USA - Mazda has been named as the US EPA's most fuel efficient brand within the United States of America.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted in its most recent Light Duty Fuel Economy Trends report that Mazda Motor Corporation is the most fuel-efficient auto manufacturer in the U.S.  With the highest fleet-wide adjusted fuel economy performance of 29.6 miles per gallon (MPG), Mazda led the chart for model year (MY) 2015.*

For the fourth consecutive year, Mazda has achieved the highest fuel-efficiency of any mainstream automotive manufacturer in the industry, without offering a hybrid or electric vehicle. Mazda’s unique SKYACTIV Technology has made this level of efficiency possible.  SKYACTIV is a suite of component and engineering technologies intended to cut vehicle weight, improve engine efficiency and bolster vehicle dynamics for outstanding environmental and safety performance without sacrificing the brand’s renowned driving pleasure.

“Mazda’s team of engineers and designers have worked diligently to create vehicles that are high-quality, stylish, fun-to-drive and fuel-efficient,“ said Masahiro Moro, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations. “Using our unique SKYACTIV Technology, Mazda has been able to achieve class-leading fuel efficiency in nearly every segment it competes in while remaining true to its core mission that Driving Matters.“

Mazda’s SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY can be found throughout its vehicle lineup, including MX-5 Miata sportscar, compact Mazda3, midsize Mazda6 family sedan, subcompact CX-3 crossover SUV, compact CX-5 and midsize, three-row CX-9.

Among the numerous accolades earned through its breakthrough cars and crossovers, Mazda was also named by U.S. News and World Report as the 2016 Best Car Brand.

Renault Group has issued it's statement to clarify the news that investigations have intensified over cheat devices.

Following public disclosure by the EPA – US Environmental Protection Agency – of the existence of a Defeat Device software used by a leading car manufacturer, an independent technical commission was created by the French Government.

The purpose of this independent technical commission is to verify that French car manufacturers have not installed equivalent devices in their vehicles.

In this regard, the UTAC (French Homologation Authority mandated by the Ministry) is currently testing 100 vehicles in circulation, including 25 Renault vehicles reflecting Renault's market share in France.  

At the end of December 2015, 11 vehicles had already been tested, including 4 Renault vehicles enabling the French public authorities to initiate productive discussions with Renault's engineering team.

The French Agency for Energy and Climate (DGEC), which is, on behalf of the Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, the main contact for the independent technical commission, already considers that the on-going procedure would not reveal the presence of a defeat device on Renault's vehicles.

This is good news for Renault.

The on-going tests open the way for improvement solutions for future and current Renault vehicles. Presented in its Renault Emissions Plan which is aimed at improving the energy performance of our vehicles.

At the same time, the DGCCRF decided to carry out additional on-site and material investigations, in order to definitively confirm the first findings resulting from the analysis of the independent technical commission.

The DGCCRF went to the Headquarters, the Renault Technical Centre in Lardy and the Technocentre in Guyancourt. 

Renault's teams are fully cooperating with the independent technical commission and the additional investigations decided by the Ministry of Economy.

Following the success of the COP21, Renault intends to accelerate its investment towards industrial solutions aiming at protecting the planet.

The Renault Group is already in the top 3 (1st in 2013, 2nd in 2014) in the improvement programs of the carbon footprint.  Over the last 3 years, the Renault Group has reduced by 10% the carbon footprint of its vehicles.

The EPA has recognised that Mazda is the most fuel efficient auto manufacturer in the United States.

• SKYACTIV Technology Delivers Top Fuel Efficiency Spot for Third Consecutive Year 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted in its most recent Light Duty Fuel Economy Trends report that Mazda Motor Corporation is the most fuel-efficient auto manufacturer in the U.S.  

With the highest fleet-wide adjusted fuel economy performance of 29.4 miles per gallon (MPG), and the lowest CO₂ emissions of 328, Mazda led the chart for model year (MY) 2014. 

For the third consecutive year, Mazda has achieved the highest fuel efficiency of any other mainstream automotive manufacturer in the industry, without offering a hybrid or electric vehicle. 

Mazda's uniqueSKYACTIV Technology has made this level of efficiency possible.  SKYACTIV is a suite of component and engineering technologies intended to cut vehicle weight and improve engine efficiency for outstanding environmental and safety performance, without sacrificing the brand’s renowned driving pleasure.

