Aston Martin Winner Sues Dealer Because They Won't Give Her The Car

But casino surveillance footage tells a different story.

There’s a harsh truth to any form of gambling: the house always wins. But sometimes there’s a bit of a gray zone that only a court can decide. That’s pretty much what happened to Merida Manipoun, who won a 600 -hp Aston Martin Vantage GT (probably a 2015 model, pictured here) at the Viejas Casino and Resort in Alpine, California in May 2016. She has since sued the Aston Martin dealership in San Diego that took part in the promotion for fraud, conspiracy and breach-of-contract, according to Automotive News. So, what happened exactly?

Manipoun claims she spent a lot of money playing the casino’s slot machines in the hope of doing so would increase the chances of her name being drawn to win the car. The casino teamed up with the Aston Martin dealer for the promotion.

When her name was ultimately drawn, she says following the congratulations ceremony and publicity photos, she was escorted into a back room and subjected to a high-pressure sales pitch” in an effort to persuade her to “forego her entitlement to the car" and to accept minimal cash compensation instead “on the apparent theory that would afford her appreciable tax benefits.”

However, Manipoun refused to give up on claiming the car and when she went to the Aston Martin dealership to pick it up, the employees didn’t have the necessary paperwork done proving the car was hers. To make matters worse, Manipoun may still be hit with a tax liability based on the supercar’s value. At least that’s her version of what happened.

The dealership, however, says she "failed to identify any evidence that supports her fraud claim against the casino and the dealership," said its lawyer, Phillip Samouris. "She admitted at her recent deposition that the dealership and the casino employees made no substantive statements to her, let alone any fraudulent statements.” But there’s more: the dealership has surveillance footage proving Manipoun broke the rule requiring participants to use the casino’s loyalty club card. How so? Only Manipoun, the card’s holder, could use it while gambling there.

Instead, surveillance shows her “companion… playing on her casino rewards card in clear violation of the casino’s rules, thereby improperly gaining entries in the drawing.” The dealership’s lawyer also added his client was not involved in the disqualification decision and that dealerships only make money in promotions such as this when a car was actually given away. So why doesn’t Manipoun sue the casino instead of the dealership? She can’t because the casino is tribal-owned and protected by immunity laws. A judge has already declined to dismiss the case on procedural grounds, but the dealership's lawyer will now ask to have the suit dismissed because it's baseless.

View the original article here

Audi A6 And A7 Sales Suspended Because The Airbag May Not Deploy

A recall has also been issued affecting 2012-2018 models sold in the US.

Audi has suspended sales of A6 and A7 models equipped with certain seats in the US because of a defective sensor. A recall for the two luxury sedans has also been actioned affecting models built from 2012 to 2018. According to Automotive News, the sensor mat in front of the passenger seat in these models, which is designed to detect whether the passenger seat is occupied, could malfunction and prevent the airbag from deploying in a crash.

An Audi spokesman confirmed 139,249 A6s and A7s built between January 2011 and April 2018 equipped with standard or Super Sport seats are affected by the issue. Luckily, no deaths or injuries have been reported as a result of the defect, but Audi doesn’t have a fix available yet. Audi A6 and A7 models sold outside the US are not affected. If you own a 2012-2018 A6 or A7 in the US, there’s a simple way to tell if your car has been fitted with a defective sensor. If the indicator light showing that the passenger-side airbags are not armed activates when the front passenger seat is occupied, this means the sensor is faulty.

If that’s the case, Audi advises customers to stop using the seat immediately and contact their local dealership. It’s otherwise safe to drive your A6 or A7 until it can be inspected or repaired, though. This isn’t the first time the A6 has been recalled because of a potential safety hazard. Last year, around 583,000 A6 models built between 2012 and 2015 and powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine were recalled because there was a possibility the electric coolant pump could overheat and cause a fire.

Audi Is About To Get A New CEO Because Its Current One Is Still Locked Up

The fallout from Dieselgate continues.

Current and apparently soon to be outgoing Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is at this very moment sitting in jail. He was arrested last month following allegations he attempted to tamper with evidence during the Volkswagen Dieselgate investigation. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be released anytime soon and even if were, it’s not like he can go back to his job as if nothing happened.

