Category Archives: news analysis

Chrysler Finally Agrees to Fix Jeep Fuel Systems after a Long NHTSA Probe and Formal Recall Request

Posted on 18 June 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group will recall 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-07 Jeep Liberty vehicles, it announced this afternoon. The reversal follows two years of investigation and a recent disagreement on 4 June between Chrysler and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aka NHTSA, when Chrysler refused to recall the vehicles. NHTSA appears to have stared down the Fiat-controlled company in what was a growing public relations disaster. Continue reading →

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New ACEA Head Announced as EU Crisis Continues

Posted on 17 June 2013 by Ken Zino

The automotive sector contributes positively to the EU trade balance with a €92 billion surplus, much of it at the expense of American autoworkers who pay taxes to underwrite lavishly NATO and European defense budgets giving German automakers in particular an unfair subsidy according to a growing number of critics of the U.S. defense budget and the State Department under the ‘no jobs’ Obama administration. Continue reading →

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Automaker Defense of Hands-Free Devices Hooey AAA Says

Posted on 13 June 2013 by Ken Zino

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is taking on the oft-used automaker defense their profitable selling of hands-free electronic devices that are expanding exponentially in new cars. The latest data show that dangerous mental distractions exist even when drivers “keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.” Continue reading →

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2013 Global Light Vehicle Sales Tracking at 83 million

Posted on 12 June 2013 by Ken Zino

Global light vehicle sales held steady in May with a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales of 82.8 million units a year, according to the latest data from LMC Automotive. The consultancy predicts that full-year 2013 sales will be 83.4 million units. Continue reading →

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Revised 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Coming after 2013 Flop

Posted on 31 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The badly outclassed Malibu raises once again the critical question whether General Motors is reformed after a $49.5 billion taxpayer funded bailout or has simply resumed its old losing ways that saw market share erode from almost 60% in 1960 to 18% today. Continue reading →

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Milestones – One Million Jeep Wranglers Made at Toledo

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The sprawling Toledo complex, famous in its own right, became the center of a Romney Presidential campaign controversy last fall, when a desperate Romney trailing in virtually all industrial states used attack ads proclaiming that Chrysler was going to move the jobs in Toledo to China. It was a complete falsification and came as Chrysler was expanding and retooling the North Plant, where the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee will be built. Continue reading →

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Korean Trade Deficit Soars under Obama Administration Deal

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. deficit with Korea in autos and auto parts increased 16% during the first year of the FTA. U.S. auto imports from Korea have surged by more than $2.5 billion. Continue reading →

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Ford Family Defeats One Share, One Vote at Annual Meeting

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Once again, the Ford family with its 16 votes for every share of class B beat back a dissident shareholder proposal that would recapitalize the company at one vote per share. All told, a total of 5,734,531,807 votes were vote at the meeting. Continue reading →

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Under Reporting of Cell Phone Crashes Rampant. New National Safety Council Research Shows NHTSA FARS Data is Garbage

Posted on 10 May 2013 by Ken Zino

A new study from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows that government statistics on the extent of the Distracted Driving problem are deeply flawed, defy common sense and severely underestimate the extent of the deadly public health epidemic that is killing untold thousands and injuring millions more. Continue reading →

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Ford Adding Jobs at Kansas City Assembly

Posted on 2 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor is adding more than 2,000 jobs at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri to meet recovering demand for the Ford F-150 and planned production of a revised Ford Transit. In the sad language of the Obama Administration’s mostly jobless recovery, only half of the jobs will be new hires at an hourly rate – when adjusted for inflation – is less then Henry Ford’s $5 a day Model T wage a century ago. Continue reading →

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Subaru Recalls Forester for Pedal Interference

Posted on 29 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Subaru is recalling more than 10,000 2014 model Forester vehicles because the carpeted floor mats were not manufactured properly and can interfere with the gas, accelerator, brake or clutch pedals. Continue reading →

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Highway Trust Fund – Higher Taxes or Big Spending Cuts?

Posted on 25 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The latest report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office paints a grim picture of the status of the Highway Trust Fund that is supposed to keep the nation’s transportation infrastructure up to date and in good repair. Put simply, the … Continue reading →

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U.S. DOT Publishes Distracted Driving Guidelines

Posted on 23 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation finally released today distracted driving guidelines in an attempt to “encourage automobile manufacturers” to limit the distraction risk connected to electronic devices built into their vehicles, such as communications, entertainment and navigation devices. These are of course among the most profitable and sought after accessories in new cars and trucks. Continue reading →

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The History of Lexus

Posted on 19 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Lexus launched in 1989 with two luxury sedans, one small and the other large aimed directly at the Mercedes-Benz S-class. The full size Lexus LS 400 was priced more than $10,000 under top of the line German offerings in the US. At the time, Lexus made bold claims of superior quality and durability, as well as several years without a marked decrease in the quietness, smooth ride, and exterior and interior finishes of the new luxury car line. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor to Pay Q2 Dividend of $0.10 Per Share

Posted on 12 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company today declared Q2 dividend of $0.10 per share on the company’s outstanding preferred Class B and common stock. This is the same dividend paid in the first quarter of 2013, and twice the amount paid in Q2 last year. The second quarter dividend is payable on June 3, 2013 to shareholders of record on May 3, 2013. Continue reading →

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