Category Archives: people

House Bill Says Greenhouse Gases not Air Pollutants. Republican Attack on EPA Despite Supreme Court Ruling

Posted on 16 March 2011 by Ken Zino

Since nothing in the Act precludes states from pursuing their own GHG policies, this is a severe setback for automakers that need one coordinated national standard for fuel economy and CO2 emissions. Continue reading →

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Ghosn, Pélata, others Lose Bonus over Renault Spy Case

Posted on 15 March 2011 by Ken Zino

Renault’s board of directors has approved a plan that would see CEO and President Carlos Ghosn and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pélata, as well as other involved senior managers lose their 2010 bonuses and 2011 stock options because of the wrongful termination in January of three employees on false charges of industrial spying.
This ends speculation that Ghosn’s and Pélata’s positions were threatened by the corporate bungling, which became a minor political controversy in France. Pélata had tendered his resignation, but Ghosn refused to accept it.
Continue reading →

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NRC Sends more Experts on Nuclear Reactors to Japan

Posted on 15 March 2011 by Ken Zino

In what is a politically sensitive area in Japan, as a result of the U.S.’s deployment of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima, home of Mazda, and Nagasaki that ended the war in 1945, NRC said that “only if asked” would it be part of the Japanese government’s decision making process” on the reactors. Continue reading →

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Renault Spy Case Executive Firings Wrong Prosecutor Says. French Government Investigations Continue into the Fraud

Posted on 14 March 2011 by Ken Zino

The board of directors of Renault met today in an unscheduled meeting after a French prosecutor said earlier that three executives dismissed by Renault are innocent of claims by Renault that industrial spying was going on and that the executives were depositing payments into bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Continue reading →

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Another GM Top Management Change as CFO Liddell Resigns

Posted on 10 March 2011 by Ken Zino

It appears that the outside financial gunslingers brought in by Treasury – notably Ed Whitaker retired from ATT and Chris Liddell from Microsoft had short term personal goals as to how long they would run the historic and now recovering auto giant. This begs the question as to how long the current CEO Dan Akerson, who came from Wall Street, will stick around, and puts a stop to speculation that Liddell, 52, was the obvious heir apparent for Akerson’s job. Continue reading →

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Nissan Americas Appoints Former GM Engineer to Head Research & Development, Replacing Japanese Executive

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Ken Zino

Nissan Americas today announced the appointment of Carla Bailo, 50, as senior vice president, Research & Development-Nissan Americas, effective April 1. Bailo succeeds Motohiro Matsumura, currently president, Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA), who will be returning to Nissan Motor Company in Japan to an as yet unnamed position. Continue reading →

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Senate Dithers as Highway Trust Fund Goes Broke

Posted on 16 February 2011 by Ken Zino

During a hearing today in Washington, Democrats and Republicans postured over President Barack Obama’s proposal for a six-year, $556 billion highway bill with none of the partisans suggesting how it will actually be paid for.

This ducks the real issue of the ongoing decline in highway trust fund revenues that built the interstate system during the 1950s and contributed to what was then a booming American economy. Continue reading →

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Allstate Says Its Zodiac Accident Rate Release is Hooey

Posted on 30 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The Allstate Corporation set off a furor last week when it issued a press release that compared Zodiac sign accident rates.

In it the auto insurance giant said that during the past year, Virgos were “nearly 700% more likely to be in a car accident when compared to the determined and aware Scorpio accident rates, the best drivers in the study.” Scorpios were only involved in 1.5% of all accidents in 2010. Continue reading →

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Workers Paid Eight Cents for Each $25 NFL T-shirt!

Posted on 24 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Women at the Ocean Sky “sweatshop” in El Salvador are paid just eight cents for each $25 NFL T-shirt they sew, according a press release just issued by the National Labor Committee.

Their wages amount to just 3/10ths of one percent of the NFL shirt’s retail price, according to the non-profit pressure group with un-posted sources of funding. Continue reading →

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General Motors Appoints Mary Barra, a GM Human Resources Executive, to Head Global Product Development

Posted on 20 January 2011 by Ken Zino

General Motors today named Mary Barra, 49, senior vice president, Global Product Development, to lead the design, engineering, program management and quality of vehicles for GM’s 11 brands around the world.

Barra comes to the high visibility position once occupied by formidable car guys, including Tom Stephens and Bob Lutz from her position as vice president, Global Human Resources. Prior to this appointment, Barra had been vice president, Global Human Resources since 2009. Both Lutz and Stephens carried the title of vice chairman, so Barra’s job has been downgraded in the latest GM reorganization. Continue reading →

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Akerson Reorganizing GM Again! Product Development Split. Vice Chairman Stephens Moved to Chief Technology Officer

Posted on 19 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The new CTO position was said to be a “major element of Akerson’s goal to make the company more customer driven and technology focused.”

However, the previous GM technology position occupied by Larry Burns was in practicality more of academic exercise that produce reams of press releases extolling the virtues of fuel cells and other advanced technologies that had no immediate production prospects, and did not connect GM to customers or advance sales as the company sped toward bankruptcy. Continue reading →

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OnStar Presidential Shakeup. Preuss Out. Marshall In

Posted on 18 January 2011 by Ken Zino

As a lifelong public relations professional, Preuss was likely much more sensitive to the growing distracted driving problem than Wall Street and other executives who emphasize growth with little or no concern for the social problems that the growth might cause. Continue reading →

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OnStar Starts Voice Application Student Competition

Posted on 15 January 2011 by Ken Zino

OnStar is looking for new in-vehicle voice-enabled applications through a contest at five U.S. universities.

The growing telematics subsidiary of General Motors is a leader in the controversial area of in-vehicle electronics OnStar is interested in working with students who are studying voice application development. The voice platform allows OnStar to provide more connectivity to subscribers.

This also might enable more distracted driving accidents, currently responsible for 6,000 deaths and more than 500,000 serious injuries each year, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. A total of 33,808 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Another 2.22 million people were injured. Continue reading →

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NHTSA Administrator Strickland Visits NAIAS Show Promoting Jobs, Not Safety? The Endless Partison Political Campaign Continues

Posted on 14 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The man responsible for traffic safety in the United States, David Strickland, visited the North American International Auto Show – NAIAS – this week promoting the Obama Administration’s jobs agenda – or at least the let’s talk, but do little, part of it, with nary a word about traffic safety. Continue reading →

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Red Light Cameras Approved in Missouri. Arizona Murderer Destories Serving Time for Speed Camera Shooting

Posted on 12 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission today gave the go ahead for the statewide use of cameras mounted on traffic lights to automatically record and catch red-light runners. It also approved the ongoing use of speed cameras in restricted circumstances. … Continue reading →

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