Category Archives: results

Firing of BMW Salesperson for Facebook Photos Upheld

Posted on 1 October 2012 by Ken Zino

The National Labor Relations Board has found that the firing of a BMW salesperson for photos and comments posted to his Facebook page did not violate federal labor law, because the activity was not protected. Continue reading →

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Honda Aircraft Breaks Ground on New Maintenance Hanger

Posted on 28 September 2012 by Ken Zino

The ~$5 million HondaJet has claims to what could be advances in aircraft design, including a unique over-the-wing engine-mount that is said to improve aircraft performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. However, this claim awaits FAA-certified production aircraft powered by two new design GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines. The small business jet market has long been dominated by Wichita-based Cessna, of course, which pioneered the idea of turbofan engines and manufacturer-supplied maintenance – and guaranteed costs for owners – in business aviation with its successful Citation line starting in the 1970s. Continue reading →

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GM Claims Aluminum Spot Welding Innovation

Posted on 28 September 2012 by Ken Zino

General Motors Research & Development has invented what it claims is an industry-first aluminum welding technology, which it predicts will increase the use of the lightweight metal on future vehicles. The latest fuel economy regulations are forcing automakers to improve efficiency. Simple Newtonian physics explains that the force needed to accelerate a mass decreases with weight reduction, for example, less fuel is needed to move a lighter vehicle – if the weight reduction is not used to increase performance, a traditional industry response. Continue reading →

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GM CAW Members Overwhelmingly Approve New Contract

Posted on 28 September 2012 by Ken Zino

CAW members at General Motors have approved a new collective agreement by 73% after voting took place at a series of ratification meetings Wednesday and Thursday in Oshawa, St. Catharines and Woodstock, Ontario. The union did not release the actual number of members who voted but said that 72% of production workers approved the deal, with skilled trades members 79% in favor. The CAW represents 21,000 workers at the Detroit Three auto companies, including more than 8,000 GM workers including 2,500 at CAMI in Ingersoll, Ontario. Continue reading →

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BP Fined Again, this time for Oil Spill Violations in Maryland

Posted on 27 September 2012 by Ken Zino

EPA alleged that BP Products violated federal regulations requiring oil storage facilities to conduct drills and exercises to respond to oil spills. The civil penalty is EPA’s highest to date for violations of oil drills and exercises requirements where there was no discharge of oil. BP, of course, was responsible for dumping 5 billion gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after a blowout on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 men. A former BP worker is under indictment for the disaster in an ongoing investigation that has thus far not reached executive levels. Continue reading →

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Zipcar Expands Car Sharing to Tacoma

Posted on 27 September 2012 by Ken Zino

Zipcar today announced the expansion of its car sharing program to the city of Tacoma, Washington. Ten vehicles will be available, including Honda Insight Hybrid, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus models. Six Zipcars will be located in downtown … Continue reading →

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Honda Says New Steel and Aluminum Welding Process Cuts Weight

Posted on 25 September 2012 by Ken Zino

Honda Motor Company says it has a newly developed technology for the continuous welding of the dissimilar metals of steel and aluminum. Continue reading →

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Milestones: GM Tonawanda Builds 4.2 Million Ecotec Fours

Posted on 25 September 2012 by Ken Zino

The General Motors Tonawanda Engine Plant has built its final 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine, 13 years after production began in 1999. Since the New York State GM plant opened in 1938, more than 70 million engines have been assembled there. Continue reading →

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GM and SAIC Open the Largest Proving Grounds in China

Posted on 24 September 2012 by Ken Zino

General Motors and its Chinese communist government dictated partners – SAIC, Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center – have opened China’s largest proving grounds with 37 miles or 60 kilometers of test roads. The 5.67-square-kilometer (2.18 square miles) Guangde Proving Ground in Guangde County, Anhui, represents an investment of RMB 1.6 billion ($253 million). Shanghai GM and PATAC are managing the proving ground’s operation, which includes support facilities to test 67 different driving conditions

It is the latest transfer of white-collar professional salaried jobs from the U.S. taxpayer controlled company to the businesses operating in the world’s largest auto market, which is strictly regulated by the Chinese Central government in a successful jobs creation program that requires local partners and onshore investment as the price of doing business. Continue reading →

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Ford CAW Approves First Four-Year Two-Tier Wage Contract

Posted on 24 September 2012 by Ken Zino

Now for the first time at Ford Canada under a “New Hire Grow-In program” fledgling union workers start at C$20.40, equal to 60% of the current highest member $34 base rate, and only get full compensation after ten years. The Obama Administration broke the power of the UAW in the U.S. as required terms for financing bankruptcy reorganizations at Chrysler and General Motors. As a result, unionized costs in the U.S. are now lower than in Canada and at some Japanese North American plants. Continue reading →

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U.S. September Vehicle Sales Projected Up. SAAR at 14.5 Million

Posted on 20 September 2012 by Ken Zino

September new-vehicle retail sales are projected to come in at 952,200 units, which represent a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 11.8 million units. The forecast in September is more than 1 million units higher than September 2011. Total light-vehicle sales in September are expected to increase 11% from September 2011, with volume at 1,152,700 units for a SAAR of 14.5 million. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Moves Forward on Eliminating Printed Owner Manuals

Posted on 19 September 2012 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group, the first automaker to eliminate the conventional owner manuals from its vehicles and offer industry-first vehicle-information apps in a cost cutting move, will now apparently be the first in the auto industry to offer vehicle-information kits in Spanish for the U.S. market. Continue reading →

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Ford Fusion Hybrid Sedan Said to Top EPA Fuel Economy Ratings

Posted on 18 September 2012 by Ken Zino

Many brands now have a claim of some sort to use in fuel economy marketing, which likely means all of them will advertise fuel efficiency this fall, making the issue so confusing that it might no longer be effective for selling cars. Buyers will assume that fuel economy is a given in the entire class of vehicles and forgo the nuances. A similar situation has occurred in the marketing of auto safety during the past decade, with it increasingly difficult for companies to draw a competitive advantage in a continually improving field of what is now demonstrably the safest fleet of new vehicles ever sold in the U.S. Continue reading →

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EU Cars Sales Drop 9% in August as Eurozone Crisis Continues

Posted on 18 September 2012 by Ken Zino

The crisis in the Eurozone continued unabated as new car sales dropped 9% in August year-over-year after declining by 7.8% in July. As a result, in the 27 countries that comprise the EU, sales dropped to 688,000 vehicles. Year-to-date sales are down to 8.3 million units, the lowest in decades and the fifth straight year of sales declines. Continue reading →

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Toyota Hybrid in First Win Beats Audi in Six Hours of Sao Paulo

Posted on 17 September 2012 by Ken Zino

A Toyota hybrid turned in a dominant performance at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo this weekend going from the pole to first place during the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the first overall win this year for the new hybrid racing team, which challenged Audi’s clear dominance in endurance racing by showing up at Le Mans last June, a year ahead of announced plans. Continue reading →

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