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Toyota, Mazda drop Takata as Mitsubishi, Subaru weigh options

It's not a very good time to be Takata right now. Fresh on the heels of longtime partner Honda ditching them, Toyota and Mazda have both come out and said they will not use the company's airbag inflators if they continue to rely on ammonium nitrate. Bloomberg reports that Subaru and Mitsubishi are also contemplating a divorce. "The inflator using ammonium nitrate produced by Takata will not be adopted by Toyota," President Akio Toyoda said during a briefing today. "What's most important above anything else is the safety and peace of mind of customers." Mazda echoed that position, simply saying it "will not use Takata airbag inflators which contain ammonium nitrate in our new cars." When you lose three huge OEM accounts in as many days, it's certainly going to have a deleterious effect on your fortunes. In Takata's case, that's meant a staggering 39-percent drop in their share price over the last three days. Yesterday alone, the company saw a 6.2-percent fall, Bloomberg reports. As the business publication reports, though, Takata isn't going down without a fight. The company is "considering some plans to survive," including a fundraising plan that will see it potentially offer up additional shares for sale. Still, at least one analyst doesn't see whatever company survives staying involved in the airbag inflator business. "I really don't see how they're going to be able to survive as an inflator manufacturer," Valient Market Research founder Scott Upham told Bloomberg. "When your major clients publicly come out and say that they're not going to use your products anymore, it makes this very difficult to sustain your business." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Carlos Osorio / AP Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Toyota Safety supplier

2020 Subaru Outback teased, will be all-new at the New York Auto Show

The 2020 Subaru Outback is officially confirmed for a debut at the New York International Auto Show, and Subaru says it's going to be "all-new." That's all the official information we have to go on at this point, but Subaru released a teaser photo to give us a glimpse of the tall, rugged wagon before the reveal on April 17. We can tell a few differences just from the photo here. The lower bumper surround and foglight design is more compact than the big round lights that sit down there currently. Subaru has changed the side mirror design, adding a bit of flair with chrome on this model. It's tough to tell what the headlight design will look like, but it's certainly a different shape and size than the current units that stretch back further into the fenders. There's even more black plastic cladding on the car now, too. Subaru had plenty of the stuff going up and down the Outback before, but the wheel arch molding was optional. It's unclear whether it's going to remain that way or be the only way it comes now. One small thing we noticed was the location of the "Outback" designation in the body cladding — it moved from being under the front door to under the rear door. Subaru appears to be offering a new black wheel option that we see on this car, as well. The Outback last received a significant update for the 2018 model year. That car was also revealed at NYIAS, but it was a relatively minor update compared to what's coming. We'll expect to see a lot of the same features as what was revealed in the new 2020 Legacy at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year. That car went way upscale with its interior design, moved to Subaru's Global Platform, dropped the flat six for a turbo flat-four and features a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen. It's no surprise we're seeing the new Outback so soon after the Legacy update, as Subaru has traditionally updated the two vehicles this way.

Subaru Legacy Concept has us getting our hopes up

It happens all the time. We get excited about a really attractive Subaru concept, and then the production car comes out and, well, "disappointed" isn't a strong enough word. (Compare that hot Impreza concept to the final production car.) So while we're hopeful that this new Legacy concept previews something sleek for Subaru, allow us to be fully on record as not getting our hopes up.
Anyway, let's talk about how good this car looks. From the front, comparisons to the Buick Regal GS are warranted, but from all other angles, it has a very four-door coupe-like shape. The concept rides on 21-inch wheels with bulging wheel arches that Subaru says hints at the car's all-wheel-drive system (standard Subaru fare, BRZ aside).
As for what exactly this concept previews, the safe guess is, of course, the next-generation Legacy midsize sedan. And while we'll keep our fingers crossed for a sweet-looking production sedan to come out of Fuji Heavy in the near future, it's safe to say we're still skeptical.