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10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.

Despite Mini's woes, Clubman sales surging

The Mini Clubman has a polarizing design, but those who like it are snapping it up. According to Automotive News, the Clubman is on pace to become Mini USA's best selling model. Almost 1,700 vehicles were sold during the first quarter of 2016, and the vast majority – 1,037 units – were sold last month alone. These facts are made all the more noteworthy because Mini's sales fell 15 percent during the first quarter. The surging sales of Mini's newest model are especially good news for the brand's coffers. The Clubman is the most expensive non- John Cooper Works model you can get, aside from the upcoming Convertible. It doesn't sound like there are too many Clubman models going for the $24,950 starting price, either. According to Mini Dealer Council Chairman Michael Vadasz, dealers are doing solid business on customized orders, which, he tells AN, "is what Mini is all about." About one in four Minis built today are custom orders submitted by consumers, who love taking advantage of the Porsche-like breadth of a la carte options, no matter what it does to the final price. The fact that Mini is seeing so many custom Clubmans, then, is a very good thing. As for why the Clubman is doing so well, Mini USA Vice President David Duncan says it's because the car just isn't so Mini, moving the brand beyond its traditional subcompact class to the compact segment, where it can challenge cars like the Audi A3. "We see that as a fast growing segment, so having an entry in there gives us that opportunity," Duncan told Automotive News. "And then when you look at the car itself, it's got a premiumness about it that really takes us to the next level and allows us to compete against brands that we weren't typically competing against." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2023 Mini Countryman PHEV could pack 322 horsepower

After having seen the 2023 Mini Countryman in spy shots late last year, we knew the brand known for diminutive was going to step up a weight class. A report in Autocar says the hatch will grow by an estimated eight inches or so, to about 178 inches — just three short of the Toyota RAV4. The report claims as well that not only will the 2023 Countryman be the longest Mini out there, but the most powerful. Word is BMW plans to apply the same PHEV powertrain as in the 2 Series Active Tourer, which combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with a 174-horsepower electric motor, producing a combined 322 horsepower and 353 pound-feet of torque. Such potency would put the coming Countryman beyond today's Countryman Cooper S E All4 banging out 221 hp and 284 lb-ft, and 21 ponies past the Countryman John Cooper Works. A battery with 14.2 kWh of usable juice, borrowed from the 230e xDrive, would make a healthy extension to the 18-mile all-electric range provided by the current Mini's 9.6-kWh battery. By increasing the vehicle's dimensions, Mini might be able to retain the 9.5-gallon gas tank in today's Countryman PHEV, despite the larger battery. Five more powertrains are said to complete the lineup, three of which might come here bringing 30 extra ponies over the present choices. The first is a less potent PHEV will be tuned to 241 hp., which might or might not make it Stateside. The next two could replace the engines already offered here. There's a a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder with 168-hp, trumping the 134-hp three-cylinder on offer now, and a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 215 hp, outdoing the 189-hp in today's 2.0-liter. Both of those are aided by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Other markets that still enjoy diesel grunt can take advantage of a 2.0-liter oil burner. And the evolved UKL1 architecture shared with the X1 and X2 will produce a battery-electric Mini, which we'd expect to get U.S. papers at some point.  Spy shooters have caught a prototype fitted with a beefy rear hatch spoiler, large rims, and quad pipes, so there will be some kind of performance option. However, we don't know if that prototype was the PHEV, nor whether Mini plans to put the JCW moniker on the most powerful PHEV. With Mini having already announced changes for the U.S. 2023-model-year lineup, it's not clear when the new generation will debut here.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.