"At Mazda, Driving Matters and so does fuel economy,“ said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations. "Using SKYACTIV Technology, Mazda has been able to achieve class-leading fuel efficiency in nearly every segment it competes in. 

This achievement verifies that Mazda has evolved to offer what others can’t, vehicles that are of high-quality, great looking, fun-to-drive and fuel efficient.“

Mazda's SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY can be found throughout its vehicle line up including the Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-5 and in the all-new MX-5 Miata and CX-3. 

The Mazda CX-3 crossover utility vehicle has been rated with an EPA-estimated fuel economy as high as 29 mpg city/35 mpg highway, which positions CX-3's fuel economy as class-leading among all 2015 and 2016 subcompact crossover utility vehicles.

Arriving in 2016, the all-new Mazda CX-9 will feature a new SKYACTIV 2.5 liter direct injection turbocharged gasoline engine.  The CX-9 aims to offer customers a combination of great performance in everyday driving situations and excellent fuel economy.

Mazda has also been named by U.S. News and World Report as the 2016 Best Car Brand.

DIESEL GATE - Porsche has now been implicated in the United States Environmental Protection Agency probe.

Late this morning, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. received a notice of violation from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the 2015 Porsche Cayenne Diesel.

We are surprised to learn this information. Until this notice, all of our information was that the Porsche Cayenne Diesel is fully compliant.

Porsche Cars North America will cooperate fully with all relevant authorities.

VW SCANDAL UPDATE - Statement from Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn - But honesty how can we trust them now

"The irregularities that have been found in our Group's diesel engines go against everything Volkswagen stands for. At present we do not yet have all the answers to all the questions. But we are working hard to find out exactly what happened. 

To do that, we are putting everything on the table, as quickly, thoroughly and transparently as possible. And we continue to cooperate closely with the relevant government organizations and authorities. 

This quick and full clarification has the highest priority. We owe that to our customers, our employees and the public. Manipulation and Volkswagen – that must never be allowed to happen again.

Millions of people all over the world trust our brands, our cars and our technologies. I am deeply sorry that we have broken this trust. I would like to make a formal apology to our customers, to the authorities and to the general public for this misconduct. We will do everything necessary to reverse the damage. And we will do everything necessary to win back trust – step by step.

In our Group, more than 600,000 people work to build the best cars for our customers. I would like to say to our employees: I know just how much dedication, how much true sincerity you bring to your work day after day. Therefore, it would be wrong to cast general suspicion on the honest, hard work of 600,000 people because of the mistakes made by only a few. Our team simply does not deserve that.

That is why we are asking for trust as we move forward: We will get to the bottom of this. We are working very hard on the necessary technical solutions. And we will do everything we can to avert damage to our customers and employees. I give you my word: we will do all of this with the greatest possible openness and transparency."

Volkswagen faces MULTI BILLION Dollar fine to start with for fiddling emissions pollution tests in the USA.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn may face a leadership challenge after it was disclosed that the automaker cheated on U.S. air pollution tests for diesel cars, analysts said.

VW faces fines of up to $18 billion and a backlash from consumers in the U.S. after the company admitted that software that it designed for VW brand and Audi diesel cars gave false emissions data.

Today, Volkswagen shares plunged as much as 23 percent to 125.40 euros in Frankfurt, extending the stock’s slump for the year to 31 percent. The drop wiped out about 15.4 billion euros ($17.4 billion) in value.

Arndt Ellinghorst, a London-based analyst for Evercore ISI, called the move "worthy of a back-street garage looking to get a used car through a mandated vehicle inspection." The issue may help to catalyze further management changes at VW, he said.

Winterkorn, whose contract renewal is scheduled for a supervisory board vote on Friday, now faces a serious challenge to his leadership, Ellinghorst said in an investors note today.

Analysts at Bernstein said the issue is a serious setback for VW. "This is not your usual recall issue, an error in calibration or even a serious safety flaw. There is no way to put an optimistic spin on this - this is really serious."

Trying to pin the blame on rogue engineers probably will not appease U.S. regulators, said Bernstein analyst Max Warburton. The best-case scenario is a multibillion-dollar fine, damage to its diesel market share and "pariah status in the U.S. with government, and possibly consumers," he said.

Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, said Winterkorn should resign. Winterkorn should have known about the manipulation in his role of head of VW's r&d or, if he didn't, it shows that he does not have the automaker under control, Dudenhoeffer told a German newspaper. Either way, Winterkorn's role as CEO is no longer tenable, the academic said.

