Here is the major news that featured the automobile industry in July 2016.

Three US states sue Volkswagen over the emission cheating scandal.

Following the German car manufacturer’s $15.3 billion lawsuit settlement for alleged cheating on the US diesel emission tests, lawyers from the US states of New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland have filed separate lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that Volkswagen has violated state environmental regulations and mislead regulators.

New car launch

Mercedes is all set to launch a variant of its successful SLK roadster series in India on July 26^th with the Mercedes-AMG SLC543 model. Targeted as a replacement for the SLK-55, this car is powered by the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 motor with 376 horsepower and is paired with a 9-speed automotive gearbox.

Spending boost on digital technologies and electric car version by Volkswagen Audi

Volkswagen’s most profitable brand, Audi, has announced to boost its overall spending over the next 10 years on innovative digital technologies, electric cars, and autonomous driving. The German car major revealed its plans of investing over a third of its R&D budget (around $4.7 billion last year) for this purpose. The company had sold a record 1.8 million vehicles in 2015 and aims to increase its share of electric car sales to 25% by 2025.

US authorities investigate death caused by Tesla’s self-driving technology.

US-based authorities are investigating the first death caused by self-driving technology. The car under scrutiny is the autopilot technology of the Tesla Model S car, which collided with a truck in Florida this May. The collision had resulted in the death of the Tesla driver named Joshua Brown.

Toyota to recall 1.43 million vehicles over Takata airbag problem

Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota, will be recalling over 1.43 million vehicle sold worldwide over the faulty airbag problem from its supplier, Takata. The recall could impact over 500,000 cars sold in North America and over 740,000 cars sold in Japan, along with vehicles sold in Europe and China.

The car maker issued a statement mentioning that the airbag inflator in their vehicles could have a welding crack that could widen over time.