Perhaps that’s why, according to Automotive News, the Volkswagen Group is about to appoint BMW purchasing director Markus Duesmann as Audi’s next CEO, effective January 1, 2019. It’s not particularly surprising to hear of a high-level executive being poached by a rival brand.

In fact, current Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess also worked at BMW as purchasing chief until 2015. But why won’t Duesmann start work at Audi earlier? Supposedly it’s because his current contract with BMW doesn’t expire until sometime in the fall and it includes a clause preventing him from going to work for a rival immediately. There’s a short cooling off period it seems.

Duesmann is a mechanical engineer by training and has worked at BMW since 2007. Before that, he worked at Mercedes-Benz as head of Formula 1 powertrain. As for Stadler, well… Volkswagen and Audi rightly claim he’s innocent until proven guilty but the legal process isn’t likely to end anytime soon. Will his case go to trial? Will he strike a plea bargain?

These are questions that can’t be answered and Audi needs to continue going about business as usual. Its sales chief, Bram Schot, is currently filling in as interim CEO until Duesmann is able to get started. Fortunately for Audi, sales remain stellar. Only a few weeks ago did it report that worldwide deliveries increased by 4.5 percent since the start of the year for a total of 949,300 units.

(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-MJCGS3N');var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "28140907" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();

Audi e-tron Reveal Delayed Because Of Dieselgate

The reveal event was supposed to take place in Brussels in August but will now be held in the US at a later date.

August 30 was supposed to be the reveal day of Audi’s first ever EV, the e-tron, but the event has been delayed after company CEO Rupert Stadler’s arrest last week. The electric crossover was originally going to be revealed at a prestigious full-day event in Brussels where the e-tron will be built, but Audi has confirmed to Automotive News the event will now take place in the US at an unspecified date and location. In a statement, Audi said the delay was due to "organizational reasons."

Consequently, the delay probably means that Audi’s chief rival Mercedes-Benz will be the first German automaker to unveil a mass-produced Tesla-fighter, the EQC that will make its world debut in Stockholm on September 4. Despite delaying the crossover's debut, Audi told Automotive News the e-tron’s sales launch hasn’t been affected. The e-tron will have its market launch at the end of the year. Nothing has changed," an Audi spokeswoman said. The delay comes after Audi’s CEO was arrested and imprisoned last week without bail in Germany on suspicion he was interfering with their investigation into the ongoing diesel scandal.

Stadler is one of 20 former or current Audi employees currently under investigation. The e-tron will mark a major milestone for Audi as the company starts its all-electric onslaught. By 2025, Audi aims to deliver 800,000 electrified cars every year. To achieve this lofty goal, Audi will offer an electrified version of every vehicle in its lineup by 2025, most of which will be fully electric.

Digital Displays Will Replace Speedometers Because Of EVs

With the rise of EVs, Japan Display believes drivers will care more about the interior than what’s under the hood.

While most cars on the road today still have traditional gauge clusters, newer models often feature digital screens replacing speedometers and dials. If you buy a brand-new BMW or Mercedes-Benz model, chances are are the display panel facing you was made by Japan Display, the world’s largest supplier of on-board digital panels. Replacing instrument clusters with screens is challenging since they need to be more reliable and withstand swings in temperature, while providing critical information for the driver.

That also makes them more expensive allowing display suppliers to demand higher margins. However, Japan Display believes the shift to EVs will make screens the key selling point for a car since drivers will start to pay more more attention to the appearance of the cabin instead of what’s under the hood. “It used to be all about the engine – how many cylinders, how much horsepower, the sound of it – but with electric vehicles that’s all gone,” Japan Displays boss Holder Gerkens said in an interview with Automotive News. “How do you create attraction? You can do a lot with displays.” For now, these screens are mostly reserved for high-end cars made by BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.

Looking ahead, Gerkens said JDI, which already supplies about 30 percent of the European car market, is expanding in the US, Japan and China, Gerkens said. Last year, the company controlled 19 percent of the $6.7 billion global market for automotive displays. LG Display came behind them with 14 percent. In the future, OLED screens will be the next big step in display technology, but it will probably take a long time for cars to adopt the technology. OLEDs have a limited lifetime and cost considerably more, despite being thinner and more efficient than LCDs. "We are moving away from flat rectangular shaped displays," Gerkens concluded. "The future will be more and more design driven."

