Category Archives: milestones

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Debuts in US After 3 Year Lag

The Outlander PHEV move follows the introduction of the Outlander last year in the U.S. after it was on sale for almost three years elsewhere. Even though SUV sales account for 40% of the U.S. market, poor Mitsubishi U.S. sales and the Great Recession that started in 2008 roughing up all automakers precluded plugging it in here. Continue reading

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Ford Joins Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition

The electronics industry has had myriad problems with manufacturing conditions, exploitation of workers and suicides in offshore plants. Whether any significant changes occur in worker rights in an industry driven almost entirely by cost cutting remains to be seen. Continue reading

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Toyota Pulls Plug on Scion Brand

“The Scion brand never quite caught on in the way that Toyota hoped it would. By offering Scion products under the Toyota badge, the company can save marketing costs and eliminate what had effectively become a distraction from its core business focus.” Continue reading

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GM Posts Record Global Sales During 2015

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) global sales totaled 9.8 million vehicles in 2015, up a mere 0.2% but an increase that still made for the company’s third consecutive year of record sales in spite of ongoing troubles in Europe, Russia … Continue reading

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Larry Gustin Donates Durant Papers to Sloan Museum

The Sloan Museum is the beneficiary of donation from Lawrence R. Gustin, aka Larry in auto circles, a distinguished automotive and Flint historian that includes the personal papers of William C. Durant, the General Motors founder.

Gustin, a Flint native, was a writer and editor at the Flint Journal from 1960 to 1984 and later assistant public relations director of Buick before retiring in 2005. He was and is an active supporter of  press organizations, including the Automotive Press Association.  Continue reading

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Mazda to Stay in California after Nissan and Toyota Fled

First Nissan abandoned congested, highly taxed Southern California for Tennessee. Toyota is in the process of fleeing to Texas. Continue reading

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First HondaJet now In Private Service

Honda Aircraft Company is now delivering the HondaJet. This milestone follows final type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which the HondaJet received on 8 December. The aircraft company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor. Continue reading

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VW Diesel Scandal Results in Loss of Global Sales Crown

Given the ongoing ethical, legal and image problems at VW, it’s a good bet the Toyota will once again be the world’s largest automaker when the books close on 2015. Continue reading

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Milestones:1940 Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1

The Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy design is arguably most notable as the first “jeep” prototype to have a flat slatted front grille with integrated headlights that went on to become a key design element of the standardized mass produced WWII “jeep” and subsequent commercial versions. Continue reading

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Japanese Name Mazda MX 5 Car of the Year on Pearl Harbor Day

In one of the most insensitive announcements AutoInformed has endured, Mazda Motor Corporation said today that the all-new Mazda Roadster, aka MX-5 outside Japan, has been named the 2015-2016 Car of the Year Japan. Continue reading

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Leasing at Record High in US

People continue to lease vehicles at a record pace, according to the Q3 2015 State of the Automotive Finance Market report Continue reading

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Porsche Dominates Endurance Racing During 2015

Porsche had a strong season with the overall victory at the 24 Hours in Le Mans, the Manufacturers’ World Championship earned at the penultimate round in Shanghai, the drivers’ World Championship in Bahrain. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Cruze Pricing Undercuts Civic, Corolla, Elantra

The battle of best-selling global compact cars continued today with Chevrolet pricing its brand new Cruze model $1980 cheaper than the Honda Civic LX, an acknowledged leader in the class. The formidable Cruze – Chevy’s bestseller globally – is also less expensive than the Toyota Corolla L (-$570) and the Hyundai Elantra SE (-$580). Continue reading

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Ally Bailout Terms Met – Allowing for Common Dividends

This removes the restriction on Ally of offering common equity distributions. Ally’s stated objective is to pay a dividend and start a share repurchase program in 2016. Continue reading

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BMW, Deezer Expand Audio Choices

There is no limit on either the number of tracks selected or the data volume required. Moreover, when traveling outside Germany – in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain or the UK – drivers have online access to everything the music services offer without incurring additional international fees or roaming charges.

Deezer is one of the major music providers with more than 35 million tracks in its library. It is available in more than 180 countries worldwide.

No word on North American applications yet. Continue reading

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