Category Archives: news analysis

August Auto Sales Down Again, Below Recent Predictions

Hurricane Irene only added to ongoing auto sales woes, as consumer confidence declined yet again. Housing prices also dropped and not only the ones under water; the Federal government admitted, finally, that real GDP growth for the first half of 2011 was less than 1%; while Federal Reserve Board meeting notes showed that the governors were at a loss as to what to do next to stimulate a stalled economy. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, marketing, news analysis, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Most Active Speed Traps Revealed in U.S. and Canada

A speed trap exists in NMA’s view wherever traffic enforcement is “focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving safety.” NMA opposes the use of enforcement tactics that are intended to generate revenue from technical violations of “under-posted” speed limits. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, news analysis, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Car Spy – an Inside Look at an Auto Culture Past

Car Spy is entertaining, funny, and sardonic. It captures the voice of Dunne – caveat here – whose adventures I sometimes participated in, whose photos I ran in various publications and still run in AutoInformed.com, and whose stories related in Car Spy I heard first hand. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, concept, design and styling, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

U.S. DOT Proposes Elimination of 46 Traffic Sign Regulations

In the regulatory areas that AutoInformed covers, little reduction has resulted at DOT, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thus far. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, news analysis, results, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milestones: 20 Years of FAW-Volkswagen in China

FAW-Volkswagen is currently the second largest of China’s largest automobile manufacturers, behind GM and its Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and FAW partners. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

4,547 Worker fatalities in 2010 About Same as 2009 – 12 a Day

Because of the way data are gathered it is difficult to directly tally automaker fatalities. In Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, all heavily dependent on the auto industry, more than 350 workers died in manufacturing related positions; motor vehicle or parts dealers were involved in 49 fatalities across the U.S. And this doesn’t include trucking, warehousing or other transportation injuries, which could be auto related. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, labor issues, manufacturing, news analysis, people, results, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Driving More – 31.5 Million Travelers During Labor Day Holiday

The current national average price for regular unleaded gasoline is approximately $3.57 per gallon, about 86 cents higher than one year ago. Down nearly 10% from their May peak, gas prices will have less of an impact on Labor Day holiday travelers than they had on Memorial Day and Independence Day holiday travelers, during which 42% and 44% of travelers, respectively, stated gas prices would impact travel plans.

Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, news analysis, people, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

General Motors and LG to Jointly Develop Electric Vehicles

The high cost of developing new technologies to meet increasingly stringent CO2 and fuel economy regulations prompted the deal. Earlier this week Ford Motor and Toyota announced a collaboration on new hybrid trucks. Continue reading

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, fuel economy or emissions, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota Increases Fuel Economy and Equipment While Cutting Prices on 2012 Camry – a Gambit to Reestablish Leadership

A beleaguered Toyota Motor Corporation is counting on a revised 2012 Camry sedan to brush aside safety and quality concerns that have haunted it for the past two years. These, along with the Japan earthquake will relegate it to the third largest automaker in the world for 2011 after it assumed the number one spot in 2008 and held it for three years. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, design and styling, new vehicle, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford and Toyota to Develop a New Hybrid System for Light Trucks and SUVs as well as Future Telematics Standards

Both companies of course are heavily invested in fuel thirsty larger trucks, with Ford’s best selling vehicle the F-Series pickup rated at 16 mpg on the EPA city test cycle. The F-Series has been the U.S.’s best selling truck for the past 34 years with year-to-date sales of 313,000 units. Toyota before the Great Recession invested billions in full-size trucks and SUVs. Both the Tundra pickup and Sequoia full-size SUV have been sales disasters. Continue reading

Posted in alternative fuels, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM’s Woodward Test Resulted from Real Durability needs of the Street Racing that the Woodward Dream Cruise Honors

In the hay day of the Detroit Three, who were really the Big Three in the 1960s, General Motors used Woodward Avenue not only as a rolling marketing clinic about what kids were driving, but also as a model for a durability test still in use. Continue reading

Posted in aftermarket, auto news, marketing, news analysis, racing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Infiniti JX Concept at Pebble Beach Teases 2013 Model

Previous attempts to use CVTs with V6 engines have failed – so this appears to be a daring move on Infiniti’s part prompted no doubt by impending fuel economy regulations. This potentially sets up a Lexus – clearly the luxury hybrid leader with more applications coming – versus Infiniti, which eschews hybrids in favor of parent company Nissan’s CVT technology. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Treasury Receives $2 Billion TARP Repayment from American International Group. U.S. Taxpayers Still out at Least $51 Billion

During the financial crisis and Great Recession caused by Wall Street financiers, the U.S. Government’s support for AIG totaled approximately $180 billion. After today’s repayment, the taxpayers remaining outstanding investment in AIG through Treasury is $51 billion. Not one of the involved executives has been prosecuted for what were various forms of financial fraud that lead up to the near collapse of the global financial system and the ongoing Great Recession. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, fools 'n frauds, news analysis, results | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

August New Vehicle Sales Barely Up. U.S. Economy Still Stalled

It looks like the new vehicle retail sales for August will continue at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of a mere 9.9 million units since sales for August are projected at 898,000 units. The retail selling rate is just … Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, marketing, news analysis, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daimler and Honda Lead in Car Fuel Cell Development, Maybe

According to a new Pike Research report, the two light-duty FCV manufacturers who are best positioned in this formative stage of the market are Daimler and Honda. However, Daimler has made ambitious announcements on fuel cell technology readiness in the past, and these – well, did not pass the reality test. Daimler recently moved up its FCV target date to 2014 from 2015. We will see if anything comes from this except an expensive taxpayer subsidized demonstration program. Continue reading

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, news analysis, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment