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Weekly Recap: Diesel scandal continues to fuel VW's woes

Volkswagen's woes continued this week when it was delisted from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and stripped of awards. Senators are also lining up to advocate for criminal and civil action against the automaker, and its consumer reputation is in tatters. Put simply, it's been another rough period for VW. Despite this, the company eked out a sales gain of less than one percent in September, though that was well behind the overall market's performance. Sister brand Audi, which sells a diesel A3, was less affected, posting a 16-percent gain in September. Revelations that Volkswagen rigged millions of diesel-powered cars around the world didn't surface until September 18, so the full sales impact of the ongoing scandal won't likely be felt until October. Meanwhile, VW's image continues to take a beating, and an AutoPacific survey found only one in 14 vehicle owners have a positive opinion of the company. Before the scandal broke, three-quarters of respondents had a positive view of VW. The survey also found 64 percent don't trust Volkswagen, though the same number believe other companies are or may also be using cheating devices to pass emissions tests. "The reputation of diesels has been severely damaged, at least for the short term," Ed Kim, AutoPacific's vice president of industry analysis, said in a statement. Despite the lingering malaise, experts believe VW will recover, just as Toyota and General Motors eventually emerged from their own high-profile controversies. "Consumers have proven through numerous recalls that they are resilient and quickly return to their buying habits," Kim said. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Mazda to reveal sports car concept in Tokyo Mazda will bring a curvy sports car concept to the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The automaker is being especially coy with the details, only releasing the dark teaser shot that you see to the right and a cryptic statement that suggests the concept "condense[s] Mazda's entire history of sports-car development into a single model." Immediately, speculation abounded this is an RX-7 and RX-8 successor, though Mazda didn't specify what engine the concept will have. Reportedly, the company is still working on rotary engines. Mazda will have a Cosmo Sport 110S on its stand in Tokyo, which pioneered rotary technology in 1967. Read into that what you will. The Rock pitches Ford service Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, is the new frontman for Ford service.

Feds investigating Mazda CX-9 over suspension problems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a preliminary evaluation into the 2007-2008 Mazda CX-9 because the lower ball joint in the front suspension can potentially separate while driving. An estimated 54,000 examples of the crossover might be affected. The investigation was prompted by six complaints of this happening on the road. Because the complaints are coming more rapidly as of late, NHTSA thinks the issue could be getting worse. The problem also appears to be more prevalent in states that use salt on their roads in the winter. None of the failures caused any injuries, and all but one happened at 20 miles per hour or slower. NHTSA's preliminary evaluations "assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequence" of a potential problem and can sometimes lead to recalls. Related Video: INVESTIGATION Subject : Front Suspension Ball Joint Separation Date Investigation Opened: JUN 09, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE15022 Component(s): SUSPENSION All Products Associated with this Investigation close Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) MAZDA CX-9 2007-2008 Details Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp. SUMMARY: The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received six (6) complaints (VOQs) alleging incidents of front suspension LBJ separation in MY 2007 through 2008 Mazda CX-9 vehicles. The reports appear to show an increasing trend. One of the separations allegedly occurred at 40 mph and the other 5 incidents occurred at speeds between 0 and 20 mph. The first VOQ was received in October 2013, followed by 2 reports in late 2014 and 3 reports in the first 5 months of 2015. Four of the VOQs are from states using high volumes of road salts (?salt states?) which, for purposes of this investigation, include: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The other VOQs were from northern Virginia, which borders the ?salt state? region, and South Carolina. ODI also identified EWR field report data related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. A preliminary investigation is being opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequence of the alleged defect. The six VOQs associated with this investigation are: 10717510, 10714469, 10695142, 10668978, 10640541, and 10546535.

2014 Mazda6: Winter's End Update

The Winter Without End is seemingly dead. Outside my office windows, my brown and yellow lawn is fully exposed to the increasingly powerful sunshine, the morning birdsong is louder than anything until the garbage trucks start rolling, and I'm seriously considering having the summer tires put back on my personal fleet. That last one is a little scary, as I'm a firm believer in the April Snow Jinx, but you get the idea.
The long-term Mazda6 has also long since left my driveway. Looking back on my notes from the time it was in my charge, however, I see all remarks are dominated by one highlighted section at the top: "worst winter drive of all time." I hardly need the reminder, to be honest. Here's what happened.
When the Mazda showed up at my door, we'd already fitted the thing with its new winter rubber: Bridgestone Blizzaks. Plunking down for dedicated snow tires was a near necessity this year - as it almost always is in Michigan. We didn't see much reprieve from snow-choked, iced over roads here in Ann Arbor, and the knobbier rubber proved invaluable in getting me out of my house time and again.