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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.

Cars with the worst resale value in 2022

Car values are all over the map right now. Used vehicles that were worth a small fortune earlier this year are now coming back to Earth, but the new vehicle supply remains tight. Prices are still elevated overall, but some models have seen more severe price drops. Depreciation strikes almost every model, supply constraint or not, though a few vehicles are leading the way. New research from analytics iSeeCars found that a handful of cars depreciated more than 50 percent over five years, with the BMW 7 Series dropping 56.9 percent and an average price cut of $61,923 over that time. The vehicles with the highest depreciation — or worst resale value — over five years: BMW 7 Series: -56.9% Maserati Ghibli: -56.3% Jaguar XF: -54% Infiniti QX80: -52.6% Cadillac Escalade ESV: 52.3% Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 51.9% Lincoln Navigator: -51.9% Audi A6: -51.5% Volvo S90: -51.4% Ford Expedition: -50.7% iSeeCarsÂ’ research showed that midsize trucks, sports cars, and fuel-efficient vehicles were slowest to depreciate over five years, while itÂ’s clear that luxury brands tend to lose value much faster. As iSeeCarsÂ’ Executive Analyst Karl Brauer explained, used buyers donÂ’t value high-end vehiclesÂ’ features as much as the first owners, so resale values tend to be softer. The tech and options that made the cars so expensive and appealing new donÂ’t add the same value on the used market. Read more: Cars with the best resale value Interestingly, electric vehicles also depreciated quite heavily, though they were just short of the abysmal numbers in luxury segments. The Nissan Leaf depreciated most among EVs, dropping by 49.1 percent. The average EV depreciation is 44.2 percent, with the Tesla Model S and Model X sliding in right under the bar at 43.7 and 38.8 percent, respectively. As iSeeCars notes, itÂ’s important to be vigilant when car shopping and not let your emotions win over reason. Shiny new luxury cars look great in the showroom, but you could end up taking a bath when you try selling them a few years later on. Related video: Audi BMW Cadillac Ford Infiniti Jaguar Lincoln Maserati Mercedes-Benz Volvo Car Buying Used Car Buying Ownership Resale Value depreciation

United States drivers buying fewer Mexican-made cars

Crossovers and pickup trucks are not only growing in market share, they're also more profitable than cars. A crossover on the same platform as a sedan retails for thousands more, despite similar components. It's one of the reasons we've seen automakers rapidly shifting production of their sedans and hatchbacks to Mexico, where cheap labor preserves the thin profit margins on these inexpensive vehicles. But as the market continues to shift in the United States, Mexico is getting burned by its lack of product diversity. The country's auto exports, which are heavy on cars, suffered a 16-percent drop last month, Automotive News reports. In total, year-over-year exports fell from 233,515 to 197,020 last month, while year-to-date exports are down by 7.4 percent, from 922,029 to 854,118. The number one culprit? America – which usually accounts for 75 percent of Mexico's exports – and its appetite for crossovers and pickup trucks bolstered by cheap gas prices. While Mexico does build some light truck models – AN specifically calls out the Ram 2500, Honda HR-V, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tacoma as export leaders – the vast majority of vehicles rolling out of its factories are sedans and hatchbacks. In fact, the three biggest drops in Mexican exports came from companies whose south of the border factories only build cars – Ford (Fusion/Lincoln MKZ and Fiesta), Mazda (Mazda3), and Volkswagen (Golf and Jetta). Mexican Automotive Industry Association President Eduardo Solis told AN the export shortfall will likely be sorted out sooner rather than later, thanks to a pair of new factories – a Kia car factory and an Audi SUV plant – that are coming online by year's end. The two facilities will add around 100,000 vehicles to the country's export totals, which Solis said should leave the industry on the verge of breaking another export record in 2016. But how sustainable will these record-breaking years be? Slapping an "Hecho en Mexico" sticker on a new German SUV won't be enough to change the fact that Mexico's product mix is tilted too heavily towards body styles that are not growing in volume. Mexico's record-breaking export years probably aren't at an end, but we'd argue they're certainly under threat. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Ford GMC Honda Mazda RAM Volkswagen Truck Crossover SUV Mexico