Category Archives: results

Rising Truck Sales Cause Offshore Brands to Lose Share in February

Posted on 4 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Five of the Top Ten selling vehicles in February were offshore nameplates. These leading vehicles experienced an average sales improvement of 11.1%. The Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado pickups maintained their first and second positions. In third and fourth place, respectively, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord continue to be the most preferred cars in the U.S. The Nissan Altima moved into the sixth position, up from number eight last month. The Toyota Corolla/Matrix, in number seven, Ford Escape in eight, Ram pickup in ninth and Honda Civic, number ten, completed the Top Ten Seller list. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor U.S. Sales Up 9%, Pacing Market Recovery

Posted on 1 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company’s U.S. February sales increased 9% to 195,822 vehicles, its best February in six years. Cars were up 6%, sport utility vehicles rose by 21%, while trucks increased 4%. The only bad news was moribund Lincoln, which saw sales decrease 30% to 4,900 vehicles in spite of an expensive brand-image advertising campaign that doesn’t have a flagship vehicle to promote. Continue reading →

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GM U.S. Sales Increase 7% in February. Retail Share Up

Posted on 1 March 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors said today that it sold 224,314 vehicles in the United States in February, up 7% compared with a year ago. Retail sales and fleet sales were both up 7%, matching expected overall market growth. GM’s fleet sales were 25% of the total, equal to a year ago.GM estimated its retail market share at more than 17%, well above its 2012 calendar year share at 15%. This was best February since 2008 at 268,737 units when the market was trending down and GM was headed for bankruptcy. The Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate back then was about the same as today at 15.6 million light vehicles. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Group February U.S. Sales Increase 4% as Growth Rate Slows

Posted on 1 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group today posted U.S. sales of 139,015 units, a 4% increase compared with sales in February 2012 of 133,521 units. While it was the Group’s best February since 2008, the overall market was predicted to grow at a 7% to 9% rate, if so Chrysler is not keeping up with the auto sales recovery. The comeback car company has been consistently outpacing market growth, as has been Toyota Motor, which also posted a 4% sales gain. Continue reading →

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CountryMark Refining to Install $18 Million in Pollution Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at its Indiana Refinery

Posted on 28 February 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced today that CountryMark Refining and Logistics has agreed to pay a $167,000 civil penalty, perform environmental projects totaling more than $180,000, and spend $18 million on new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act (CAA) violations at its refinery, located in Mount Vernon, Indiana. Continue reading →

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EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Drop 11% in January as Slump Continues

Posted on 28 February 2013 by Ken Zino

The sale of new commercial vehicles in the EU declined again in January (-10.6%), continuing a worrisome downward trend evident for all of 2012. Continue reading →

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Cadillac XTS Now in Production in China, World’s Largest Market

Posted on 26 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Criticisms that auto companies are making vehicles in China or transferring jobs there are at best ignorant of, or deliberately ignore, Chinese industrial policy, which requires local partners and production for access to the market. There are also high Chinese tariffs on imports that effectively restrict volume exports of the kind that are now coming out of, say, South Korea under the U.S. Korean FTA. (I can only imagine the outcry if Mercedes-Benz was required to partner with the city of Detroit to build cars there – the ruling party in Detroit controlling the jobs – as a condition of access to the U.S., one of the world’s most lucrative luxury car markets. This is required in China.) Continue reading →

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60-Day Auto Loan Delinquencies Rise for First Time since 2009

Posted on 22 February 2013 by Ken Zino

It was the first time since the end of 2009 that either 30- or 60-day loan delinquencies increased year-over-year. In what could be an early warning sign that sub-prime loans from finance companies are becoming too speculative, the total balance of 60-day delinquent loans grew from $3.48 billion in Q4 2011 to $3.93 billion in Q4 2012. Continue reading →

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U.S. February Auto Sales Projected Up Again as Recovery Continues

Posted on 22 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Retail sales of new vehicles in the U.S. during February are forecast to increase from February 2012, as the tentative recovery of the U.S. economy continues. However, sales at 931,000 cars and light trucks or a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 12.1 million units will dip below an unexpectedly strong January SAAR of 13.1 million, a normally slow selling month. U.S. vehicle sales in January were surprisingly strong, with no automaker stronger than Toyota Motor’s three brands, which increased sales almost 27% in a retail light-vehicle market that grew by 14% to more than 1 million units. Continue reading →

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VW Group Ties GM for Largest Automaker in China in January

Posted on 19 February 2013 by Ken Zino

The VW Group began the year with a 15% increase in sales for January, totaling 749,900 compared to January of 2012 at 652,400. A huge portion of the gain was the later date for the Chinese New Year, which means a decline in China is coming in February for all automakers when the holiday is celebrated. Nevertheless, The VW Group delivered 298,300 (208,200; +43.3%) vehicles in China, the region’s largest single market, in the first month of the year. This compares to China market leader GM, which sold 300,000 during the same period – a dead heat in the Chinese sales race. Continue reading →

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January EU Car Registrations Plummet. Eurozone Crisis Deepens

Posted on 19 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Passenger car registrations plummeted in the 27 markets of the EU during January of 2013 to 885,159 units, reaching a historic low ever recorded for the month of January, since the start of record keeping began in 1990 by ACEA. Continue reading →

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Renault-Nissan Open an Automotive Electronics Office

Posted on 19 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Buyers aged 35 and under who grew up with myriad consumer-electronic-devices are particularly vocal about the design failures of automotive electronics. This is a growing problem for the product development departments of automakers that are largely managed by older white males. Continue reading →

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Ferrari Posts €244 Million Profit for 2012, Best Year in History

Posted on 18 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Record sales during 2012 in the U.S., China, Germany and Great Britain resulted in Ferrari posting its best financial results in the Fiat-owned brand’s fabled 66-year history. A total of 7,318 road cars were delivered to dealers (+4.5% on 2011) with revenues of €2.433 billion, an increase of 8% from 2011. Continue reading →

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Acura RLX Uses New Steel and Aluminum Bonding for Doors

Posted on 18 February 2013 by Ken Zino

When the Acura RLX goes on sale in the U.S. next month, its outer door panels will be made of aluminum joined to an inner steel frame. This unusual combination of dissimilar materials results in a reduction of door panel weight by approximately 17% compared to the conventional all-steel door panel. Continue reading →

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Shape Memory Alloy Replaces Electric Motor On C7 Corvette

Posted on 15 February 2013 by Ken Zino

While much of the news about weight savings on the revised 2014 Corvette coming this fall has concentrated on the aluminum chassis that saves 99 pounds when compared to its steel predecessor, GM is also using a heat-activated shape memory alloy that replaces a heavier motorized part. The electric wire will be used in place of a heavier motorized actuator to open a the hatch vent that releases air from the trunk to allow for easier closing by releasing trapped air through the opening. When the hatch is closed, the vent closes. Continue reading →

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