Audi Is About To Get A New CEO Because Its Current One Is Still Locked Up

The fallout from Dieselgate continues.

Current and apparently soon to be outgoing Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is at this very moment sitting in jail. He was arrested last month following allegations he attempted to tamper with evidence during the Volkswagen Dieselgate investigation. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be released anytime soon and even if were, it’s not like he can go back to his job as if nothing happened.

Perhaps that’s why, according to Automotive News, the Volkswagen Group is about to appoint BMW purchasing director Markus Duesmann as Audi’s next CEO, effective January 1, 2019. It’s not particularly surprising to hear of a high-level executive being poached by a rival brand.

In fact, current Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess also worked at BMW as purchasing chief until 2015. But why won’t Duesmann start work at Audi earlier? Supposedly it’s because his current contract with BMW doesn’t expire until sometime in the fall and it includes a clause preventing him from going to work for a rival immediately. There’s a short cooling off period it seems.

Duesmann is a mechanical engineer by training and has worked at BMW since 2007. Before that, he worked at Mercedes-Benz as head of Formula 1 powertrain. As for Stadler, well… Volkswagen and Audi rightly claim he’s innocent until proven guilty but the legal process isn’t likely to end anytime soon. Will his case go to trial? Will he strike a plea bargain?

These are questions that can’t be answered and Audi needs to continue going about business as usual. Its sales chief, Bram Schot, is currently filling in as interim CEO until Duesmann is able to get started. Fortunately for Audi, sales remain stellar. Only a few weeks ago did it report that worldwide deliveries increased by 4.5 percent since the start of the year for a total of 949,300 units.

The Audi Q4 Will Launch In 2019 Because The World Needs More Crossovers

Set to rival the likes of the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2.

As part of its ambitious expansion plans, Audi has confirmed that the Q4 crossover will be launched in 2019. As suspected, the baby SUV will borrow design cues from the Audi TT Offroad Concept that debuted at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. Speaking from its HQ in Ingolstadt, Germany, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said, "We offered a preview of this type of vehicle with the Audi TT Offroad Concept study three years ago," according to Automotive News.

Like the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2, the Audi Q4 will combine the utility of an SUV with the good looks and sporty appeal of a coupe. The TT Offroad Concept featured a plug-in hybrid powerplant, combining a 2.0-liter turbo-four with a pair of electric motors. However, the Q4 will almost certainly utilize the same engine as the Q3, a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. There’s no word on which markets will get the Q4, but we’d be staggered if the US wasn’t one of them given both the Q3 and Q5 are sold here.

Following its hugely positive reception at both the Detroit and Geneva motor shows, the Audi Q8 is set to go on sale in 2018, followed by the Q4 a year later. The Q5 will receive a facelift later this year and the Q2 is going to be offered in new markets, while the all-new A8 and A5 will also hit dealers this year. An all-new second-generation A7 will launch next year too. Audi will soon have enough models to reach its target of 14 RS models in the next 18 months.

The Audi Q4 Will Launch In 2019 Because The World Needs More Crossovers

Set to rival the likes of the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2.

As part of its ambitious expansion plans, Audi has confirmed that the Q4 crossover will be launched in 2019. As suspected, the baby SUV will borrow design cues from the Audi TT Offroad Concept that debuted at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. Speaking from its HQ in Ingolstadt, Germany, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said, "We offered a preview of this type of vehicle with the Audi TT Offroad Concept study three years ago," according to Automotive News.

Like the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2, the Audi Q4 will combine the utility of an SUV with the good looks and sporty appeal of a coupe. The TT Offroad Concept featured a plug-in hybrid powerplant, combining a 2.0-liter turbo-four with a pair of electric motors. However, the Q4 will almost certainly utilize the same engine as the Q3, a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. There’s no word on which markets will get the Q4, but we’d be staggered if the US wasn’t one of them given both the Q3 and Q5 are sold here.

Following its hugely positive reception at both the Detroit and Geneva motor shows, the Audi Q8 is set to go on sale in 2018, followed by the Q4 a year later. The Q5 will receive a facelift later this year and the Q2 is going to be offered in new markets, while the all-new A8 and A5 will also hit dealers this year. An all-new second-generation A7 will launch next year too. Audi will soon have enough models to reach its target of 14 RS models in the next 18 months.