1987 Suzuki Samurai 4x4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Autoblog Minute: VW Q3 financial woes, 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

Consumer Reports pulls its Tesla recommendation, the U.S. Copyright Office offers a ruling affecting car owners, VW gets hit hard with third-quarter losses, and lots of exciting news from Tokyo. Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Consumer Reports pulls its Tesla recommendation, the U.S. copyright office offers a ruling that affects car owners and gear heads, VW gets hit hard with third-quarter losses, and lots of exciting news from Tokyo. I'm senior editor Greg Migliore and this is your Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. After a week away testing vehicles for Autoblog's Tech of the Year award, we're back in the office to recap the week in automotive news. [00:00:30] One of the things you might have missed was Consumer Reports pulling its recommendation of Tesla's Model S sedan. The blemish for Tesla comes after a tally of reviews from customer surveys. The most common problem areas for the Model S as cited by survey takers included: the drivetrain, power equipment, charging equipment, body and sunroof squeaks, rattles, and leaks. So lots of stuff. Though they could not ignore a score of "worse-than-average", Consumer Reports still [00:01:00] highlighted the fact that the Model S was "the best performing car" they've ever tested. Telsa CEO Elon Musk took to social media to defend his sedans saying: "Consumer Reports reliability survey includes a lot of early production cars. Already addressed in new cars." And, "Tesla gets top rating of any company in service. Most important, CR says 97% of owners expect their next car to be a Tesla (the acid test)." In Financial news, Volkswagen took a hit and reported an operating loss of [00:01:30] $3.84 billion. This is the first such loss for VW in 15 years. Toyota reclaimed the crown as the world's largest automaker as well. It's important that it's not all doom and gloom for VW though in Q3. Sales revenues were up and the company's automotive division boasts $30 billion dollars in liquid assets. It's a sizable war chest that will no doubt come in handy, as the company has yet to feel the full brunt of the diesel emissions scandal. Good news for gear heads. The US copyright office [00:02:00] ruled in favor of mechanics and car owners by granting an exception to existing copyright law. The law was originally meant to prevent software pirating and bootlegging of Hollywood movies.

Suzuki: 'No comment' on returning to the U.S. with the Jimny

It is impossible not to love the Suzuki Jimny. A prototypical cute ute, with equal parts cuteness and utility, it not only defined its segment, it became a cult classic. Now, it's back, but unfortunately unlikely to come to the American market as the Jimny, Samurai or anything else. "We have no comment on the Jimny or Suzuki returning to the U.S. market," says Nathalie Geslin, a spokesperson for Suzuki in France, from the floor of the Paris Motor Show, where the adorable Jimny made its recent premiere. "For that you'll have to ask Suzuki headquarters in Japan." In France, this is what is known as Le Brushoff. Geslin did confirm that, in the markets around the world where the Jimny will appear, it will be available only in one spec: an adaptable, RWD/AWD, closed hardtop with a manual transmission with available Low range, and powered by a 102-horsepower 1.5-liter gasoline engine. "Suzuki has eliminated diesel motors from their whole range," she said, a notable move and a trend flowing from the fuel's immutable high particulate and noxious gas emissions, and growing global sensitivity to their effects. Actually, she tells us, there will be one other spec. "In the Japanese market, there will be a Kei Car version, an actual smaller Kei Car, which means it will be powered by a motor of less than 600cc." Just 1,500 of these cars are expected to be sold in the French market, mainly to people who, according to Geslin, are not off-reading aficionados, but "People who go off-roading in their normal life, who live in the mountains or work in an area with rugged conditions." This sounds to us like a description of every small-scale goat cheese producer in the White Mountains in rural Vermont, every boutique mountainside vintner in Sonoma county, every yellow micro-beet farmer in the Wisconsin Dells. And all of us who live in four-season climates and love the outdoors but think a Jeep is perfect except that it's a third too large. Like the Jeep, the Jimny is retro cool without being retro. It is just itself. And we need it. If it takes only 1,500 potential buyers in France to allow it to be sold there, how many does that translate to in America? If all of us start emailing Suzuki headquarters every day to beg for it, maybe we can find out. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Suzuki iK-2 and iM-4 concepts suggest future style

Suzuki might no longer sell cars in the US, but the Japanese brand is showing that it's still vibrant in the rest of the world by unveiling two concepts at the Geneva Motor Show. The models also debut some the company's future technology and preview the look of upcoming production vehicles. The iK-2 Concept (top) foreshadows a future compact hatchback, and Suzuki is clear that a production version is due to arrive in Europe in 2016. Its styling is a flowing take on the traditional five-door hatchback, especially around the front fenders. More importantly, the model also rides on the Japanese brand's next-gen platform that promises to be lighter, more rigid, offer better efficiency and improve safety. Power comes from the new Boosterjet engine, but despite the speedy name, it's a 1.0-liter, direct-injected, turbocharged three-cylinder. A mild hybrid system is also going to be offered on the iK-2, but outputs for the powertrains aren't specified yet. The more interesting of the pair visually is the Suzuki iM-4 Concept (pictured inset) that imagines a simple, mini offroader, possibly a replacement for the Jimny. It's on the same platform as the iK-2 but with a much higher ride height and quirky styling. The grille and headlight configuration take inspiration from a pair of sunglasses, Suzuki claims. The model also features broad, fairly unadorned surfaces and short overhangs. The whole look just gives the impression of a little mountain goat ready to go anywhere. Power goes to all four-wheels thanks to a 1.2-liter engine and mild hybrid system. With Suzuki long gone from the US, your best chance to look at the brand's latest concepts might be to check out our live galleries from the Geneva show. iK-2 – SUZUKI'S NEW COMPACT HATCHBACK CONCEPT The smartest compact car developed by pursuit of compact hatchback ideals to a new even higher level for Suzuki Excellent design and utility integrated into a single package Design theme of "Liquid Flow", elegant design with flowing lines suggestive of an energetic movement of liquid Built around a new-generation platform and equipped with BOOSTERJET engine Production model to be released in Europe in 2016 Making its global debut at the 85th Geneva Motor Show, Suzuki Motor Corporationreveals its new compact hatchback concept car, the iK-2. The iK-2, the smartest compact car, offers all the elements expected in a car of this size.