VW said on Sunday that the company is cooperating with an investigation by the EPA and has ordered its own external investigation. In a statement Winterkorn said: "I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers. He said VW would do “everything necessary in order to reverse the damage this has caused.”

U.S. backlash

Earlier this year, Winterkorn won a power struggle with his former mentor and chairman, Ferdinand Piech, forcing Piech's ouster from the automaker. As investigators seek to establish complicity within the company, Winterkorn will need to walk a fine line to shield himself and VW from a backlash in the U.S., a market where VW, despite being the world's biggest carmaker, has struggled for decades.

The VW brand's struggle to compete in the U.S. was one issue Piech cited in his failed attempt to oust Winterkorn earlier this year. Clean, powerful diesel vehicles were supposed to be VW's ticket to growth, and the company has big plans for the U.S. It spent $1 billion on a factory in Tennessee in 2011, then said it would invest an additional $7 billion in North America by 2018.

VW brand and Audi sold about 482,000 diesel vehicles in the U.S. with illegal emissions control software designed to make their cars appear cleaner in testing than they are in the real world, according to the the EPA.

The software, included on VW and Audi vehicles from the 2009-15 model years with 2.0-liter turbodiesel engines, detects when a car is undergoing EPA emissions testing and turns on the vehicle’s full emissions controls.

The software then switched off the full emissions controls during real-world driving, the EPA said. Officials called the software a “defeat device” that allowed VW and Audi vehicles to fulfill emissions standards in lab testing, but emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times allowable levels in real-world driving.

VW said it has told U.S. dealers to halt sales of some of its diesel cars. Diesel models can account for 20 to 25 percent of the VW brand's U.S. sales each month. The ban is expected to put a major dent in the company's volume and slow its turnaround efforts in coming months.

The vehicles affected include the VW Passat, Jetta, Beetle and Golf, and Audi A3.

REPORT HERE

Bloomberg and Reuters contributed to this report

Mitsubishi takes #1 spot in cars.com top "Penny Pinchers" list

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) has seen its all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage 5-door hatchback take overall top honors by finishing in first place in Cars.com's latest "Top 10 New Cars for Penny Pinchers" list.

In its evaluation, Cars.com utilized key data points in its assessment, including a vehicle's starting price, combined EPA fuel mileage rating and estimated cost for fuel over the first eight years of ownership to determine its rankings.

In the very important eight-year cost for fuel metric, Cars.com determined that the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage would save consumers nearly $1,000 in fuel costs when compared to the vehicle that finished in second place, and more than $2,000 over many of the other "Top 10" finishers.

The 2014 Mirage delivers impressive fuel economy with an EPA fuel mileage rating of 37 mpg city/44 mpg highway/40 mpg combined*.

With a starting MSRP of only $12,995, the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage boasts a long list of welcome standard features including fuel-saving Electric Power Steering (EPS), stylish rear spoiler, power windows/mirrors/door locks, keyless entry with panic alarm feature, automatic climate control with micron filter, a dynamic-sounding 4 speaker 140-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with USB port, plus much more.

Important standard safety features include 7 air bags (including driver's side knee air bag), Active Stability Control (ASC) and Mitsubishi Motors' patented Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) body/chassis construction.

Among the welcome available upscale features are the convenient FAST-key passive entry system with push-button engine start/stop, large touch-screen navigation system with backup camera and a Bluetooth hands-free phone system.

Additional peace of mind is delivered through Mitsubishi Motors' exceptional warranty that includes a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, 5-year/60,000-mile new vehicle basic limited warranty, 5-year/unlimited miles roadside assistance and 7-year/100,000-mile anti-corrosion limited warranty. 

For more information about the highly fuel-efficient and affordable 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, please visitmedia.mitsubishicars.com.

*2014 Mirage models equipped with the available continuously-variable transmission (CVT).

USA - Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon models achieve nearly 10 percent gain on highway gas usage.

The new 2015 full-size SUVs from Chevrolet and GMC go farther on a tank of gas than outgoing models, raising highway fuel economy by nearly 10 percent.

The Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL with the standard 5.3L engine get an EPA-estimated 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway with two-wheel drive – a nearly 10 percent increase in highway mileage over the previous models and 7 percent greater city mileage.

The Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali models feature an exclusive 6.2L V-8 rated at 420 horsepower (313 kW) and 460 lb-ft of torque (623 Nm). No other full-size SUV offers as much power and torque. Denali models offer 15 city/21 highway in two-wheel drive models.