1986 Cadillac Fleetwood Fleetwood Brougham on 2040-cars

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Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.

GM announces six new recalls, covering 3.5 million vehicles

General Motors has just initiated another crushingly large recall, this time affecting some 3.36 million vehicles built between 2000 and 2014 and sold in the US, Canada and Mexico. Once again, the issue surrounds the cars' ignition switches, which can be kicked out of the run position if they're carrying extra weight or if they experience a "jarring" event. In this particular case, though, GM will modify the keys, rather than the ignition itself.
A four-by-six-millimeter hole will be drilled into the key, which will more safely accommodate the weight of the key ring. As is usually the case, the work will be done free of charge. The recalled vehicles include the 2000 to 2005 Cadillac Deville, 2004 to 2005 Buick Regal LS and GS, 2004 to 2011 Cadillac DTS, 2005 to 2009 Buick Lacrosse, 2006 to 2008 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 2006 to 2011 Buick Lucerne and 2006 to 2014 Chevrolet Impala. Only the Impala is still in production, and even then, it's only sold to fleet companies.
According to an official statement from GM, there have been eight crashes and six injuries due to this latest issue. As if this isn't a dire enough blow for GM, the company has announced five smaller recalls, covering 165,000 vehicles.

GM extending warranties on Cadillac CTS-V and Chevy Camaro ZL1 for supercharger issue

Okay General Motors, we've sat by and watched you recall the compact cars, crossovers and pickup trucks, and aside from reporting on it, we've been fairly quiet. This, though, this will not do. We can almost tolerate the recalls on the bread-and-butter cars, but leave the performance vehicles alone.
According to a report from The Car Connection, GM has discovered a problem with the superchargers of the 6.2-liter V8s found in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Cadillac CTS-V. Apparently, the issue rests around the internal bearing shaft grease, which can become contaminated (we aren't sure with what). If left unchecked, it'll first lead to a rattle at idle, which goes away under slight throttle. The real warning stage is when a high-pitched squeal develops, signaling that the bearing shaft has failed. Naturally, severe engine damage is the next step (although it's possible that the engine will also just refuse to turnover, although neither case is desirable).
According to TCC, GM will replace the superchargers on vehicles that have exhibited symptoms of bearing shaft failure free of charge. It will also, allegedly, be extending the warranty on all supercharged ZL1s and CTS-Vs to 10 years or 120,000 miles (whichever comes first), from the date of purchase. Officially, only 2009 to 2013 CTS-Vs and 2012 to 2013 ZL1s are suffering from this issue.