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Continental Automotive recalls 5 million airbag control units

Takata isn't the only supplier having airbag problems. Rival manufacturer Continental Automotive Systems announced a recall of 5 million airbag control units fitted to vehicles from Honda, Fiat Chrysler Automotive, Mercedes-Benz, and even a certain Chrysler-based Volkswagen. This sweeping recall has actually been in progress for some time, although the exact scope is only now becoming evident. In October of 2015, Mercedes-Benz recalled 2008 and 2009 model year C- and GLK-Class vehicles because their Continental-made airbag control units could corrode. Such a condition could cause the airbags to deploy without cause or warning, or in the event of a crash, not deploy at all. You can read all about it in our post from last year. Now, Continental's recall is going wide. Alongside the already recalled C and GLK, you've already heard about the 2008 and 2009 Honda Accord airbag recall, which we reported on yesterday. Now, Fiat Chrysler is announcing the recall of the 2009 Dodge Journey, as well as the 2008 and 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country, and their rebadged counterpart, the Volkswagen Routan. Yes, one manufacturer is recalling another manufacturer's vehicle. The models listed above only amount to about 580,000 vehicles out of 5 million bad airbag control units. And since Continental will notify manufacturers who will then issue their own recalls, it's extremely likely that more brands and vehicles will be ensnared. Stay tuned. Related Video: News Source: NHTSA via Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Fabian Bimmer / Reuters Recalls Chrysler Dodge Fiat Honda Mercedes-Benz Safety Crossover Minivan/Van Sedan FCA

Mercedes-Maybach previews longer, more lavish S-Class ahead of debut

In some international markets, Mercedes-Benz's new 2021 S-Class will get Level 3 semi-autonomous technology, but chauffeur-driven buyers already enjoy full autonomy. It's for these individuals that Mercedes-Maybach, the firm's extra-luxury division, stretched the sedan's wheelbase and gave it an interior worthy of a private jet. Maybach said it developed its variant of the 2021 S-Class specifically for buyers with a chauffeur. It added seven inches to the sedan's wheelbase, and the additional sheet metal benefits those riding in the back. Standard executive rear seats give passengers a comfortable place to work or rest while they're being driven, and the list of new features added to the sedan include massaging calf rests as well as heating for the neck and shoulders. Although we haven't seen Maybach's S-Class yet, a preview image shows the optional two-tone paint — one of the company's hallmarks — and a chromed Maybach emblem. Up front, it will receive a specific grille with vertical slats instead of the horizontal ones worn by the standard S-Class. An additional serving of chrome-look trim will almost certainly further set the Maybach apart, but it will retain its predecessor's relatively subtle design. Specifications won't be announced until the model's unveiling. Mercedes-Benz confirmed it's phasing out V12s, though the big engine could return for one final round under the hood of the S-Class. Alternatively, Maybach may have chosen to surf the downsizing wave still sweeping across the industry by selecting a 4.0-liter V8. Mercedes-Maybach will introduce the 2021 S-Class online on November 19 at 2 p.m. Stuttgart time, which is 8 a.m. in New York City and 5 a.m. in Los Angeles. Deliveries are scheduled to start during the first half of 2021. When it lands, the sedan will join Maybach's variant of the GLS in showrooms across the United States. Related Video:

When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.