. The control units can fail in a crash, possibly because of unwanted electrical signals produced by the crash itself that can disable an air bag control circuit housed in the passenger compartment, according to NHTSA documents. The electrical signals can damage the control circuit, the documents say. ZF, a German auto parts maker which acquired TRW Automotive in 2015, said in a statement that it's committed to safety and is cooperating with NHTSA and automakers in the investigation. The case is another in a long list of problems with auto industry airbags, including faulty and potentially deadly Takata airbag inflators. At least 24 people have been killed worldwide and more than 200 injured by the inflators, which can explode with too much force and hurl dangerous shrapnel into the passenger cabin. The inflators touched off the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history involving with as many as 70 million inflators to be recalled by the end of next year. About 100 million inflators are to be recalled worldwide. On April 19, NHTSA upgraded the ZF-TRW probe from a preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis, which is a step closer toward seeking recalls. So far, only Hyundai and Kia and Fiat Chrysler have issued recalls in the case. Four deaths that may have been caused by the problem were reported in Hyundai-Kia vehicles and three in Fiat Chrysler automobiles. NHTSA opened an investigation in March of 2017 involving the TRW parts in Hyundais and Kias. The upgrade came after investigators found two recent serious crashes involving 2018 and 2019 Toyota Corollas in which the airbags did not inflate. One person was killed. Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit consumer group, said the ZF-TRW case shows the auto industry thus far has learned very little from Takata.

Mitsubishi Electric unveils Emirai 4 autonomous EV concept for Tokyo

Mitsubishi Electric – a separate arm from Mitsubishi Motors ­– specializes in electronics. That includes things like air conditioning and refrigerators, but also covers a number of automotive systems and parts ranging from engine control units to power steering to electrification products. Now, Mitsubishi Electric is putting that expertise to use in the field of future mobility, unveiling an entire concept car, called the Emirai 4, for the Tokyo Motor Show. The Emirai 4 is electric, and can switch between normal and autonomous driving. It has a head-up display that uses augmented reality, powered by high-accuracy 3D mapping and positioning tech, to emphasize lane markings, making them more visible at night or in lousy weather. A central display is equipped with a sliding knob that can be assigned various functions, and is intended to help the driver keep their eyes on the road. The car is also equipped with a driver sensing system. It uses an interior camera to monitor the driver and passenger by detecting head position and posture. It can alert the driver to unsafe driving, respond to the driver or passenger's individual conditions to make them more comfortable, and aids in providing a smooth transition between autonomous and manual driving modes. The Emirai 4 also features an intelligent lighting system that detects when someone is going to open the door. That way, it can project an image onto the road and light up an alert on the rear of the car to alert passersby, hopefully preventing a collision with the door buy a pedestrian, cyclist, or another motorist. We'll be at the Tokyo Motor Show, so we'll be able to dig a little deeper into how these systems work (and get some better photos) when we see the Emirai 4 in person. This won't be the only concept bearing the Mitsubishi name at the Tokyo Motor Show. Mitsubishi Motors is planning its own unveiling of an electric vehicle called the e-Evolution. That all-wheel-drive SUV uses artificial intelligence to improve your driving skills. Mitsubishi has been teasing the e-Evolution, which borrows its name from the hardcore Lancer we all know and love, and it will get its full reveal next week. Related Video:

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV gets major powertrain updates, Geneva reveal

Mitsubishi will put seven of its wares on display during press days at the Geneva Motor Show, the headliner being an updated 2019 Outlander PHEV. Engineers have upgraded the entire hybrid powertrain, starting with the switch from a 2.0-liter Otto cycle gas engine to a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle gas engine. Mitsubishi hasn't revealed output numbers, but the carmaker promises "higher torque, smoother operation, and overall higher efficiency." Generator output, rear motor output, and lithium-ion drive battery output all go up by 10 percent, and battery capacity gets a 15 percent boost. Going off the specs on the Mitsubishi Cars site, that would take the rear motor up to 66 kWh and the battery capacity from 12 kWh to 13.8 kWh. Along with the extra battery output, the 2019 Outlander PHEV should be expected to switch into EV mode more often, and stay there longer. Two drive modes join the current programming, Sport and Snow sidling up with Normal and 4WD Lock. One must look closely to note the exterior revisions, almost all of which are up front: a new graphic on the front grille, new LED headlights, rectangular foglight bezels, and a more prominent front skid plate. A "more elaborate" two-tone, 18-inch wheel shakes things up along the flanks, a larger rear spoiler holds things down out back. We probably won't get a look at the interior until Geneva, but "new quilted fine leather upholstery, all-new hip-hugging front seats, revised switchgear, a new instrument panel, new trimming, rear A/C outlets, and more" await us. The new Outlander PHEV gets to Europe in late 2018, likely greeted with the same fever that's seen the SUV move 100,000 units there in three years. Related Video: