Category Archives: engineering

Daytona 24 Hours – Old and New Stars Getting Ready to Run

Posted on 19 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Cadillac Racing completed a three-day test at the “Roar Before the 24” at last weekend’s sessions  prior to the running of the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend in a twice-around-the-clock race on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course. Cadillac’s cars were first and third fastest in an early session, with a Porsche in between.

No big deal, though. First, with 20 overall victories by Porsche race cars, four additional wins as an engine manufacturer and one noteworthy  triumph in 1959, Porsche is inarguably the most successful manufacturer running sports car endurance races where the drivers have to know how to turn right as well as left. Added to this are more than 40 class victories at the famous 24-hour classic in Florida.** The Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team aims to continue this success. The Top Ten GTP cars were only separated by ~1 second when practice ended. Continue reading →

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Cadillac Formula 1® – Checo Perez Completes First Track Laps

Posted on 19 January 2026 by Ken Zino

A Cadillac Formula 1 Team Filming Day happened this past Friday at the Silverstone track in England. The team was at the  track during a pre-season promotional day as it continues preparations for its debut Formula 1® campaign during 2026. The car ran entirely in black at Silverstone, with the final 2026 Cadillac Formula 1® Team livery set to be revealed on Sunday 8 February 2026 , via a globally televised championship broadcast during the Australian Grand Prix. [Let’s hope black isn’t symbolic of the first season of real racing – AutoCrat.] Continue reading →

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American Honda Forecasts 2026 Sales as Flat

Posted on 14 January 2026 by Ken Zino

American Honda (7267.T and NYSE: HMC) today outlined its 2026 U.S. automobile business outlook during its annual media briefing. It also showed a prototype of the Honda Base Station, a towable travel trailer developed by engineers and designers at its U.S. R&D centers. Basically, the Japanese company is going to focus on lower cost models with package and trim changes because of the affordability crisis that is an industry-wide problem.* [The briefing also underscored another industry trend, the decline of traditional auto shows since it occurred during a media preview day of the Detroit Auto Show. -AutoCrat] Continue reading →

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Chinese RoboVan Maker Neolix Debuts Next Gen Products

Posted on 7 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Neolix, a maker of autonomous logistics products (RoboVan), today announced the debut of its next-generation AI-powered autonomous logistics products at CES 2026. Its full  RoboVan lineup is said to enable large-scale, end-to-end urban logistics. Neolix thinks that autonomous is the cornerstone of the future urban infrastructure.

“Autonomous logistics has reached a critical tipping point, transitioning from experimental pilots to true commercial scale,” said YU Enyuan, Founder and CEO of Neolix. “2025 was a milestone year where we achieved mass deployment, refined our mapless technology, and expanded our global footprint. At CES 2026, we are presenting the global market with our fully integrated autonomous solution in action, showcasing a new generation of urban infrastructure that is always-on, highly efficient, and ready for global growth.” Continue reading →

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Porsche Recalls More Than 173,000 Vehicles for Rear Visibility

Posted on 5 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“A rear-view camera image that does not display decreases the driver’s rearward visibility, increasing the potential risk of an incident,” Porsche said. “While the exact root cause is unknown, transient signal noise between the control unit and the Surround View cameras can, in certain rare instances, interrupt the signal from the rear-view camera. …If this occurs, the driver will notice the rear-view camera image is not displayed when the vehicle is placed in Reverse.” Porsche said. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Previous Expedition Roll-Away Recall Repair

Posted on 5 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling ~890 model year 2019 Expedition vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V263. The “Transmission Not In Park” warning message and associated chime duration are shorter than intended. During the first half of 2025 Ford Motor booked a $1.3 billion loss from repairs of vehicles under warranty, cancellation of plans to build an electric sport utility vehicle and other one-time costs. Ford is operating under a consent order from NHTSA because of its previous handing of recalls. This recall is the result of a complicated and meticulous effort by Ford Motor. Continue reading →

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BMW Group Adds Alpina Brand

Posted on 5 January 2026 by Ken Zino

The BMW Group acquired the Alpina trademark rights on 1 January 2026. The Bavarian-based specialty tuner of performance versions of BMW models, now is BMW ALPINA as an exclusive standalone brand under the BMW Group. Alpena will continue produce performance cars at BMW Group assembly plants. [One wonders if this isn’t the pre-cursor to a BMW Formula One team ala Audi buying Sauber? – Autocrat. Read AutoInformed.com on Milestones – Audi F1 at Munich Brand Experience Center] Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Mavericks, Escapes, Mach Es, Transits, Broncos

Posted on 29 December 2025 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling more then ~52,000 vehicles for a variety of quality problems according to mandatory safety defect recall filings  made public the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Ford is operating under a consent order from NHTSA because of its previous handing of recalls.

