Auto News For Tuesday, May 10, 2016 - Buick Kills The Verano

Here are the eight must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Tuesday, May 10, 2016. 

BUICK
Buick knows most of its U.S. buyers want Encores, Envisions, and Enclaves. What to do with the Verano, Buick's entry-level sedan based on the previous-generation Chevrolet Cruze? Buick won't renew the car in North America, Automotive News says, although there's already a new version of the car in China and the Verano currently accounts for 15% of Buick's U.S. volume; 35% of Buick's U.S. car sales.

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO
"Fundamentally the Giulia just has a beautifully balanced rear-wheel drive chassis," writes evo's Henry Catchpole. Says CAR, "Audi’s A4 has it licked for interior quality, but it’s more stylish, vastly better finisher than Jag’s XE and massively more roomy." More succinctly, from Top Gear: "Alfa Romeo has made a brilliant car."

HONDA
We published links yesterday to a bevy of 2017 Honda Ridgeline reviews. After we published that special edition of The News, Jalopnik's Andrew Collins published this 2017 Ridgeline review, and it's the one you must read. – Truck Yeah!

MORE HONDA
Honda sold more than 50,000 Ridgelines in 2006, claiming 1.7% of the overall pickup truck market, finishing 13th among pickup trucks that year. The market share figures and rankings don't look impressive, but 50,000 Ridgelines make for a profitable Honda pickup truck. So can American Honda sell 50,000 copies of the new Ridgeline? Supply may be constrained, as the Odyssey is built in an Alabama plant that already builds the Odyssey, Pilot, and Acura MDX. – Wards

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SCION
Just in time for brand-wide death, Scion is on track to make 2016 the Toyota sub-brand's best year since 2008. – TTAC

CANADA
The Canadian auto industry reported more new vehicle sales in April 2016 than in any prior month in the history of the auto industry. But what was the mood in the market during the first ever month of more than 200,000 sales? – Autofocus

CHRYSLER CANADA
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles currently builds vehicles in two southern Ontario locations: big cars in Brampton; minivans in Windsor. But is the next-generation Chrysler 300 going to be based on the Chrysler Pacifica? And will it therefore be built in Windsor, as well? – Windsor Star

WATCH
Too many reviews of the 2017 Honda Ridgeline – and many other vehicles – end up as attempts to forecast future success, rather than critical considerations of the vehicle itself. When it comes to the Honda HR-V, however, we knew it would be a successful subcompact crossover entry. But would it be any good? GCBC's review of the HR-V is here; our TTAC takedown is here. And below, you can watch Alex Dykes' video review of the 2016 Honda HR-V, the most detailed and thorough review on YouTube.

Auto News For Thursday, June 25, 2015 - New Mini Clubman Is A True Mini Wagon

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Thursday, June 25, 2015, with a heavy dose on new product info after a bizarre early summer Wednesday in which multiple automakers coincidentally revealed new vehicles.

FUTURE
The Chevrolet Cruze, which will continue to be marketed with a diesel engine and will be available in a hatchback bodystyle, was shown in new, second-generation form last night. The 2016 Cruze carries on with the 2016 Malibu's styling direction but does so, not surprisingly, with less pizzazz. Fortunately, the Cruze will lose around 250 pounds. Great weight has always been the car's chief downside. The Cruze is currently America's third-best-selling small car.

MORE FUTURE
The Mini Cooper 5-Door is actually not the Mini for people who wanted the most spacious, flexible, realistic new Mini. The Clubman is back, and it brings more barn doors and nearly an extra foot of length compared with the 5-Door. It also wears Mini's latest styling direction better than any of its siblings.

DROPTOP FUTURE
Take one new, sixth-generation Camaro, and remove the roof. There you have it,the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible. The roof is fully automatic. Camaro volume has fallen this year as a new Mustang took over and the faithful waited for the debut of a new Chevy muscle car.

UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE
In Quadrifolglio trim, the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia will be a gorgeous 503-horsepower, BMW M3 fighter. The car isn't due in North America until mid-way through 2016, and don't believe anyone who tells you it will be common. But it would be good for automotive enthusiasts and the industry as a whole if a car like the Alfa succeeded. To do so, it'll need to be more reliable than Alfas of the past, it'll need to be dynamically sorted in lesser trims, and it'll need to be priced very aggressively. Concerns? In the words of Peter DeLorenzo, "You don't honestly believe that a magic switch will be "flipped" that will instantly purge decades of piss-poor quality from the Fiat car making Empire, do you? I suppose if you do, you're exactly the kind of buyer that Marchionne and his espresso-swilling minions are looking for."

RECALL
Subaru USA is recalling 72,000 Legacys, Outbacks, XV Crosstreks, and Imprezas (model year 2015) and WRXs (model year 2016) which are equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. "If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function."

Mitsubishi is recalling 459,618 Eclipses (2000-2005), Eclipse Spyders (2001-2005), and Chrysler Sebrings and Dodge Stratuses (2001-2005), because, "In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach."

Mitsubishi is also recalling 74,836 Eclipses (2006-2009) and Eclipse Spyders (2007-2009), for a braking corrosion issue. "Due to corrosion inside the ABS unit, one or more of the internal valves may seize. In a braking event that uses the ABS, a seized valve would increase brake pedal travel and reduce braking ability."

WATCH
GCBC recently reviewed the 2015 Audi S3. The Audi RS3 reviewed here by CarBuyer's Mat Watson offers distinctly more performance than that already shockingly quick S3. And it's a hatchback.

Auto News For Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - GM Invests $1.2 Billion In Fort Wayne

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

INSIDE THE PICKUP TRUCK BUSINESS
Whenever pickup trucks are selling really well, there's an underlying sense of doubt. "Surely this can't last forever," or, "Something's got to give." General Motors has little doubt, however, as the automaker just announced that they'll spend $1.2 billion – that's b-b-b-billion with a b - to double the size of their Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant.

INSIDE THE AUTO RUMOUR MILL
Motor Trend reports that Cadillac has much more up its sleeve than the ATS-V. Imagine an ATS-V+ with a 505-horsepower 7.0L V8 from the previous-generation Corvette Z06.

INSIDE THE AUTO RENDERING BUSINESS
Is this what the upcoming 3-Series challenger from Alfa Romeo will look like? Alfa surely needs something that will sell, but style alone hasn't proven sufficient in the past.

TTAC
Yes, Virginia, U.S. sales of the Chevrolet SS are on the upswing. Barely. Slightly. SS volume increased by 16 units, year-over-year, but that's a big change for the big Aussie Chevy.

REVIEW
When I say Maybach, you say tasteless. When I say Mercedes-Maybach S600, you say... surprisingly tasteful?

WATCH
Fifth Gear's Tiff, Jonny, and Vicki got together to drive the new Fiat 500X, a car which goes on sale shortly in North America, as well. As usual, Tiff and Jonny and Vicki look cold. 

500 ALFA ROMEO 8C SPIDERS RIPE AND READY

Sadly, only thirteen photos are available. But what photos. Oh. My. Goodness.

For detailed information on Alfa Romeo's 8C project, check the Lowdown on the 8C Competizione. Decked out in wicked red paint, the 8C with a roof was nice. In all white, the 8C Spider - supercar convertibles not normally my cup of tea - is equally spectacular. Check out the gallery below for justification.

DEBUT - ALFA 8C SPIDER

To understand how GoodCarBadCar feels about the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, think on these things: it is #1 on the list of most beautiful cars for the company CEO; it was given a thorough rundown in a GCBC Lowdown; and there was even a profile of the new Alfa boss.  

To understand how GoodCarBadCar feels about the new droptop version of the same car, read those articles and strip them all of a roof.  The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider inevitably engenders added appeal in SoCal, Miami, and Monte Carlo. It likely loses at least some of the driving appeal and certainly loses one of its best pieces of metal. Nonetheless, Italian automotive beauty doesn't stretch much further than this.