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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.

Toyota pays tribute to Clarkson as he asks press, fans to leave producer alone

Say what you will about Toyota, but the Japanese brand was generally treated pretty well by former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, despite the fact that the show routinely destroyed the brand's vehicles in each encounter. Whether it was a Hilux of some vintage, his attempts at annihilating a Kiwi Corolla (technically an Auris) or his honest attempts at reviews, the now-unemployed host has enjoyed quite a history with Toyota. It's hardly surprising, then, that the behemoth automaker's UK arm has put together a Clarkson montage, following the host's firing. There are some classic clips, featuring the vehicles mentioned above, as well as some amusing moments featuring the host himself. While the motoring world is still reacting to Clarkson's firing yesterday, the host has already broken his silence on the matter after getting intercepted by the media while cycling through London. "All I would like to say is, I wish people would leave Ois alone, because none of this is his fault," Clarkson told the media while deflecting questions about his potential arrest, the BBC reports. "Ois," of course, refers to Oisin Tymon, the Top Gear producer Clarkson physically and verbally assaulted following a full day of filming. Clarkson is a polarizing character, to be sure, but it takes a big person to make that kind of statement following his firing from a show he was so integral to. Check out Toyota's video up top, and then click over to the BBC to see Clarkson's comments to the media.

Toyota, Mazda $1.6 billion plant goes to Alabama, sources say

Alabama will be the site of a new $1.6 billion Toyota and Mazda auto plant, a victory for President Donald Trump who had prodded manufacturers to build new U.S. facilities and threatened tariffs on foreign production, sources said on Tuesday. The plant, which will employ up to 4,000 people and produce about 300,000 vehicles a year, will be located in Huntsville, Ala., and is a boon for the state, where Toyota has a large engine plant and an existing network of automotive suppliers. A formal announcement by company and state officials is expected on Wednesday in Montgomery, sources briefed on the matter said. The new plant — in a state Trump won by 28 points in 2016 — could be a political boost to the Republican president, who has urged automakers to build plants in the United States and add jobs. The companies said they expect the plant to open in 2021. Trump tweeted in March he wanted "new plants to be built here for cars sold here." The White House did not immediately comment on Tuesday. The announcement also comes at a time of declining U.S. auto industry sales, so it could exacerbate overcapacity and add pressure to cut prices. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017, after hitting an all-time record high in 2016, and are expected to fall further in 2018. Details of an anticipated tax and incentive package for the investment were not yet known. It has been reported the companies sought at least $1 billion in incentives. A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, except to say an announcement was expected soon. A Mazda spokeswoman also declined to comment. In recent months, the companies had narrowed their choices down to sites in Alabama and North Carolina. Local media last month said the leading site under consideration was in northern Alabama's Limestone County, near Toyota's large engine plant in Huntsville. In September, Toyota announced a $106 million technology upgrade for the Huntsville plant. A Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville website for the "Huntsville Mega Site" touts the fact it has been "certified as development-ready." The commerce chamber, local and state officials declined to comment on Tuesday on plans for the plant. A year ago, President-elect Trump criticized Toyota and threatened hefty tariffs against the Japanese automaker if it built its Corolla sedan for the U.S. market in Mexico. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S.