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Category Archives: news analysis
Nissan to Run Delta Wing at Le Mans in P.R. Stunt
The real Japanese race to watch at Le Mans this year will be a Toyota, which will run a hybrid in the LMP1 class. Last year’s race was the most exciting in years – maybe decades – as Peugeot and Audi fought an epic battle. In a fiercely fought 24 hours of racing with sporadic rain, wrecks and attrition, a diesel-powered Audi R18 won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the fastest, factory run P1 class. The Audi was followed by four Peugeot 908s. The three drivers of the second place Peugeot – Simon Pagenaud, Pedro Lamy and Sebastien Bourdais – competed to the very end as their 908 was only 13 seconds behind. Nissan and Chevrolet Corvette did win in other classes. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, racing
Tagged 2012 lemans, all american racers, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, dan gurney, Ken Zino, lemans, nissan, sebring, toyota le mans
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Anti Nuke Group Wants GM Peugeot to End Iran Business
If GM CEO Dan Akerson thought the Chevrolet Volt was a political football, one can only imagine what he thinks about Peugeot and the Iranian nuclear weapons controversy. GM only wants to share logistics, platforms and purchasing with the French company, but is now being told it is “unacceptable for GM to enter into a partnership with a company that so openly deals with a regime that is responsible for the deaths of U.S. and NATO servicemen and threatens U.S. and global security.” Continue reading
Focus Electric Approved for $10,000 in Taxpayer Handouts
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (CARB) has dictated that owners of the new 2012 Ford Focus Electric can drive in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Owners also will be able to receive up to $10,000 in tax credits between the state’s new $2,500 rebate and a $7,500 federal tax incentive – both funded by taxpayers at a time of soaring deficits. Critics call this socialism for the rich. These subsidies appear to be crucial for sales success of the Focus Electric. Without them, the car lists starting at $39,995. This means a typical payment to buy the compact car – with $4,000 down – is almost $800 per month for 48 months at Ford’s 7% interest rate. The gasoline-fueled Focus starts at just over $17,000. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, new vehicle, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, carb, focus electric, hov lanes, insight, Ken Zino, leaf, mpge, prius, taxpayer subsidies, volt
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Airlines Profitable as Passenger Fees Continue to Rise
As part of their third-quarter revenue, the airlines collected almost a billion dollars – $898 million – in baggage fees and $603 million from reservation change fees from July to September 2011. Baggage fees and reservation change fees are the only ancillary fees paid by passengers that are reported to BTS as separate items. Other fees, such as revenue from seating assignments and on-board sales of food, beverages, pillows, blankets, and entertainment are reported in a different category with other items and cannot be identified separately. Continue reading
Unemployment Unchanged in February as Politicians Blather
Alan B. Krueger – Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and an employee of President Obama – said, “Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the economic policies that are helping us dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the recession that began at the end of 2007, including measures to help the sectors that were most severely harmed by the bubble economy that misdirected investment and created too few durable jobs.”
Critics said only the fact that Krueger issued the statement electronically prevented his nose from growing longer while delivering it. Continue reading
Posted in economy, fools 'n frauds, news, news analysis, people, results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, great recession, Ken Zino, unemployment
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EPA Says Fuel Economy at Record High, CO2 at Record Low
One giant caveat here: The EPA window sticker rating is not the same as the EPA CAFE rating used by automakers. As a general rule window sticker ratings are 25% lower than the numbers used for CAFE compliance. Moreover, the sticker ratings have been adjusted downward in recent years after drivers complained they were too optimistic. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, fuel economy or emissions, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cafe, dot, epa, fuel economy, Ken Zino
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DOE Nixes Carbon Motors Loan in Midst of Taxpayer Subsidy Storm
How you view this depends on what you think of the role of government should be – if any- in nurturing the U.S. economy and promoting energy independence, among other thorny issues. Herewith, two, admittedly simplified interpretations:
– a needed correction after the ‘green jobs’ that were supposed to be established by such subsidies were revealed as just the latest lies from politicians;
or
– simply the squealing of corporate pigs when feeding at the taxpayer trough was stopped
And there remains another real issue about whether there is much – if any – thinking behind the proper role of vast government subsidies, but don’t look for that debate in the sound-bite campaign now under way. Continue reading
Ford China Sales Up 28% in February, But Down 15% YTD
The new Focus, built at Changon 2 is the first of 15 new or revised models due from Ford China by 2015. If the downward sales trend continues, Ford Motor will be in financial trouble because three additional new manufacturing facilities are scheduled to open by the end of 2013. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, changon ford, chinese auto industry, ford china, gm china, Ken Zino, results
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Will Rising Gasoline Prices Hurt New or Used Car Sales?
