Fuji Motorsports Forest to Be a New Corporation, Destination

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Fuji Motorsports Forest to Be a New Corporation, Destination

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Toyota Motor Corporation will establish a new company, Fuji Motorsports Forest, Inc. on April 3 to promote the Fuji Motorsports Forest Project. Fuji International Speedway Co., Ltd. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the new company after Toyota receives a part of the shares held by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. and Taisei Corporation.

Arranged around the Fuji International Speedway circuit, Forest will consist of various facilities where motorsports culture can be enjoyed such as the Fuji Speedway Hotel, which offers a luxury experience, the Fuji Motorsports Museum which exhibits historic racing cars symbolizing each era, and garages of Japan’s leading racing teams. There are also spas and restaurants for the enjoyment of all visitors. Continue reading

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Seattle Streets Safer Because of Lower Speeds

Accidents on Seattle streets were less likely to cause injuries after the city lowered speed limits, a new study published today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. In downtown Seattle, lowering default speed limits reduced the likelihood that a crash would involve an injury by a fifth on arterial roads, IIHS researchers found. Outside of the city center, where the new limits were less consistently implemented and publicized, there were smaller injury reductions, but these were not statistically significant.

Newton* understood this in his F=MA equation. That is, Newton’s second law says that force is proportional to what is required for an object of constant mass to change its velocity. This equals the object’s mass multiplied by its acceleration. The increase in weight (Mass) and speed (Acceleration) results in a substantial increase in the energy (Force) involved in such an accident or test of crashworthiness.
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Cordless EV w 400 Mile Range – 2023 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Cordless EV w 400 Mile Range - 2023 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell

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Toyota said today in Texas that its 2023 Toyota Mirai Limited grade brings the latest in advanced driver assistance technology with Toyota Teammate™, a set of driver-assistance technologies that can be optionally purchased, that has two functions: Advanced Drive and Advanced Park. It uses an intelligent system of cameras, radar and LiDAR, which work together to help achieve what Toyota called convenient and efficient mobility.

Advanced Drive can help drivers on certain limited-access highways by detecting driving conditions and executing acceleration, braking and steering commands under active supervision of the driver. Hands-free driving is also possible under certain conditions with eyes-on-the-road operation confirmed by the driver monitor system – yes, the car is watching you. Advanced Park assists the operations necessary for hands-free parking by automatically controlling steering, acceleration, braking and gear changes when parallel parking or backing into a parking space. Continue reading

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Ford Motor BlueOval City – 6000 Jobs go to Tennessee

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford Motor Blue Oval City - 6000 Jobs go to Tennessee

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Ford Motor said this morning in Stanton, Tennessee that construction at the so-called BlueOval City mega-campus is well underway. The electric vehicle and battery manufacturing site in West Tennessee begins production in 2025. BlueOval City is a vital part of Ford’s plan to increase US EV production and make them more accessible to customers. Ford is targeting a production rate of 2 million EVs globally by late 2026 – 500,000 from Tennessee.

“BlueOval City is the blueprint for Ford’s electric future around the world,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chair. “We will build revolutionary electric vehicles at an advanced manufacturing site that works in harmony with the planet, aligning business growth and innovation with environmental progress.” Continue reading

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CARB Environmental Justice Advisory Committee Renewed

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today announced the reappointment of all 13 members to its ongoing Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC*). The Committee is comprised of representatives from California communities most heavily impacted by air pollution, including disadvantaged communities with minority or low-income populations.

“These appointments demonstrate the Board’s commitment to integrating environmental justice and equity as a cornerstone of CARB’s climate programs,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “We know climate change impacts vulnerable communities the most. Each of these members brings a unique perspective from their communities. By partnering together, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address historic inequities by advancing environmental justice and equity in our implementation of the Scoping Plan.” Continue reading

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NHTSA Prompts Expansion of Hyundai, Kia Fire Recall

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Fires! Park 2020-22 Hyundai Palisades, Kia Tellurides Outside

A good place to park until the recall repair is performed.

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America have issued expanded recalls for unexpected fires on more than 570,000 vehicles. The Korean companies are urging owners to park their vehicles outside and away from homes and other structures until the recall fix is applied, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today in a rare “critical recall alert,” the second one for this life-threatening safety defect. This safety recall is a direct result of NHTSA’s monitoring of recall NHTSA 22V-633, NHTSA said.

The affected vehicles are model years 2022-2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 2019-2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe Hybrid, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid, and 2022-2023 Kia Carnival. !Critical Vehicle Recall Information! Continue reading

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March US Auto Sales Forecast Up. Q1 to Set Spending Record

Total new-vehicle sales for March 2023, including retail and non-retail transactions, are forecast at 1,330,700, a 6.2% increase from March 2022, according to data just released from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive*. New-vehicle total sales for Q1 2023 are projected to reach 3,526,700 units, a 7.3% increase from Q1 2022 when adjusted for selling days. New-vehicle transaction prices continue to rise, with the average price reaching a March record of $45,818.

“March is shaping up to be yet another positive month for the industry. With retail sales forecasted to be up nearly 2%, along with average transaction prices tracking up 3.5%, consumers are on pace to spend nearly $50 billion this month, an increase of 5.5% from what they spent on new vehicles a year ago,” said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. Continue reading

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Ford Motor New Financial Reporting – Billions in EV Losses

Ford Motor this morning told  investors and analysts how the company is now organized and operating, adding that it will report financial results – based on three new global business segments that are focused on different automotive customers, rather than by geographic regions. Ford Motor reported a disappointing 2022 full-year net loss of $2.0 billion. During Q4 of 2022 Ford posted an adjusted EBIT $10.4 billion, and operating cash flow $1.2 billion for the quarter, $6.9 billion for the year. This was in stark contrast to GM, which reported a record $14.5 billion in earnings for 2022. (autoinformed.com on: Ford Misses Q4 and Full Year 2022 Forecasts. Loses $2B)

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford Motor New Financial Reporting - Billions in EV Losses

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Part of today’s presentation showed Ford’s nascent electric vehicle venture – Ford Model e – lost $3 billion before taxes during 2021 and 2022. More such losses are coming in the near term. Helping stem the tide of red ink, Ford Blue – its traditional internal combustion business – is forecast to post a $7 billion pretax profit in 2023, marginally better than last year. Ford Pro is forecast to earn $6 billion before taxes, almost double 2022 earnings. Other business units include corporate, Ford Credit and Ford Next, dubbed a new business incubator. (autoinformed.com on: John Dion to be Chief Transformation Officer at Struggling Ford; Ford Motor Structure Threatens Viability. Vast Reorg Coming) Continue reading

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