Category Archives: news analysis

Mercedes-Benz Starts Apprenticeship Program with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Posted on 9 August 2017 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA says it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Veterans Affairs, including State Approving Agencies, to become what it claims is the first luxury automaker to offer a Registered Apprenticeship Program. Continue reading →

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Michigan has Costliest Auto Insurance. Maine Lowest

Posted on 8 August 2017 by Ken Zino

Maine, Ohio and Idaho all have competitive insurance marketplaces and less expensive car insurance premiums, according to a new study. Michigan was labelled the most expensive state for car insurance for the fourth consecutive year. The lowest Michigan has even been on the most expensive list is third, back in 2012. It’s a disgrace from a broken, lawyer dominated system. That was the year that Louisiana, who claimed second place this year for most expensive, took the No. 1 spot. Continue reading →

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Toyota and Mazda JV to Build Cars in U.S. Trumped?

Posted on 5 August 2017 by Ken Zino

The plant would have an annual production capacity of approximately 300,000 units. Pending approvals and authorization by government agencies, the companies will begin to examine detailed plans with the goal of starting operations in 2021. The plant will require a total investment of approximately $1.6 billion, and will create up to 4,000 jobs. Continue reading →

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Continental, Magna Drive Two Autonomous Cars to CAR Conference

Posted on 1 August 2017 by Ken Zino

The automated driving vehicles crossed into Windsor, Ontario before going north to Sarnia, Ontario and returning into Michigan. The first cross-border demonstration (hands free publicity stunt?) of its kind, allowed the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to test automated driving technology in a variety of settings. Continue reading →

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FCA Certifies 2017 Diesels After EPA, CARB Suit

Posted on 1 August 2017 by Ken Zino

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed in May a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against Fiat Chrysler alleging 104,000 light duty diesel vehicles with 3-liter liter EcoDiesel engines are equipped with software that defeat the emissions controls. Continue reading →

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General Motors Closes Deal on Selling Opel/Vauxhall

Posted on 1 August 2017 by Ken Zino

This ends almost 100 years of GM in Europe, leaving only the slow expansion of the Cadillac brand, and the sale – it’s more like a hobby than a business – of niche vehicles, the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, both imports, as GM’s only presence in the world’s third largest vehicle market. GM’s Lyft and Maven will eventually appear in Europe, AutoInformed opines. Continue reading →

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New Car Buyers Bullish on Self Driving Vehicles. Maybe

Posted on 31 July 2017 by Ken Zino

More than 52% of new car buyers expect to own at least one self-driving automobile in their household in the next 10 years, according to a Bosch study. The survey reached 1,000 U.S. based new car buyers, aged 18 or older, who have purchased or leased at least one vehicle within the last five model years, and intend to buy or lease a new vehicle again in the future. Continue reading →

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Ford – 100 Years of Trucks – 1917 Model TT to 2017 Raptor

Posted on 31 July 2017 by Ken Zino

Ford introduced its first purpose-built truck at the end of July: the 1917 Ford Model TT, arguably changing the character of work itself. Continue reading →

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F-22 Fighter Prompts Ford F-22 F-150 Raptor

Posted on 31 July 2017 by Ken Zino

Ford claims the F-150 Raptor shares key F-22 design details, including red and green position lights in front that enhance left and right mirror skull caps, “unique glossy and matte exterior cues.” Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim Plant Threatened by EVs?

Posted on 25 July 2017 by Ken Zino

For all Mercedes-Benz plants, the question of the role of locations of key components production is, of course, of great importance for the future e-mobility. Continue reading →

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California Gets $153m More from VW on Dieselgate

Posted on 21 July 2017 by Ken Zino

In California, VW’s cheating is particularly harmful because California’s air quality is worse than anywhere else in the nation. Ten million Californians live within the nation’s only severe non-attainment areas for ozone pollution, and 12 million live in areas with nation-leading levels of fine particle pollution. Continue reading →

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BMW at Lime Rock with IWSC Championship at Stake

Posted on 19 July 2017 by Ken Zino

Lime Rock Park is claimed – dubiously – by BMW of North America as its home track because 90 miles from its Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey headquarters, but it is a long way from its non-union plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Continue reading →

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Prescription Painkillers

Posted on 13 July 2017 by Ken Zino

One American dies of a drug overdose every 11 minutes and more than 2 million Americans are ensnared in addiction to prescription painkillers. Continue reading →

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Hoffa: Opioid Use Due to Broken System

Posted on 5 July 2017 by Ken Zino

Opioid drugs, including prescription painkillers and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in the U.S. during 2015, a record. The epidemic is straining public services and state budgets. Continue reading →

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Autonomous Vehicles to Cut Auto Insurance Biz 71% By 2050

Posted on 3 July 2017 by Ken Zino

Autonomous vehicle and related driver assist technologies could upset the auto insurance market by 71%, roughly $137 billion by 2050, according to the latest research by KMPG. Continue reading →

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