What this means for the recovering U.S. vehicle market is unclear. New vehicle sales have been slowly rising but are still far below pre-Great Recession rates. What is clear is that this is bad news for drivers and energy consumers, is that global liquid fuels consumption is at historically high levels. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, news, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, gasoline prices, Ken Zino, nada, new car sales, oil prices, used car prices
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Ford, Lincoln Change Touch Screens after Quality Ratings Dive
While Ford keeps claiming its customers want electronic features such as MyFord Touch, saying 56% of them rate the technology as an “important” part of the buying decision, its quality and customer satisfaction ratings by users as measured from independent sources have plummeted during the three years since introduction. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, design and styling, distracted driving, news analysis, quality, safety
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, consumer reports, Ford, infotainment, Ken Zino, myford touch, mylincoln touch, quality, telematics, touch screen
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Volt Production Halted. Workers Laid Off for Five Weeks
The announcement of the setback to employees came Thursday after GM released February sales results that showed 1,023 Volts were sold in the U.S. GM has sold 1,626 Volts so far this year. Earlier in the day, a Chevrolet sales executive claimed that Volt sales would pick up now that it is approved for California HOV lanes and tax credits as a plug-in hybrid. Continue reading
Only Nissan of Japanese Big Three Grows with Overall Auto Market in February. Toyota and Honda Lag Industry Slightly
Nissan North America reported record February U.S. sales of 106,731 units versus 92,370 units a year earlier, making for an increase of 15.5% over last February’s record total. Toyota Motor Sales moved 159,423 vehicles in February for a 12.4% increase in volume. American Honda reported February 2012 monthly new-vehicle sales of 110,157, an increase of almost 13%.
Since the overall light vehicle sales market grew by 16%, only Nissan actually kept pace with the slow recovery in auto sales that saw the best February since 2008, although Nissan also has the highest incentives in the group. Economic indicators – from consumer confidence to the stock and job markets, are showing the best results in four years. This is good news for automakers since sales are off to their strongest start industry-wide since 2008 at a strong seasonally adjusted annual selling rate or SAAR of 13.3 million light vehicles.
The difference among the Japanese Big Three was more pronounced in the higher-margin luxury segment. As usual, Lexus easily led the way with almost 17,000 luxury cars and trucks, followed by Acura at 11,000 and Infiniti at 9,000 vehicles. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged aiada, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, detroit three, february sales, honda, Ken Zino, lexus, nissan, results, toyota
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GM Buys 7% of PSA Peugeot Citroën to Share Parts, Vehicles
PSA already has partnerships with Ford on diesel engines, and Toyota, BMW, and Mitsubishi on components and engines. A previous GM venture started in Europe with Fiat in 2000 failed in 2005 when GM spent $2 billion to buy its way out of a put option in the deal that allowed Fiat to sell its automotive company to GM for market value. Globally, alliances have had mixed results at automakers. Continue reading
Fisker Automotive Makes Tom LaSorda CEO
Nevertheless, the future of Fisker is not clear. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Department awarded Fisker $529 million in loans as part of an effort to help development of so-called advanced-technology vehicles. Part of the loan was for redeveloping a closed General Motors plant in Wilmington, Delaware – home state of vice president Joe Biden – to build a small electric car, code named Nina – that has yet to appear. Fisker said that about one-third of the total loan amount – $190 million – has been drawn, mostly for Karma design and development. Continue reading
GM Annual Report Says No Dividend is Planned for Common
Even though GM common stock traded as high as $39.48 a share – arguably irrational exuberance by small investors after what now appears to be a high IPO price of $33 in November of 2010 – the financial condition of the GM is not strong enough to distribute money to common shareholders. This affirmation comes even though GM posted a record $9.1 billion profits in 2011. Continue reading
