Author Archives: Ken Zino

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.

Memorial Day – 31 May 2021

“Each generation of Americans receives the precious gift of liberty.  And we work to share it with more people; to make our country more open, more free, more fair; to bring us closer – closer to making our American creed a reality for all Americans: that all women and men are created equal; that all women and men equally deserve to be treated with dignity; that all men and women deserve equal rights, equal protection to build up futures for their families, and hope and opportunity.  Continue reading

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Helio Castroneves Sets Record-Tying Fourth Win at Indy 500

It is ironic that Castroneves was eased out of Team Penske’s Indy Car Team for a seat racing sports cars. The fan favorite returned to open wheel racing this year and presented Roger Penske – now owner of the Indy 500 – with a reminder that age and cunning often overcome a track full of fast but ultimately losing young racers. That’s what happens when you dance – or race – with stars Continue reading

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Ford Recalls 2013-21 Transit Connect Vans for Rollaways

A damaged or missing bushing could prevent the shifter from moving the transmission to the intended gear position.  This could allow the driver to move the gear shift lever to park, turn the vehicle off, and exit the vehicle with no instrument panel warning message or warning chime indicating the vehicle is not secured in park. This latest safety defect covers 192,080 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories and 12,629 in Canada. Continue reading

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Volta Trucks Fully-Electric Commercial Zero to Debut in Italy

The arrival in Italy also follows the company’s recently announced Europe-first principles within its Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy, with Volta Trucks set to launch four full-electric commercial vehicles and increase its projected sales volumes to more than 27,000 by 2025. Given the competition from existing truck makers, this is ambitious. Continue reading

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Volkswagen, Carmel, IN to Test Cameras and Machine Vision Software to Speed Traffic. Potential Privacy Threats?

The city will have a dashboard that gathers data from various locations and highlights key learnings. The software does not track individuals or individual vehicles; it automatically pixelates faces and license plates. Still, there are privacy concerns here. The software also does not store images, but only the counting data it generates, as a further form of privacy protection. Still, there are privacy concerns here as there is no assurance that tracking could be enabled. Continue reading

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Out of this World! Secret Lockheed Martin, GM EV Revealed

“This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both companies to make a transformative class of vehicles,” said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space. Continue reading

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FAA Cuts Boeing a Deal on More 737 Airworthiness Violations?

Boeing, debatably, profited from such interference when the Trump Administration refused to ground the 737 Max despite growing incidents and fatalities. It’s a reasonable bet that Boeing and Barr wanted to cut ties with Trump after he lost the presidential election last November. Continue reading

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US New Vehicle Sales in May Forecast as Record Setting. Global Sales are Another Matter Entirely

Total new-vehicle sales for May 2021, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,555,600, a 39.6% increase from May 2020 and a 1.9% decrease from May 2019. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 16.7 million units, up 4.7 million units from 2020 but down 0.7 million units from 2019. The overall sales results for manufacturers will be mixed. Some are experiencing greater production problems because of semiconductor shortage. This will hurt, perhaps materially in the financial sense, various manufacturers monthly sales and profit performance for May and the months to come. Continue reading

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BMW Group – Hydrogen is Key Technology for Future

“Our solution to the challenges of environmental policy is technological innovation. Technology is where the key to the future lies – and it’s our constructive response for climate protection,” said Hans-Peter Kemser, Director of BMW Group Plant Leipzig. Leipzig aims not only to be carbon-neutral but also to operate carbon-free production. “Our vision is to fully de-carbonize production by replacing fossil fuels with future fuels in the shape of green hydrogen,” he added. Continue reading

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Ford to Up Electrification Spend to $30B by 2025. Wants 40% All-Electric Global Volume By 2030

Well, one wild card is the great unknown about the future of internal combustion engines that Ford is heavily dependent on. Will the change to EVs mean big write offs or mark downs of the value of existing plants, tooling and the elimination of jobs? Another potentially negative is Ford’s dismal record of introducing and then incurring huge warranty costs of complex vehicles with electronics. It has cost stockholders billions of dollars. Fixing these huge warranty costs is potentially worth $1-$2 billion annually given recent history. Continue reading

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Hyundai Motor Teases “Enhanced” XCIENT Fuel Cell Truck

In a running battle with Toyota, Hyundai claims this will be the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen. Hyundai will begin production of 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell in August this year. Continue reading

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Hyundai Revises Ioniq 5 EV for 2022 with New Platform

IONIQ 5’s interior uses the E-GMP’s all-electric packaging, steer-by-wire and shift-by-wire systems to provide a close to flat floor for passenger and cargo space. With the battery pack mounted beneath the floor, between the front and rear wheel axles, the E-GMP architecture creates a flat floor for the cabin. This provides more legroom for passengers, while enabling various arrangements for the front and rear seats. Continue reading

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Ford Introduces All-Electric F-150 Lightning Pro – Bring Money

Ford is the only automaker, thus far, to offer an 80-amp charge station as standard equipment with the so-called extended-range truck. It uses the only dual onboard charging system in the industry to cut the 15%-to-100% charge time to roughly eight hours for the hoped-for EPA-estimated 300-mile-range. This might help “reduce charging infrastructure investments and battery wear,” but this is Ford speculating about what remains a core issue with EVs – the ability to charge them and America’s outdated grid and infrastructure that the Republicans refuse to cooperate with job-creating Democrats to update. Continue reading

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California Mandates Zero-Emissions Ridesharing Vehicles

The Trump administration of course tried to cancel states rights and citizens’ ability to govern their communities. California led a lawsuit last year with 22 more states and other jurisdictions challenging the Trump Administration’s plan to roll back vehicle emissions standards. Continue reading

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First Look – 2022 Hyundai Tucson

Caveat here: The whole industry has moved rapidly toward small displacement force-fed, aka turbocharged,  engines, but real-world fuel economy improvements – if any – are heavily dependent on where you drive and how smooth your driving technique is. In stop and go conditions, whether induced by traffic or by drivers that are first to every red light with late braking, will not see any gains in our experience. They might even use more fuel. Continue reading

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