Category Archives: news analysis

NADA Opposes Credit Reform on Auto Lending Practices

Posted on 29 July 2015 by Ken Zino

the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is lobbying members of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee to pass H.R. 1737, a bill that would repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) 2013 guidance on fair auto lending practices Continue reading →

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DOJ Honda Consent Order Aims to Cut Auto Loan Abuses

Posted on 14 July 2015 by Ken Zino

The consent decree is a substantial, perhaps fatal, setback for dealer lobbying groups such as NADA and AIADA who have been fighting CFPB on non-discriminatory pricing. Continue reading →

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Automakers Protest European Laws Targeting Diesel Use

Posted on 13 July 2015 by Ken Zino

The automakers reason, not without some basis in fact – that the most effective way to improve air quality is getting older cars and trucks off the road. New vehicles less than one year old are roughly 5% of the road population in the EU. As more of the older diesels are replaced, it looks like fewer of them will be diesels, no matter how clean the newest ones are. Continue reading →

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Screw US Workers! Trade Policy Fails Again

Posted on 7 July 2015 by Ken Zino

Imports of auto parts, engines, vehicles through May 2015 increased to $112,315,000, a dismal job-destroying record. May at $29,462,000 was a record as well. Continue reading →

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NASCAR Disavows Racist Confederate Flag

Posted on 3 July 2015 by Ken Zino

“To do that, we are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events. This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events. Continue reading →

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White Dominated NASCAR Nixes Stars and the Bars

Posted on 23 June 2015 by Ken Zino

While most Republicans are floundering over their long-held and overt promotion racism and vocal support of the Confederate flag – aka stars and the bars – one large organization deeply rooted in the south – NASCAR – has once again affirmed its commitment to an inclusive environment at its events. Continue reading →

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General Motors Annual Meeting Drama Free

Posted on 9 June 2015 by Ken Zino

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) today announced at its annual meeting of stockholders the preliminary voting results representing 85% of eligible votes. Continue reading →

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More Taxpayer Subsidies for Rich Automakers Proposed

Posted on 4 June 2015 by Ken Zino

It is another raid on the U.S. Treasury sponsored by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Gary Peters (D-MI), along with Lamar Alexander (R-TN), all from auto making states. Continue reading →

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Wild, Wet Drivers’ Duels in Detroit Sees Honda Edge Chevy

Posted on 30 May 2015 by Ken Zino

The Detroit Grand Prix was a great IRL race because it was wet – leading to wild drivers duels. Continue reading →

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Takata Takedown – NHTSA to Direct Airbag Inflator Recall

Posted on 21 May 2015 by Ken Zino

The Takata inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for at least six deaths worldwide. This expands the number of vehicles to be recalled for defective Takata inflators to nearly 34 million. Continue reading →

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New Toyota and Mazda Collaboration – Takeover or Merger?

Posted on 14 May 2015 by Ken Zino

The reasons for failure are many – a bias toward old architectures, single or limited joint ventures, different operating philosophies and systems, no true mergers, lack of trust and inequality. However, the potential savings are just too large to ignore, especially for CEOs, but not necessarily for middle managers and workers. Continue reading →

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MI Proposal 1 on Roads, aka Prostitution 1, Resoundingly Defeated. All Politicians involved Need to Resign Now

Posted on 6 May 2015 by Ken Zino

All the politicians involved in this irresponsible pork-ridden fiasco should resign immediately – including local government officials who subsequently supported this sham because they would benefit from the pork – because they are clearly not representing the voters and above all are clearly and arrogantly out of touch with them. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Q1 Disappoints with Sales, Revenue, Share Drops

Posted on 28 April 2015 by Ken Zino

This was the latest setback for Ford Motor CEO Mark Fields, who has been playing defense with declining performance since he took over from Alan Mulally in July of 2014. Sales volume and Company revenue were down in Ford’s view because of product launches and the strong U.S. dollar on international revenue. Continue reading →

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Driverless Vehicle Technology – Not All Good?

Posted on 22 April 2015 by Ken Zino

California SB 1298, which directed the DMV to write rules covering driverless vehicles, required the department to have regulations for the public use of the robot vehicles in place by Jan. 1, 2015. DMV – dealing with complicated new technologies – missed that deadline and is still working on driverless car public use regulations. Continue reading →

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Social Media Overkill? Honda HR-V to add Ten Selfie Cameras

Posted on 31 March 2015 by Ken Zino

Honda claims this is an important segment to address because one-third of all photos taken by people aged 18–24 are selfies, with more than one million selfies taken each day. Continue reading →

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