Author Archives: AutoCrat

Happy Holidays!

All the best for the 2021 Holiday Season. Continue reading

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Random Covid Curiosities

For the new Ghost, which debuts in autumn 2020, this technology has been developed to incorporate hardware and software improvements, collectively dubbed the Micro-environment Purification System. Impurity Detection Sensors have been introduced to detect ambient pollution levels, automatically switching fresh air intakes to Recirculation Mode if unacceptable levels of airborne contaminants are present. This channels all cabin air through a Nanofleece filter, which can remove nearly all ultra-fine particles, viruses and bacteria from the Rolls-Royce’s interior in less than two minutes. Continue reading

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MotorCities At Home – a Zoom Look at Hood Ornaments

The series kicks off this Friday at noon with “Mascots of Motion” with automotive journalist Steve Purdy. Continue reading

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Lincoln MKZ Recalled for Bad Replacement Headlights

However, the dealers were “unaware” that the units did not comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including for headlamp beam patterns, illuminated side markers, horizontal adjustments and U.S. Department of Transportation markings. Ford did not say where the headlamps were made or who made them.  Continue reading

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TravelCenters of America Lays Off  More than 3000

Most were involved in the restaurants at the truck stops. All furloughed employees currently enrolled in TA’s benefits programs will continue to be eligible for health care coverage based on their plan. Continue reading

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Social Distancing Time Frames: How Our Expectations Affect Compliance

“We said, ‘There’s something wrong here in the news,’” Briscese says. “Someone from the government says one thing and then another thing and you had conflicting messages from epidemiologists saying, ‘We are here for the long run. This is a marathon, not a sprint.’” Continue reading

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Audi A6 Hybrid Vehicles Recalled for Short Circuits, Fires

A fire in a railway container in China last December with 2 new Audi vehicles started a chain of events that lead to this global recall. Audi investigations with Valeo the supplier on the  root cause, possible contributing factors and affected production period ensued. Continue reading

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Cooper Tire Stops Manufacturing in the Americas

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company today announced it will shut down its tire manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico to protect the health and safety of employees and respond to market demand that has been declining by the coronavirus pandemic as the U.S. heads into a recession. Continue reading

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CARB and United Nations Start Satellites for Climate Action

California, of course, has one of the leading greenhouse gas reduction programs to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. It also has a long, distinguished history of using innovative ways to reduce emissions while supporting a thriving economy. Continue reading

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Chrysler Recalls More than 1.1 Million Ram Pickup Trucks for Unexpected Tailgate Openings While Driving

The safety defect stems from a tailgate actuator limiter tab that may fracture and cause the tailgate to unlatch and pop open. The unsafe trucks were assembled in Mexico and the U.S. with bad parts from ADAC Plastic in Saranac Michigan. Continue reading

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Eaton Links with KPIT on Electrified Mobility Technologies

In March 2018, Eaton announced the formation of its eMobility business unit for electrified vehicles. The eMobility business works in three primary areas for both automotive and commercial vehicle customers: intelligent power electronics, power systems, and advanced power distribution and circuit protection. Continue reading

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Ford Recalls 1.2M Explorer Models and Others for Defects

One Explorer customer reported hitting a curb when the toe link broke. Ford is not aware of any reports of injuries related to problem. This safety defect affects approximately 1.2 million vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, approximately 28,000 in Canada and one in Mexico. Affected vehicles were built at the Chicago Assembly Plant, May 17, 2010 to Jan. 25, 2017. Continue reading

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Foreign Born US Population at Historic Levels

The number of foreign-born* residents in the United States has varied over the past 165 years. By 2016, 13.5% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, a level that rivaled historic highs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading

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More and/or Less – What Americans Know about Science

There are striking differences in levels of science knowledge by education as well as by racial and ethnic group. Men tend to score higher than women on the science knowledge scale, but gender differences are not consistent across questions in the scale. And political party groups are roughly similar in their overall levels of science knowledge, although conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats tend to score higher on the scale than do their more moderate counterparts. Continue reading

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Cabrera Rides in Corvette at NAIAS after Disastrous 2018

“I want to be dangerous,” Cabrera said during a pre-season press conference. Cabrera his been enmeshed in a messy and very expensive legal tangle between his wife and mistress, both of whom have children by him. Continue reading

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