Category Archives: news analysis

Right to Repair on Massachusetts Ballot. National Bill Stalled

Posted on 30 December 2011 by Ken Zino

A similar national measure, the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 1449), died from inaction in the 2011 U.S. Congress. Various forms of Right to Repair bills have been tied up in successive Congresses since 2002. It is not surprising that the National Association of Automobile Dealers opposes the legislation. NADA says that automakers provide emissions service and some other data available to any technician who needs it already. Continue reading →

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Chevrolet Volt Hybrids for China arrive at Shanghai

Posted on 30 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Due to a combination of tariffs and incentives for locally-produced Chinese vehicles – at the core of China’s job creating industrial policy – the Michigan built Volt (more than $40,000 in the U.S. without government incentives) will be at about a $19,000 per hybrid disadvantage, not good news for UAW employees who build the Volt in Hamtramck. Continue reading →

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Toyota Launches Prius c Hybrid as Aqua in Japan for $21,700

Posted on 29 December 2011 by Ken Zino

In Japan the Prius c comes in seven models with a price ranging from $21,750 to $34,500 for lavishing equipped models for handicapped people. Look for the Japanese-built Prius c in the U.S. to start somewhere under $20,000 with several more expensive option packages. AutoInformed is betting Toyota will continue to use aggressive ‘comeback pricing’ and incentives to regain market share lost post-tsunami and Thailand floods this year. With the introduction of the all-new reduced price Camry last October, Toyota has regained 2 percentage points of U.S. share in the last two months. Continue reading →

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Iran Threatens to Close Strait of Hormuz, Shut Off Oil Supply. Here We Go With Another Oil Crisis Caused by Despots?

Posted on 28 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The larger issue remains an amorphous U.S. strategy conducted and – alas – at times directed in Washington by big money interests that care not about the welfare of the United States or its citizens. U.S. energy policy going back to President Carter and the first OPEC oil embargo four decades ago has failed under one-term Carter and every successive President and Congress since – Democrat or Republican – to eliminate this security threat – as well as the corresponding national economic decline posed by oil imports and the resulting enormous transfer of U.S. wealth overseas. Continue reading →

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EPA Finally Decides 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards

Posted on 27 December 2011 by Ken Zino

This ongoing Congressional debacle started when EISA established annual renewable fuel volume targets, reaching an overall level of 36 billion gallons annually in 2022, including 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels; 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels; 4 billion gallons of advanced biofuels; and 1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel. EISA further specifies that 21 billion U.S. gallons of the 2022 total must be derived from non-cornstarch products such as sugar or cellulose. Continue reading →

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New DOT Rule Decreases Truck Driver Operating Times

Posted on 23 December 2011 by Ken Zino

“This final rule is the culmination of the most extensive and transparent public outreach effort in our agency’s history,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro.

Ferro, an Obama Administration appointee, is former trucking association executive and lobbyist. Prior to her appointment as the head of truck safety at the Department of Transportation, Ferro was president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association for six years. Moreover, the association supported the Bush Administration increase in driver hours. Continue reading →

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Toyota Projects 20% 2012 Sales Rise. Ichiban Again?

Posted on 22 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Both General Motors Company and Volkswagen Group, at more than 8 million vehicles each, will outsell Toyota’s 2011 sales tally of fewer than 8 million in a record global market of 75 million vehicles. Continue reading →

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EPA Issues First Standards on Powerplant Mercury Pollution

Posted on 21 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Environmentalists say more battles are ahead in “pay to play” Washington, DC during what likely will be the most expensive presidential election in history – literally awash with billions in “contributions” from the extremely wealthy or “One Percenters” and large corporations. Some extremist Republicans running for president want to abolish the EPA entirely. Continue reading →

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The Latest Safety Problem – Deferred Auto Maintenance?

Posted on 21 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The latest pernicious problem of the flagging U.S. economy comes in the guise of drivers who deferred auto maintenance at the potential cost of their safety. According to a new survey, 40% of respondents who are involved in repair decisions said they are postponing car maintenance or repairs on their primary vehicle. Continue reading →

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FAA Finally Alters Pilot Fatigue Rules after Colgan Air Deaths

Posted on 21 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The Federal Aviation Administration today announced a final rule that changes commercial passenger airline pilot scheduling two years after the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 killed 50 people where pilot fatigue and pilot distraction were responsible. Continue reading →

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GM China Advanced Technical Center Nears Completion

Posted on 19 December 2011 by Ken Zino

GM intends to use Chinese battery suppliers in future electric vehicles – the latest setback for beleaguered U.S. workers who are facing grim employment prospects in the moribund U.S. economy. This is no longer a blue-collar or solely a UAW problem. College level white collar engineering jobs are at stake in advanced technologies touted by politicians as the key to returning the U.S. to global competitiveness. Continue reading →

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Saab Files for Bankruptcy. It’s All Over Except for Mourning

Posted on 19 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The end of Saab was practically assured last Saturday when General Motors reiterated a long-standing position against Saab transferring GM intellectual property to the Chinese and having Chinese companies build a rebadged Cadillac SRX as a Saab in China. GM is the largest automaker in China, albeit with communist government dictated partners. Continue reading →

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European Auto Sales Drop Continues Unchecked in November

Posted on 16 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Counter intuitively the Eurozone crisis is producing calls for austerity, instead stimulus plans that would increase tax revenues and employment from all industries, including auto manufacturing and sales. The automobile industry in Europe provides employment for more than 2.3 million workers and supports another 10 million jobs in related industries. Annually, automakers invest more than €30 billion in R&D, which makes it the largest private investor in R&D in Europe. Europe’s increasing instability poses risks for European, as well as the global economy. It could even affect the outcome of the U.S. presidential election next year. Continue reading →

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Buick 2013 Encore Teaser Photo – Will it Play in China?

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The real challenge for all new Buicks going forward is not whether the vehicle will play in Peoria, but rather how it plays in Shanghai? Buick sold a record of 59,763 vehicles in China in November – more than 5 times what it sold in the U.S. Little wonder the head of GM advance design in China is now Chinese. Continue reading →

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Finalists in for 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Cars selected were the 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Hyundai Elantra and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. Last year the Chevrolet Volt was the car winner. In the misleadingly named ‘truck’ category, the 2012 BMW X3, 2012 Honda CR-V and the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque made the final cut. Continue reading →

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