Category Archives: results

EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Jump 15% in December

Posted on 28 January 2016 by Ken Zino

Increases occurred in all commercial vehicle segments. Italy (+23.2%), Spain (+23.0%), the UK (+20.3%) ended the year posting double digit percentage gains in December, followed by France (+9.4%) and Germany (+8.7%). Continue reading →

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Real World MPG Gap Continues

Posted on 28 January 2016 by Ken Zino

Testing data by Emissions Analytics show that although the ‘gap’ between official and real-world figures has remained fairly similar, the average number of miles per gallon has reduced. Continue reading →

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The Joys of Trucks! Ford Motor Sets Earnings Record in 2015

Posted on 28 January 2016 by Ken Zino

The strong results came from the automobile businesses with full year Automotive pre-tax profit of $8.8 billion, up $3.3 billion. All business units, with the exception of South America were profitable. North America and Ford Credit were notably successful. Continue reading →

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FCA Surprises Analysts with €377m Profit

Posted on 28 January 2016 by Ken Zino

The spin-off of Ferrari allowed the Group – formerly known as Fiat Chrysler – to begin 2016 operations with net industrial debt of €5.0 billion. Continue reading →

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GM Posts Record Global Sales During 2015

Posted on 21 January 2016 by Ken Zino

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

Posted on 19 January 2016 by Ken Zino

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

Posted on 11 January 2016 by Ken Zino

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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Honda Civic, Volvo XC90 Win North American Car, Truck of Year

Posted on 11 January 2016 by Ken Zino

The 2016 Honda Civic was awarded North American Car of the Year. The compact sedan gets 31 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway. The 2016 Volvo XC90 was named North American Truck/Utility of the Year today, kicking off the 2016 North American International Auto Show. Continue reading →

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Is 17.7 Million 2016 Sales of Light Vehicles in the US a Fantasy?

Posted on 8 January 2016 by Ken Zino

“We are living peak auto sales right now, and we will see one more year of that growth in 2016,” Szakaly added. “But only because of rising incentives that will keep consumers coming into showrooms. The real worry now is whether we’re starting to pull sales ahead from future years.” Continue reading →

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Chevrolet Bolt Debuts into a Moribund EV Market

Posted on 6 January 2016 by Ken Zino

The Bolt EV is said to have more than 200 miles of range on a full charge at a price below $30,000 after Federal tax credits. Continue reading →

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US Light Vehicle Sales Set All-Time Record in 2015

Posted on 6 January 2016 by Ken Zino

Seven of the top ten selling vehicles in December were built by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. Continue reading →

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Fiat Ferrari Spinoff Set for January 1-3

Posted on 29 December 2015 by Ken Zino

As part of the spinoff, FCA shareholders will receive one common share of Ferrari for every ten common shares of FCA and one special voting share of Ferrari for every ten special voting shares of FCA held. Continue reading →

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First HondaJet now In Private Service

Posted on 28 December 2015 by Ken Zino

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

Posted on 28 December 2015 by Ken Zino

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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December New Vehicle Sales Projected at 1.7m, SAAR 18m

Posted on 23 December 2015 by Ken Zino

If accurate, December will end the biggest year of U.S. new-car sales ever seen, with total light vehicle sales of ~17.5 million, up 6.1% compared to 2014 totals. The previous high was 17.35 million units in 2000. Continue reading →

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