Category Archives: news analysis

GE and Nissan to Work on EV Charging Infrastructure

Posted on 30 September 2011 by Ken Zino

In the U.S. several problems are inhibiting widespread adoption of EVs: the high cost of the EV itself even with lavish taxpayer subsidies, which are unsustainable given current deficits; the generation of 50% of electricity in the U.S. by carbon monoxide producing coal, the dirtiest of carbon based fossil fuels; and the lack of a national grid to move power around during peak demand periods. Continue reading →

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2012 Focus Uses First Castor Oil Foam in Dashboard

Posted on 30 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The new Ford Focus just going on sale in North America uses castor oil derived foam in the interior. Castor oil is derived from a flowering spurge plant, which grows throughout tropical regions. The plant’s oil presents what could be a sustainable interior foam that does not compete with food sources, according to Ford. Continue reading →

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General Motors to Debut World’s First Center Airbag in 2013

Posted on 29 September 2011 by Ken Zino

A GM analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System database (FARS) found that far-side impact crashes accounted for 11% of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover impacts between 2004 and 2009. Also implied in the data GM looked at is that much more work remains to be done on interior design, including seat belts that don’t hold an occupant laterally, the now ubiquitous center consoles that are causing serious and fatal injuries, and the seat itself, which allows deadly movement. With intense engineering, some of these problems could be dealt with by passive solutions, which could be far less expensive than adding another airbag to every new vehicle. Continue reading →

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EPA Sues MotorScience for Alleged Clean Air Act Violations. More than 24,000 Chinese Vehicles Were Illegally Imported

Posted on 29 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The United States, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today filed a civil complaint against MotorScience, Inc. and the owner of the company for allegedly causing the importation of more than 24,000 uncertified vehicles from China that … Continue reading →

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S&P Raises General Motors to Highest Junk Grade – BB+

Posted on 29 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The upgrade came one day after the GM’s 49,500 UAW employees ratified a new four-year contract that will not raise GM’s labor costs, and will provide bonuses based on profitability instead of automatic pay raises. GM at this time appears to have the lowest labor costs among the Detroit Three since both Ford Motor and Chrysler UAW contracts are unresolved. It’s ironic that it took a Democratic President to curb the union – in essence breaking it – under the forced bankruptcy reorganization of GM, which included a no strike clause. Continue reading →

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German Shuffle as Ulrich Eichhorn leaves Bentley Motors for VDA, Rolf Frech leaves Porsche to Head Bentley Engineering

Posted on 28 September 2011 by Ken Zino

Frech succeeds Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, who becomes the Managing Director with the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA), the German Association of the Automotive Industry. VDA has seen some executive changes as German automakers continue to be outflanked by the growing green movement in Germany and across Europe, one that now sees the proposed banning of conventional automobiles from most cities and the shifting of transportation spending to water and rail. Continue reading →

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Great Recession Cuts Congestion as Economy and Traffic Stall

Posted on 28 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The growing traffic congestion problem is the direct result of politicians refusing to address the underlying problem of a bankrupt Highway Trust fund. Federal gasoline taxes that support the highway system, – 18.4 cents per gallon – have not been increased since 1993 as the population expands and road use and repair costs go up. Continue reading →

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Dodge Viper Bests Chevrolet Corvette Lap Time at Nürburgring

Posted on 27 September 2011 by Ken Zino

A Porsche 997 GT2 RS posted a 7:18 lap time last year, but the Porsche at $350,000 in Germany is roughly three times more expensive than the ZR1, which begins at with an asking price of more than $110,000 in the U.S. No current production 2011Viper exists so Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division used a 2010 model. Continue reading →

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The Business of Plugging In Adds EV Experts to Panels

Posted on 27 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The Center for Automotive Research is holding a timely conference – The Business of Plugging In, an electric vehicle conference – this October that will discuss the emerging plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) against a background of contentious budget debates in Washington about subsidies for automakers, global warming, emission regulations, and tax policies. Continue reading →

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OnStar Reverses Tracking of Ex-Users after Privacy Uproar

Posted on 27 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The OnStar privacy about face does not address what will remain an issue about OnStar’s data collection and reselling of current subscriber information. In the U.S. automakers and other marketers assume customer information is their property to do what they will with. This is the exact opposite of laws in place in Europe that stipulate the customer, not the company, owns and controls their information. Continue reading →

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First 2012 Chevy ZL1 Camaro Brings $250 K in Charity Auction

Posted on 26 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The first 2012 Camaro ZL1 offered to the public sold for $250,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas last Saturday evening. The car was offered by Fairway Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in Las Vegas, with 100% of the auction proceeds benefitting the YMCA of Southern Nevada.

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, placed the winning bid and is expected to take delivery of his new Camaro in the first quarter of 2012. Hendricks’s son, Greg, is the president of Fairway Chevrolet. Continue reading →

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New Porsche Paint Shop for New 911s at Zuffenhausen

Posted on 23 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The opening of the new paint shop this week in Zuffenhausen coincides with the start of production of the new Porsche 911, arguably the most famous sports car in the world since its 1964 début. The revised 911 bodies are painted inside and out in a dust free environment at the enclosed plant, which is located in a densely populated urban area of Stuttgart. Continue reading →

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European Automakers to Standardize EV Charging by 2017

Posted on 22 September 2011 by Ken Zino

At the moment and for the foreseeable future, the small numbers of owners of EVs in Europe face conflicting recharging methods. If the automakers have their way, the European Commission will endorse the concept and force it on all involved. Continue reading →

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U.S. September Sales Up from ‘10. SAAR Weak at 12.9 Million

Posted on 22 September 2011 by Ken Zino

This is the first time the retail selling rate would be above 10 million units since the 10.8 million-unit rate in April, if the J.D. Power and Associates projection holds up. Nonetheless, sales are far, far below the 16-17 million unit SAARs of last decade as a jobless recovery continues with record levels of long-term unemployment. Continue reading →

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Auto Industry Reputation Shows Big Gains as Airlines, oh, Crash

Posted on 22 September 2011 by Ken Zino

The latest Harris Poll that measures how the public perceives twenty-two of the nation’s largest industries shows huge shifts during the last two years. The biggest changes since 2009, when the survey was last conducted, are a huge improvement in the auto industry reputation as measured by the number of people who think that the auto industry is doing a good job of serving consumers, while there is also a “very large increase” in those who think the airline industry is doing a bad job. Continue reading →

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