Jeep Renegade sales being held due to powertrain issue

Jeep Renegade sales being held due to powertrain issueImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon Turkus2015 RenegadeMSRP$17,995ShopReviewsMore Photos2015 Jeep Renegade TrailhawkJeep Renegade Desert Hawk: Moab Easter Jeep SafariJeep Renegade Desert Hawk ConceptJeep Renegade Hard Steel Concept2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk: Quick SpinOff-Road Mopar Jeep Renegade: Detroit 2015Chris Bruce

The Jeep Renegade appears to be facing early software problems that are similar to the ones at the introduction of the Cherokee a few years ago. The issue is keeping the brand's latest compact crossover away from dealers until the situation can be resolved.

The fault reportedly deals with the software controlling the Renegade's nine-speed automatic transmission. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne briefly talked about what was happening in an interview with Automotive News. "I'm having a very bad engineering day," he said. "It's a combination of attributes of that vehicle that is making my life horrible." The company boss predicted at the longest it could take until mid-June to fix things. Through April, Jeep has sold 5,157 Renegades, including 4,214 of them in that month alone.

Autoblog reached out to an FCA US spokesperson to learn more about the software problem, but the company had no comment.

Getting the software right to control the nine-speed automatic plagued development of the Cherokee. The issues delayed the model's launch in 2013, and the company was still releasing improvements for some vehicles this year.Featured Gallery2015 Jeep Renegade: First Drive

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GM slashes prices in China as sales falter

GM slashes prices in China as sales falterChris Bruce

Buying a vehicle from General Motors' stable of brands might be a lot cheaper in the near future – at least for customers in China. The effort comes as GM hopes to keep sales there growing, and the decision alludes to yet another sign that the Asian country no longer has the booming auto market of past years.

GM and its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC are slashing prices by as much as the equivalent to $8,700 on 40 models from Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac, according to The Detroit News. Across all of automaker's nameplates, the overall sales dipped in China in April by 0.4 percent to 258,484 vehicles. Among the drops, Buick was down 8.5 percent, and Chevy shrunk 5.6 percent. Caddy's numbers increased 4.6 percent for the month, though.

Buick remains a popular brand in the minds of Chinese consumers, but according to The Detroit News domestic automakers there are starting to eat into the dominance of foreign companies in the market. The country remains important for GM, though. Late last year, it outlined a future strategy that included China as a major pillar, including a $14 billion investment to build five new factories and boost sales.

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Subaru boosting US capacity thanks to strong sales

Subaru boosting US capacity thanks to strong salesBrandon Turkus

It is very, very good to be Subaru right now. The company is rolling, with its global operating profits increasing 21 percent last quarter. While part of that is due to favorable currency conditions, the simple fact is that Subaru is selling a hell of a lot of cars, particularly in North America.

The company's North American branch is expected to hit its sales goal of 600,000 units per year five years ahead of schedule, after moving 570,000 units in the recently completed fiscal year (remember, the Japanese fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31). Last quarter alone, Subaru NA saw a 12 percent increase in sales, significantly more than either the company's home market or the increasingly vital Chinese market, where sales declined by one and 14 percent, respectively.

With such promising results, it's no surprise that Fuji Heavy Industries President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga announced plans to bump up production at the company's Indiana factory. Yoshinaga-san is pushing for annual capacity of 394,000 units by the end of calendar year 2016, Automotive News reports, adding that inventory levels in the US are too low.

"If only we had more cars, we could be selling more," Yoshinaga told AN during a news conference.

FHI's previous plans for the factory were much less aggressive. Originally, production would be expanded to 328,000 units by 2017, AN reports, with an eye towards a full 400,000 units per year by 2021. With 394,000 rolling out of the Lafayette, IN factory by next year, though, it's clear how keen Subaru is to take advantage of such strong demand.

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