Autos: Interesting Stories from The New York Times

Here is the latest Auto News from The New York Times.

Japan Recalls 7 Million More Cars With Takata Airbags
The widening auto-safety scandal added to questions about how the Japanese company would pay to fix millions of cars.

Driven: Video Review: The Mercedes G550’s Primal Appeal Endures
The truck, whose architecture has remained mostly the same since its inception in 1979, is a combination of luxury, utility, capability and status.

Wheels: Oil Above $50 a Barrel as Summer Driving Season Kicks Off
Despite higher crude oil prices, American holiday travelers are paying the cheapest prices at the pump in 11 years.

Takata Hires Lazard as Airbag Maker Bids to Remain ‘Viable’
The company wants the bank to seek new investment and shape a deal with automakers on sharing the cost of replacing defective equipment.

Volkswagen Challenges U.S. Jurisdiction in Emissions Scandal
The Justice Department sued the automaker in January, but Volkswagen now says the facts are unclear, and it is still conducting an investigation.

Ford Recalls Some F-150 Pickups for Potential Brake Problem
The recall affects 271,000 pickups in model years 2013-14 equipped with 3.5-liter V-6 engines.

Toyota and Volkswagen Invest in Ride-Sharing Companies
The automakers invested in Gett and Uber, with an eye on the future of transportation.

Toyota Expands Takata Airbag Recall in U.S.
The announcement came after United States regulators accelerated moves to recall vehicles with a defective airbag inflater made by the Japanese company Takata.

It’s No Accident: Advocates Want to Speak of Car ‘Crashes’ Instead
Activists are campaigning to change a 100-year-old mentality that they say trivializes the single most common cause of traffic incidents: human error.

Driven: Video Review: BMW Brings Buttoned-Down X1 to the Crossover Party
The X1 is available in the United States only as an all-wheel drive model, but it’s built on the front-wheel architecture of the Mini Clubman.

In Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, Technology Is Your Co-Pilot
Audi is the first carmaker to offer the screen, which replaces traditional dials like the speedometer, and can also show maps, radio and other functions.

Fiat Chrysler Recalls 500,000 Jeeps Over Airbag Malfunction
The automaker said dirt or dust from driving off-road or with the top or doors removed could keep the driver’s-side airbag from deploying in a crash.

Tesla to Sell $2 Billion in Shares to Bolster Model 3 Output
Tesla aims to make 500,000 of its lower-priced and much-sought Model 3 electric car by 2018. Raising money will help.

Suzuki Reports Improper Fuel Economy Tests, but Denies Cheating
The Japanese automaker said its methods did not exaggerate results. Also Wednesday, the chief of Mitsubishi said he would resign after a fuel-test scandal there.

Want to Buy a Self-Driving Car? Big-Rig Trucks May Come First
A start-up has its sights on the long-haul freeway driving that is the bread and butter of the commercial trucking industry.

South Korea Accuses Nissan of Cheating on Emissions Tests
The finding, covering about 800 vehicles, was disputed by the Japanese carmaker, which said the model in question had passed European checks.

Hawaii Sues Takata, Alleging Cover-Up of Airbag Defect
Hawaii residents are at particular risk of injury from the defective bags because of the state’s high temperatures and humidity levels, the suit says.

Subaru Recalls More Than 48,000 Vehicles for Steering Problems
The automaker warned owners not to drive the certain models until they were inspected or repaired.

Honda Expands Takata Airbag Recall
The worldwide increase of 21 million more vehicles was announced as the automaker reported a rare quarterly loss on Friday.

Nissan Throws a Lifeline to Scandal-Stricken Mitsubishi
Nissan will buy a 34 percent stake in the automaker for $2.2 billion, which could help Mitsubishi cope with the impact of cheating on mileage tests.

Driven: Video Review: A Sinewy Camaro, Still With Muscle Car Swagger
The car shares a platform with the terrific Cadillac ATS, so it’s fun to throw into corners, and the new interior has some clever touches.

Mitsubishi Cheating Scandal Expands to More Models
The company has said it used improper methods to test fuel economy for 25 years, and on Wednesday it said every model it sold in Japan was affected.

Takata Looks to Overhaul Division Responsible for Airbag Defects
The embattled Japanese company said it was looking to restructure its business, as it confirmed a net loss of $120 million for the fiscal year ending in March.

Uber and Lyft End Rides in Austin to Protest Fingerprint Background Checks
The ride-hailing companies halted service after voters approved retaining a measure that the City Council said was the best way to weed out drivers with criminal records.

Head of Fiat Chrysler Sees Self-Driving Cars in Five Years, Not 20
Under a partnership unveiled this week, Fiat Chrysler will make about 100 modified Pacificas that Google will outfit with sensors and computers it has developed.

Citing Recalls, Takata Reverses Course and Estimates a Loss
The estimate for a loss of $120 million amounted to an admission that Takata had been overconfident in predicting a quick end to its troubles.

Wheels: Mitsubishi Grabs a Shiny Sliver of the American Market
Mitsubishi remained in America after the earthquakes and tsunami of 2011 in Japan, and now its new-car sales are growing, helped by affordable models.

Driven: Video Review: Kia Sportage Gets a Stylish Makeover
A fourth-generation S.U.V. gets what it needs to keep pace in a fiercely competitive segment with a refined suspension, better visibility and, on the high end, a near-luxury interior.

Tesla Says It Will Sharply Ramp Up Production of Model 3
Tesla expects to make 500,000 vehicles by 2018, two years sooner than previously announced, and far beyond the 15,000 made in the first quarter.

Takata Airbag Defect Is Traced to Moisture and Temperature
Based on the findings of three investigations, American regulators will order replacements in 35 million to 40 million vehicles.

Takata’s Future in Doubt as Airbag Recall in U.S. Doubles in Size
Regulators plan to announce that at least 35 million additional airbags need to be fixed, raising questions about Takata’s future.

Takata Airbag Recall Is Said to Grow by 35 Million
The move, which regulators may announce by Wednesday, would more than double the size of the largest safety recall in automotive history.

Google to Get Fiat Chrysler Minivans for Self-Driving Tests
The partnership will equip 100 vehicles with technology to advance and expand Google’s development effort.

Former Top Porsche Developer, Suspended in VW Scandal, Quits for Good
Wolfgang Hatz, who was also a former head of engine development at Volkswagen, voluntarily left Porsche, the company said.

Nissan Recalls 3.5 Million Vehicles for Airbag Problems
The recall ends a two-year effort by regulators to get Nissan to fix problems in the sensing system of the airbags.

Driven: Review: Hyundai Elantra Offers Fewer Curves, but a Better Ride
The 2017 model addresses problems with steering, road noise and a lack of structure in its 2016 counterpart.

Wheels: The Chrysler 200, Symbol of a Comeback, Slowly Fades Away
Production of a midsize car that once starred in a Chrysler commercial is winding down, and the plant where it was made will soon be making pickups.

Ford Doubles Profits for the Best Quarter in Its History
Low gasoline prices are helping automakers sell more large, higher-profit vehicles, and Ford’s redesigned F-150 is a big hit.

Ford and Google Team Up to Support Driverless Cars
The automaker and the tech giant formed the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a group aimed at urging federal approval of autonomous vehicles.

Ford’s 1Q Net Income Doubles on Truck, SUV Sales
Ford Motor Co.’s net income more than doubled to $2.5 billion in the first quarter as strong sales of trucks and SUVs pushed North American revenue to record levels.

VW C.E.O. ‘Personally’ Apologized to President Obama in Plea for Mercy
The carmaker also said it had set aside about $7.9 billion for legal costs worldwide, indicating that it expects fines in the U.S. to be much lower than some analysts have estimated.

Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer
Policy makers and road safety experts are reaching back to tested strategies: They want to treat distracted driving like drunken driving.

VW Presentation in ’06 Showed How to Foil Emissions Tests
The proposal, discovered as part of the investigations into Volkswagen, provides a direct link to the genesis of the diesel deception.

Fiat Chrysler Profit Beats Expectations
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) beat first-quarter profit forecasts on Tuesday, helped by a strong performance in North America, but higher debt pushed its shares lower.

Volkswagen Reverses Course on Union at Tennessee Plant
The automaker had aimed to replicate a German model of labor relations at the Chattanooga factory, but the emissions scandal has poisoned the waters.

Mitsubishi Says It Cheated on Fuel Tests for Decades
The Japanese carmaker’s disclosure that it had used improper methods since 1991 calls the fuel efficiency of many models and millions of vehicles into question.

VW, Setting Aside $18 Billion for Diesel Scandal Costs, Reports Record Loss
The automaker said it had lost $6.2 billion in 2015, and the German government on Friday ordered a recall of 630,000 diesel vehicles from VW and other automakers.

Wheels: Despite Strong Earnings, G.M. Has Much to Prove to Investors
Much of the credit for G.M.’s earnings has gone to a strong car market in the United States, not the company’s improving balance sheet and new models.

G.M. Profits More Than Double
General Motors’ first quarter profit more than doubled as all of its business units posted improved numbers including record pretax earnings in North America.

Driven: Video Review: After Some Mud Wrestling, the Best S.U.V.s Emerge
Over two days at this year’s Mudfest in the Pacific Northwest, 26 journalists evaluated 27 vehicles, including crossovers, S.U.V.s and pickups.

Volkswagen Reaches Deal in U.S. Over Emissions Scandal
Owners of hundreds of thousands of diesel cars in the United States will be eligible to have their vehicles bought back or fixed.

Behind Mitsubishi’s Faked Data, Fierce Competition
The latest automaker scandal has focused attention on the company’s struggles in the brutally competitive Japanese microcar market.

Volkswagen Deal on Emissions Cheating in U.S. Is Expected
A deal, if completed, is expected to include fines from regulators and compensation to owners that could cost Volkswagen billions of dollars.

Mitsubishi Admits Cheating on Fuel-Economy Tests
The manipulation of testing procedures by the automaker’s engineers affected about 620,000 vehicles sold in Japan, the company’s president said.

Volkswagen Case Gives Judge, Onetime Aspiring Actor, Role of a Lifetime
The overseeing of the class-action suits brought by American car owners is a career highlight for Charles R. Breyer, who is widely described as fair, pragmatic and creative.

G.M. Design Chief Retiring; Company Veteran Named as Successor
Ed Welburn, the chief global vehicle designer for General Motors, will retire on July 1 and be replaced by Michael Simcoe, a 33-year company veteran.

BMW Recalls 7 Series Models Due to Air Bag Issue
BMW AG is recalling its new flagship 7-series luxury limousine due to a potential air bag deployment issue, the company said on Thursday.