The largest recall announced today involves 2025-2026 Mustang Mach E vehicles. The Chinese-made [Zhe Jiang Keboda Industry Corp – AutoCrat] Light Driver Control Module B (LDCMB) may fail, preventing the turn signals, daytime running lights, low beam, and high beam headlights from illuminating. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.” Continue reading →

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Honda Aircraft Company Offers Performance Upgrade Package

Posted on 22 December 2025 by Ken Zino

Honda Aircraft Company has announced the HondaJet APMG S, a new performance upgrade package for owners and operators of HondaJet Classic and HondaJet APMG (Advanced Performance Modification Group) aircraft. This provides operators of  early production HondaJets, the prospect of  upgrading their aircraft with technical innovations introduced on more recent iterations of the platform, such as the HondaJet Elite S. The APMG S modifications package has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as of the time of publication for installation on aircraft registered in the United States of America, with foreign certification planned to follow. [Hardly surprising given Honda’s heritage of innovation and advancement– AutoCrat] Continue reading →

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Nissan Claims to Kill Wireless Phone Charging Bugs

Posted on 18 December 2025 by Ken Zino

Nissan (7201T and NSANY ADR)* said today that it is the only automaker to offer Qi2 wireless charging in the U.S. with 2026 versions of the Pathfinder and Murano. (1 Pathfinder. 2 Murano. See Inevitable footnotes below.)**

“It’s a common frustration: placing a phone in a wireless charger, only to arrive with it hardly charged, or worse – overheated or shifted out of place. The Qi2 (pronounced chee-two) wireless charger is a huge step forward. One major difference from previous-generation chargers is easy to spot: The Qi2 charger features a raised magnetic circle. This holds phones in place with the magnetized back of iPhones (12 and newer), Google Pixels (10 and newer) and Android devices with compatible accessory cases, Nissan said in a release. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EVs

Posted on 17 December 2025 by Ken Zino

American Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) is recalling 388 Honda 2025 model-year CR-V Fuel Cell EV vehicles.* Coolant inside the fuel cell stack may leak into the fuel cell stack case, causing an internal short circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 305, “Electric-powered vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection.” [Unlike most automakers, Honda made the filing public via press release before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made it public, usually on Monday mornings. – AutoCrat.] Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Eliminates Model E in Profit Seeking About Face

Posted on 16 December 2025 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)* effectively abandoned its Electric Vehicle strategy this week in an attempt to stop the hemorrhaging of billions of dollars in shareholder money. Ford announced a series of actions to improve its so-called Ford+ plan, reassigning capital to meet what it described as customer demand and drive profitable growth. Ford will write off $19.5 Billion as it attempts to do this.

“This is a customer-driven shift to create a stronger, more resilient and more profitable Ford,” said (claimed?) Ford president and CEO Jim Farley. “The operating reality has changed, and we are redeploying capital into higher-return growth opportunities: Ford Pro, our market-leading trucks and vans, hybrids and high-margin opportunities like our new battery energy storage business.” Continue reading →

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Wadda You Say? Personalized Sound at Nissan, Infiniti

Posted on 15 December 2025 by Ken Zino

Nissan and Infiniti said today that the Personalized Sound app that debuted – also today – on the Google Play store is available now for download on every Nissan and Infiniti equipped with Google built-in (footnote 1) including those on the road, at no additional cost. After downloading the Personalized Sound app from the Google Play store, the program directs drivers through a hearing test by playing tones of varying loudness and pitch. The driver responds with how well they can hear each sound by tapping on the infotainment screen, and the program creates a personalized listening profile based on that individual’s hearing.

“We want to elevate every driver’s experience, whether they have a hearing impairment, are audiophiles, or simply want to get the most out of their sound system,” said Mitchell Pope, a senior product planner at Nissan who helped lead the development of Personalized Sound. Offering an individually tailored audio experience like this is a big first in the U.S. auto industry.” Continue reading →

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Chinese Junk Watch Death Risk – Luyuan Youth ATVs

Posted on 12 December 2025 by Ken Zino

The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) said today that Luyuan is recalling Youth ATVs due to risk of serious injury or death from crash hazard. The X-Pro Eagle 40cc Youth ATVs and FRP Sahara 40cc Youth ATVs violate … Continue reading →

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ICE Vehicle Mobile Apps – Wide Satisfaction Differences

Posted on 12 December 2025 by Ken Zino

The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. OEM ICE App ReportSM released this week shows that owner satisfaction with mobile apps for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles is more and more shaped by reliable connectivity, intuitive design, and the availability of essential features. Nearly 80% of ICE vehicle owners indicate using the OEM-provided app, “yet engagement and satisfaction remain inconsistent year-over-year. High-performing brands are pulling ahead, widening the gap with competitors,” J.D. Power said.

“Connectivity and speed continue to be the most significant challenges for ICE vehicle apps,” said Violet Allmandinger, mobile apps lead at J.D. Power. “Owners want apps that work seamlessly every time, with core features that are easy to access and perform reliably. The top performers notably stand out, and this year’s scores reflect that.” Continue reading →

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