Category Archives: people

Waterlogged Flood Cars – Tide Rising as Titles Falsified

Posted on 2 August 2013 by Ken Zino

Buyer beware and nowhere does that apply more than used flood cars that have been damaged by water that causes insurmountable problems after the vehicle is returned – often illegally – to service. Nearly two-thirds of these flood damaged cars are on the road in ten states – Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Illinois, New York, Florida, Mississippi and Virginia. However, as the research shows, crooks are moving flood cars to any state where unfortunately unknowing consumers will buy them. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, insurance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sirens and Chrome Wow at Concours d’Elegance of America

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Donna Barbera

The production underway called “Sirens of Chrome” is based on a coffee-table book by Margery Krevsky that chronicles decades of the most beautiful cars and the women who adorned them. The Concours served as the elegant setting for excellent automobiles and the “sirens” who evoked a touch of Hollywood glamor. Continue reading →

Posted in aftermarket, auto news, design and styling, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milestones – Henry Ford at 150 years

Posted on 30 July 2013 by Ken Zino

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry Ford, whose ideas helped revolutionized transportation, brought mobility to the masses and arguably established the U.S. middle class. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, milestones, people | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Silverstone Classic – Record Crowds, Largest 911 Parade Lap

Posted on 30 July 2013 by Ken Zino

The 2013 Silverstone Classic claims to the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival now that the results are in. The three-day show this past weekend in the UK said attendance of 90,000, up from 83,500 in 2012 was a record. The 24 vintage races with 1113 historic racing cars covering nine decades of motorsports, also is claimed to be a new world record. Continue reading →

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

Milestones – First Asphalt Road

Posted on 29 July 2013 by Ken Zino

On this day in 1870, a U.S. professor who had emigrated from Belgium applied an asphalt sheet to William Street in Newark, New Jersey as a test. It worked. Edward de Smedt, the inventor of asphalt mix, proved the value of his invention in combating the ubiquitous mud or dusty roads of the day. Continue reading →

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

Halliburton to Plead Guilty to Criminal Destruction of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Evidence

Posted on 25 July 2013 by Ken Zino

Halliburton Energy Services will plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the Department of Justice said today. Halliburton was charged with one count of destruction of evidence according to an information filling today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Continue reading →

Posted in environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fuel Company Head Charged in Kickback Scheme

Posted on 22 July 2013 by Ken Zino

The former owner and operator of two Florida-based airline fuel supply companies appeared today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on charges of a kickback scam and defrauding Illinois-based Ryan International Airlines. Continue reading →

Posted in energy, fools 'n frauds, litigation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Consumer Electronics Association Denies Distracted Driving

Posted on 17 July 2013 by Ken Zino

In a cynical, profit-motivated move, the head of the Consumer Electronics Association today said he would support a campaign to end texting and driving. “I have made a personal commitment not to text and drive, and to use my devices ‘responsibly’ while operating my car,” claimed Gary Shapiro the head of the pressure group for the $209 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial, distracted driving, fools 'n frauds, news analysis, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oil Recycling Company and Owner Guilty of Toxic Crimes

Posted on 15 July 2013 by Ken Zino

A North Carolina used oil recycling business and its owner plead guilty to unlawful handling of PCB-contaminated used oil and other crimes today. Benjamin Franklin Pass, 60, and P&W Waste Oil Services Inc. of Wilmington, N.C., pleaded guilty in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act, as well as for making false statements and failing to pay several years of taxes. Continue reading →

Posted in environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation, people | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ferrari Cuts E-Mails. Wants Employees to Talk to Each Other

Posted on 9 July 2013 by Ken Zino

In a statement that could apply to all automakers, Ferrari said that “the injudicious sending of emails with dozens of recipients often on subjects with no relevance to most of the latter is one of the main causes of time wastage and inefficiency in the average working day in business.” Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, people | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alan Batey Named Global Head of Chevrolet

Posted on 25 June 2013 by Ken Zino

In a convoluted position that likely resulted from GM insider politics and bureaucratic infighting, in his global Chevrolet role, Batey will report to GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson; in his U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing role, he will report to Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, people | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Unemployed Far Outnumber Job Openings

Posted on 17 June 2013 by Ken Zino

The April Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that job openings fell by 118,000 in April to only 3.8 million. Job openings have seen little improvement during the last year and remain depressed. In 2007, there were 4.5 million job openings each month. April’s rate of 3.8 million is more than 16% below the levels before President Bush’s Great Recession took hold. Continue reading →

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

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 →

Posted in news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gerald Johnson New VP of GM North America Manufacturing

Posted on 17 June 2013 by Ken Zino

A GM lifer, Johnson’s most recent role was executive director of Global Program Quality and Launch, where he tried to improve global product launches. Continue reading →

Posted in manufacturing, people | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial, distracted driving, insurance, litigation, marketing, news analysis, people, public health, safety, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment