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VW and Audi recall Tiguan and Q5 to replace Takata inflators

The Basics: Volkswagen and Audi will recall 734 examples of the 2015 Tiguan with production dates between January 15, 2015, and January 21, 2015, and the 2015 Q5 built between January 13, 2015, and February 3, 2015. The Problem: The vehicles have driver and passenger seat side airbag inflators from Takata that could rupture in a crash. Injuries/Deaths: A side airbag ruptured in a 2015 Tiguan in June 2015, and the driver sustained slight injuries under the left arm. The person didn't need to seek medical attention, Audi spokesperson Mark Clothier told Autoblog. This is the only reported injury. The Fix: VW and Audi dealers will replace the side airbag modules. If You Own One: VW and Audi will advise owners about the recall but don't yet know specifically when repairs begin. RECALL Subject : Seat-Mounted Air Bag Inflators May Rupture Report Receipt Date: JAN 28, 2016 NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V045000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 734 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) AUDI Q5 2015 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN 2015 Details Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. SUMMARY: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash. CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. REMEDY: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW). NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Related Video:

When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.

Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE is a sleek take on brand's future CUV

Volkswagen continues its long tease leading up to an eventual US-built, seven-passenger, three-row crossover with the Cross Coupe GTE at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. While it's still affixed with the tinsel of a concept car, there are a lot of details that will arrive on VW's eventual production crossover. The wheelbase of the GTE is said to be identical to the production model, although this five-passenger CUV is actually about a foot shorter overall, Volkswagen's chief of design, Klaus Bischoff, told Autoblog. The overall shape of the GTE's greenhouse, meanwhile, will also be very similar to the car that'll come to market, although more progressive from the C-pillar forward (that's right kids, that sexy sloping rear end isn't for production). Despite the aggressive rake, a peek in the GTE's trunk revealed room for the CUV's third row. Beyond hinting at a new addition to the company's lineup, the GTE also gives us a look at future Volkswagen design, including the use of four-element LED running lamps. Body lines will be as sharp as is feasible. Look for the production version of Volkswagen's seven-passenger SUV at the end of next year. Until then, check out the two-row concept, courtesy of our live images from the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.