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Audi, Toyota land on MIT's list of 50 Most Disruptive Companies

MIT Technology Review, a magazine all about innovation, has announced its list of the 50 most disruptive companies in 2013, and both Audi and Toyota made the cut. While the term "most disruptive" may carry a negative connotation in most uses (especially in the classroom), the acknowledgement in this case is an accolade, signifying that the company is at the forefront of its industry. In a nutshell, a disruptive company is a business whose innovations force other businesses to alter their strategic direction.
Audi made the list for "pushing autonomous cars closer to fruition with a laser-scanning road detector that fits in a vehicle's front grille," and Toyota for "expanding its dominance of the hybrid-car market with its new plug-in version of the Prius." Click on the image above to be taken to the original graphic at MIT Technology Review, where clickable colored squares reveal information about each of the 50 winners, compiled from a variety of industries.

Tesla says Model 3 is best-selling midsize premium sedan in America

Auto sales figures are sort of fuzzy numbers, no matter how you slice them and no matter which manufacturer you're talking about. Unless you're specifically tracking vehicle registrations, automakers generally self-report the figures. So, you have to trust that they aren't doing anything too tricky. Plus, not every sale is equal, as some are logged as dealership loaners or demo models, some go to fleets (like to a rental car agency), and still others are, of course, bought by traditional customers looking for a new daily driver. With that preamble out of the way, when we saw a tweet from Tesla claiming that the all-electric Model 3 is the best-selling midsize premium sedan in America, our interest was piqued. According to Tesla, market share of the Model 3 has just surpassed the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which had up until now led the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Lexus IS as the best-selling sedan in its class. Note that the graph from Tesla below is, we think, specific to four-door models. So, is it true? Judging by the numbers we can find, including some from Bloomberg, which has a running chart to track Model 3 registrations, the answer is... probably. We don't know exactly how many Model 3 sedans Tesla is currently cranking out, but Bloomberg estimates production at about 2,560 units per week, and total sales for 2018 at 34,414. We know the number is increasing regularly, though, and Elon Musk has said most recently production sits around 500 units per day, which, on a seven-day cycle, would be 3,500 per week. We looked up Mercedes' sales figures for the month of May, 2018, and found that the German brand sold 5,419 C-Class models last month, for a total of 23,917 for the year (incidentally, that's down more than 30 percent from the year prior). While the bulk of those sales would surely be made up of sedans, it would also include a small percentage of coupes. Either way, it's likely that Tesla is currently producing and selling more Model 3s than Mercedes is C-Classes. Now, it's also worth considering if the C-Class is the only vehicle from Mercedes that directly competes with the Model 3. We'd guess customers may also cross-shop the CLA sedan with the Tesla, and if that's the case, you might decide it's worth adding in Mercedes' 2,527 CLA-Class sales last month and 9,622 so far for the year. The same argument could be made for certain versions of the BMW 2 and 4 Series.

Audi says fixing diesel emission problem is simple

Audi reportedly has a simple repair nearly ready to fix the emissions problem on 85,000 vehicles with the 3.0-liter TDI V6 in the US. "Swift, straightforward and customer-friendly solutions are in discussion," company exec Rupert Stadler told workers in Germany, according to Reuters. In late November, Audi announced that the 3.0 TDI had three previously undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices, including one that was potentially considered a defeat device under US law. At the time, the German automaker claimed it could repair the problem with just a software update. Stadler's statement indicates that just such a simple fix might be on the way. Even before Audi's disclosure of the emission control devices, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation against the 3.0-liter TDI for allegedly having software to defeat emissions tests, and the agency later expanded the scope to any vehicle with the engine from 2009 through 2016. The affected models include the Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, Volkswagen Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne. New diesel versions of these vehicles have a stop-sale. Audi offered owners of affected vehicles the same $1,000 Goodwill Package that parent company VW offered to its affected diesel owners. The money is split up into a $500 gift card and $500 to spend at the Audi dealer. The package also comes with extended roadside assistance. Audi needs to find a solution quickly because it's under a 45-day deadline from the California Air Resources Board to submit a recall plan for the 15,000 vehicles with the 3.0 TDI in the state. The automaker also must include a report on any effects to fuel economy and performance from the proposed repair. Related Video: