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Recent Posts
- ACEA – EU November Car Sales Flat. Tesla Wilts
- Honda Aircraft Company Offers Performance Upgrade Package
- November 2025 UK Vehicle Production Plunges
- US New-Vehicle Sales Q4 Forecast Down in 2025. Year Up a Tad
- Toyota to Export U.S. Made Vehicles to Japan
- Nissan Claims to Kill Wireless Phone Charging Bugs
- Electrify America EV Charging Adds WS Development
- Q3 2025 Airline Profits in Trump Slump
- Honda Recalls 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EVs
- Ford Motor Eliminates Model E in Profit Seeking About Face
- Wadda You Say? Personalized Sound at Nissan, Infiniti
- Bye Sauber – Hi Audi Revolut F1 Team
- Pre-Owned Vehicle Marketing – Stellantis, Cox Automotive
- Chinese Junk Watch Death Risk – Luyuan Youth ATVs
- ICE Vehicle Mobile Apps – Wide Satisfaction Differences
Recent Comments
- Magna on its Share Repurchase Plan in reference to on Magna Posts Solid Q3 2025 Earnings Gain
- Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador on Ford Performance Rebranded as Ford Racing
- Gen 3 2026 Nissan Leaf Less than $30,000? | AutoInformed on Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee
- ACSI – Customer Satisfaction with Autos Dropping | AutoInformed on New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump
- Cadillac Off-Roader – Elevated Velocity | AutoInformed on Annals of Marketing – Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept EV
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Author Archives: Ken Zino
First Look – 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota (NYSE: TM) has finally officially acknowledged that its longest-running nameplate will return to the North American after a three-year hiatus. Moreover, the off-road vehicle is less expensive with a MSRP in the mid-$50,000 range. (The Lexus LX 600 version of the platform is on sale now in the US at ~$100,000.) Now built off of the less expensive TNGA-F global truck platform, the new Land Cruiser is available with the range-topping i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain producing 326 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. Continue reading
EPA Awards Grants to 21 Student Teams on Public Health
“EPA’s P3 program, now in its twentieth year, is an exciting and unique program that recognizes the power of students to translate imagination and science into new solutions that protect human health and the environment,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Continue reading
Toyota Posts Strong FY 2024 Q1 Results – $9.2 Billion Net
Sales volume increased in all regions due to productivity improvements inside TMC and with its suppliers. Consolidated vehicle sales Q1 was 2,326,000 units, at 115.5% of consolidated vehicle sales for the same period of the previous fiscal year. Toyota and Lexus vehicle sales was at 2,538,000 thousand units, at 108.4% of such sales for the same period of the previous fiscal year. This coincided with the better supply of semiconductors, which is still delaying delivery, particularly on new models. Notably, electrified vehicles were 34% of total sales. Continue reading
New Pattern Bargaining – UAW and Unifor Strike All Makers?
“This year, negotiations are expected to be more contentious, and UAW President Shawn Fain has alluded that things may be done differently this time around which could mean that they negotiate with all three simultaneously – ultimately leading to a strike against all of the Detroit 3 if their demands are not met,” said Taylor Prodin, Analyst, Americas Vehicle Forecasts, GlobalData*. Continue reading
Ford Motor Recalls 2023 Super Duty Pickups
Ford said, “If the driver and front passenger door module experiences a low power condition and resets while the window is moving, the anti-pinch function may not detect an obstacle near the top edge and may not automatically reverse direction.” Continue reading
Toyota China Re-Org as EV and Trade Wars Proceed
“The Chinese market is growing at an unprecedented pace,” said Tatsuro Ueda, Chief Executive Officer of the China Region. “Toyota will also work together as a group to reform how we work and think to survive in China.” Continue reading
USDOT Proposes 58 MPG Fuel Economy Standard
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today issued a proposal to update fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The “preferred alternative” among several in NHTSA’s proposal includes a 2% per year improvement in fuel efficiency for passenger cars and a 4% per year improvement for light trucks beginning in model year 2027. This increases through model year 2032, potentially reaching an average fleet fuel economy of 58 miles per gallon by 2032. However, NHTSA notes that real word fuel economy is ~20-30% lower than estimated CAFE fuel economy.* Continue reading
Lotus Engineering Shows New Olympic Bike
Lotus Engineering showed today gen 2 of the Hope-Lotus bike with revised front forks and handlebars and the HBT Paris Frame, developed by Hope Technology. Lotus Engineering has collaborated with the Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT), Hope Technology and Renishaw to modify the Tokyo 2020 track bike which contributed to the track team winning seven Olympic medals and leading the event medal table. The competitive track debut will be in August at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Continue reading
Porsche to Buy All of IT Consultancy MHP
The global auto industry is in the midst of a digital transformation after a century of blacksmithing metals. Internal processes, customer interactions, computer-based charging or other services are all becoming competitive requirements. Continue reading
Stellantis Completes Symbio Hydrogen Purchase
“The addition of Stellantis as a shareholder will boost Symbio’s development across Europe and in the US,” Stellantis said. Acquiring an equal stake in Symbio supports Stellantis fuel cell van production in France, and supplements the company’s growing battery electric vehicle portfolio. Continue reading
EU New Commercial Vehicle Registrations Up in H1 2023
Commercial vehicle sales in Europe are up in double digits during H1 2023, according to ACEA* data released this morning. During the first half of 2023, new EU van sales increased by 11.6% to 725,418 units as supply chain issues eased. Continue reading
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Tagged acea, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, EU commercial vehicle sale H1 2023, Ken Zino
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Ford Motor Posts $3.8B Q2 Earnings on 12% Revenue Increase
“The shift to powerful digital experiences and breakthrough EVs is underway and going to be volatile, so being able to guide customers through and adapt to the pace of adoption are big advantages for us,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. “Ford+ is making us more resilient, efficient and profitable, which you can see in Ford Pro’s breakout second-quarter revenue improvement (22%) and EBIT margin (15%),” Fairly said selectively. Ford’s electric business – Model e – is forecast to lose ~$4.5 billion during 2023. It lost $1.2 billion during Q2 or $40,000 a vehicle. Continue reading
US July Vehicle Sales Forecast Up Significantly Again
Total new-vehicle sales for July 2023, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,320,982 units, a 21.5% increase from July 2022, according to a joint forecast released today from J.D. Power and GlobalData.* Total sales of new vehicles this month are expected to reach 1,320,982 units, a 21.5% increase compared with July 2022 when adjusted for selling days.
Bidenomics is clearly working in AutoInformed’s point of view. (July 2023 has 25 selling days, one less than July 2022.) Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 16.8% year-over-year. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 16 million units, up 2.6 million units from July 2022. Continue reading
Old Curiosities Found During Sunbeam LSR Restoration
“It’s the first 200mph screwdriver, which couldn’t have been taken out of the oil tank because it was buried under the engine. We cleaned out the tank where the oil had solidified, using hot water and detergent, and after shaking the tank the vintage screwdriver eventually tipped out, “said National Motor Museum Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield. “After the LSR breaking run, the oil would have stuck like glue on top of the chassis, which is where we made the other discoveries.” Continue reading

Parts Maker Sinister Diesel to Pay $1 Million After Guilty Plea
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case by US District Court Judge John A. Mendez for the Eastern District of California on 14 November 2023. Although Sinister Diesel agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal fine under its plea agreement, the company faces – for each count – a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense. Its sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of all applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider a number of variables. Continue reading →