Category Archives: news

FAA – Unruly Passenger Rate Remains Too High

Posted on 23 September 2021 by Ken Zino

As of last week, unruly passenger incidents were occurring approximately six times per every 10,000 flights. That’s a ~50% drop from early 2021, when Republicans were promoting the “big Lie” about voter fraud, which was the cause of the January 6th insurrection at the US Capital. However, it’s more than twice as high as the end of 2020. Since the FAA launched its public awareness campaign with memes and two public service announcements, the rate has fallen ~30%.  Continue reading →

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GM, Amazon Offer OnStar Emergency Service at Home

Posted on 22 September 2021 by Ken Zino

When the OnStar Guardian skill for Amazon Alexa (OStGsfAA?) is enabled on compatible, in-home Alexa devices, people can reach OnStar Emergency-Certified Advisors by saying, “Alexa, call for help,” during crisis events, such as house fires, medical emergencies, break-ins and so forth. Continue reading →

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First Look – Gen 3 2022 Toyota Tundra

Posted on 20 September 2021 by Ken Zino

Other added items include a high-strength boxed, steel-ladder frame, aluminum-reinforced composite bed and redesigned multi-link rear suspension. The result is a competitive Tundra with a maximum towing capacity of up to 12,000 pounds, +11%, and a max payload capacity of 1,940 pounds, +17.6%. Continue reading →

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European Light Vehicle Production Tanking

Posted on 17 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The most recent setback has been the forced closure of semiconductor facilities in Malaysia to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreak, the LMC Automotive consultancy notes. This disaster comes from raw material price increases, semiconductor shortages and bottlenecks in the production of intermediate products. Continue reading →

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De-Carbonize the Police. Ford Submits EV to Michigan

Posted on 17 September 2021 by Ken Zino

Ford said it will use the pilot program testing as a benchmark while it continues to explore purpose-built electric police vehicles in the future. Law enforcement demand for all-electric vehicles is growing globally because of the dire climate change crisis and increasing regulations banning fossil fuel vehicles. Last week, Ford introduced a new Mustang Mach-E police concept car in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

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Carlos Tavares to Step Down from Airbus Board

Posted on 17 September 2021 by Ken Zino

“This personal decision should allow Carlos to dedicate his full professional time to leading Stellantis to success, together with the leadership team, through this critical transformation period in the automotive industry,” Stellantis said in a statement. Continue reading →

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GM Defense – $36.4M Development Contract for HD Surburbans

Posted on 16 September 2021 by Ken Zino

GM says the commercial vehicle architecture designed for full size pickup trucks and large SUVs – already paid for –  will use significant commercial-off-the-shelf parts, including the body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes for the government, purpose-built HD Suburban. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz Brazil Shows Electric Bus

Posted on 14 September 2021 by Ken Zino

If there is equivalent customer interest, “use outside of Latin America is also conceivable. “The eO500U is a model from the O-500 series, which is also the basis for the Mercedes-Benz Super Padron city bus. Continue reading →

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August Global Light Vehicle Sales Weaken Again

Posted on 14 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The US Light Vehicle market continued to be hurt by low inventories during July. Sales grew by only 3.2% YoY, to 1.28 mn units. This is a slight advance compared to July 2020’s pandemic-affected result. The selling rate declined more to 14.6 mn units/year, from 15.4 mn units/year in June. This is the lowest rate since June 2020. Continue reading →

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Is China Now Clearly in the EV Affordability Lead?

Posted on 13 September 2021 by Ken Zino

This of course is not good news for occidental auto conglomerates or their customers, which through a forced combination of government regulation, shareholder pressure and consumer sentiment are investing billions in EVs to solve the very real and deadly problem of fossil fuel use, which has increasingly visible negative health and climate effects. Continue reading →

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COVID Losses – NISMO Festival Canceled Again

Posted on 10 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The annual festival in Japan, billed as a fan appreciation event, has been held in the off-season. This year’s festival was to have been the 23rd After last year’s event was cancelled, the organizers had hoped for it to go ahead this year and had been watching the situation closely. Continue reading →

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Ford India Stops Manufacturing Vehicles For Sale

Posted on 9 September 2021 by Ken Zino

India will remain Ford’s second-largest salaried workforce globally. In addition to Ford Business Solutions, Ford India will continue engine manufacturing for export, as well as full customer support operations with service, aftermarket parts and warranty support. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Expanding Home Pickup & Delivery

Posted on 9 September 2021 by Ken Zino

With more than 3,100 dealers in the U.S., Ford appears to be the only full line auto brand to offer Pickup & Delivery to millions of customers. Since March 2020, Ford says it has made ~100,000 Pickup & Delivery services in the U.S. The process requires  customers call their local dealer to schedule an appointment and request an at-home or at-work pickup. On the day of service, customers receive updates via phone, text or e-mail to keep them informed of their vehicle’s progress, and it’s delivered back as soon as the service is complete. Continue reading →

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Honda and Cruise to Start Testing Autonomous Vehicles on Public Roads

Posted on 8 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The testing program for autonomous vehicles mobility service technologies will be conducted in Utsunomiya City and Haga Town, Tochigi Prefecture. To start, a high-definition map of the area will be created using a specialized vehicle for mapping. Once the high-definition map is ready, the autonomous vehicle, Cruise AV, will be driven on public roads to develop and test autonomous vehicles adapted to the traffic environment and the relevant laws and regulations in Japan. Continue reading →

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US August Light Vehicle Sales Continue Shrinking Trend

Posted on 8 September 2021 by Ken Zino

 “The month of August is historically a peak selling month as manufacturers launch promotional events to clear inventories of outgoing model-year vehicles and begin sales of the new model year. This year, however, the industry has insufficient inventory at dealerships to meet strong consumer demand. The consequence is that the retail sales pace is depressed, but transaction prices are elevated,” said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. Continue reading →

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