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4 automakers agree to $553M settlement of Takata airbag claims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four automakers agreed to a $553 million settlement to address class-action economic loss claims covering owners of nearly 16 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata airbag inflators, according to court documents filed on Thursday. Toyota's share of the settlement costs is $278.5 million, followed by BMW at $131 million, Mazda at $76 million and Subaru at $68 million. According to a press release from Plaintiffs' Committee for Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation, the funds for the settlement are aimed at getting more cars with faulty airbags fixed. At the time of writing, Toyota had the greatest recall completion percentage of 31.89 percent followed by Subaru with 31.37 percent. Mazda has completed repairs on 18.16 percent of affected cars, and BMW brings up the rear with 16.48 percent completion. Some settlement funds will go to an outreach campaign to increase awareness, while other funds will be used to reimburse people for any costs accrued to get their cars fixed. These costs can include rental cars, child care, lost wages, or any other reasonable costs associated with bringing in a vehicle for repairs. Furthermore, a customer support program will be funded with settlement money to handle any additional repairs or adjustments that could become necessary in the 75,000 miles following the airbag replacement. Lawsuits against Honda, Ford and Nissan have not been settled, lawyers said. Takata inflators, which can explode with excessive force and unleash metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks, are blamed for at least 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide. The safety defect has prompted recalls worldwide of about 100 million inflators by more than a dozen major automakers. Reporting by David Shepardson, additional details by Autoblog's Joel StocksdaleRelated Video: Government/Legal BMW Mazda Subaru Toyota

2020 Subaru Legacy spied with significantly revised styling

The current Subaru Legacy has been roughly the same car since it was introduced for the 2015 model year, with just a very light restyle for 2018. As such, it makes sense that Subaru is preparing a much more comprehensive redesign. One of our spy photographers caught the next Subaru Legacy midsize family sedan with that very update hidden by a thin vinyl wrap. From the looks of it, the new car will still be built off the existing platform. The entire greenhouse and glass area is practically identical to that of the current model. Aside from that, it every other panel has been massaged in some way. Up front, the grille looks a little shorter in height, but also stretched wider. The sides have more slant to them, too. The headlights have more of an upward sweep to them, as well. Overall, these changes give the Legacy more of a friendly smile as opposed to the blunt, chunky look of the current model. The lower grille and fascia have also been updated. Along the sides, the deep creases of the current model have been softened. The shoulder line that rises up over the rear wheel also gets a little bit of a dip at the leading edge near the front wheel. While the glass area is pretty much the same, the fake window trim on the C-pillar has been elongated to match a slightly more drawn out roof line. Finally at the back, the trunk lid looks more upright than that on the current model. The taillights have more molded shaping to them. Also noteworthy is the fact that this version has no exposed exhaust tips. The rear bumper is smooth all the way across. Subaru has already revealed the 2019 Legacy and Outback, both of which are basically unchanged except some new feature content. As such, the soonest this car will be out will be for the 2020 model year. That seems fairly probable, too, considering how close this car looks to being production ready and the age of the current Legacy. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2020 Subaru Legacy View 18 Photos Image Credit: SpiedBilde Spy Photos Subaru Sedan

Subaru could have all-electric CUV by 2021

Subaru doesn't exactly have an industry-leading electric vehicle program. It sells the Impreza Sport Hybrid in Japan and the Crosstrek Hybrid in the US. There have been electrified rumors and concept cars, but Subaru has been more content to promote getting out into the environment rather than using your car to help it. But maybe this'll change in 2021. That's when, according to a report in the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun newspaper in Japan, the automaker will introduce an midsize, all-electric AWD CUV in the US. The EV would be based on the Forester or Outback and use a new global platform. As for where the cells, batteries, or motors would come from, there was no mention. The newspaper cited unnamed sources and all that an on-the-record spokesperson would say is that, "We have yet to decide on any specifics at the moment." Or, as Subaru of America's national manager of product communications, Dominick Infante, told AutoblogGreen, "It's a bit early for us to discuss electric vehicles and PHEVs." There's a good reason for Subaru to be considering going electric, and it's the same one that's pushing the entire industry to zero-emission vehicles: tighter emissions regulations. As much as we want to know everything now, it appears that Subaru is taking the same approach to all-electric vehicles as it did with hybrids. At the New York Auto Show in 2013, Subaru's executive vice president Tom Doll said that, "We at Subaru were not the first to market with a hybrid, but we sure made sure we did it right." If it takes the company until 2021 to release an EV, it had better get it right. Related Video: