-
Recent Posts
- Milestones – 50 Years of the VW Golf GTI
- EPA Administrator and Trump Booster Zeldin Praises Himself
- Happy Clean New Year California Air Resources Board!
- Chicago Auto Show Shrinks
- Porsche – Happy Birthday Hans-Joachim Stuck
- Ford Recalls Mavericks, Escapes, Mach Es, Transits, Broncos
- Annals of Marketing – Kia and Times Square New Year Partyers
- December U.S. Vehicle Sales Forecast Down. Global Sales Up
- Mazda Axes Advance, Production and Design Modeling Studios
- Detroit Auto Show 2026 – Winners of HS Poster Contest
- Rising EV Sales Deepen Need for Charging Systems
- ACEA – EU November Car Sales Flat. Tesla Wilts
- Honda Aircraft Company Offers Performance Upgrade Package
- November 2025 UK Vehicle Production Plunges
- US New-Vehicle Sales Q4 Forecast Down in 2025. Year Up a Tad
Recent Comments
- Ken Zino on Ford Fuel Injector Leak Recall Now at ~694,000
- LAVERNE L OLIVER on Ford Fuel Injector Leak Recall Now at ~694,000
- Magna on its Share Repurchase Plan in reference to on Magna Posts Solid Q3 2025 Earnings Gain
- Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador on Ford Performance Rebranded as Ford Racing
- Gen 3 2026 Nissan Leaf Less than $30,000? | AutoInformed on Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee
Archives
Meta
Category Archives: results
Honda Resumes Auto Production in Thailand
It took since last November to clean, inspect, repair and replace plant facilities and manufacturing equipment damaged by the flood. In the interim, Honda supplied automobiles from Japan to countries in the Asia Oceania Region that had production disrupted because of severe flooding – the worst in decades. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, honda, honda production, Ken Zino, results, Thailand flooding
Leave a comment
AIG Repays Taxpayers $1.5 Billion, Still Owes $45 Billion
During the financial crisis, overall support for AIG through Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York totaled approximately $182 billion. The remaining $45 billion investment consists of Treasury’s investment ($35.7 billion) for which it holds 1.248 billion shares of AIG common stock a whopping 70% of outstanding common stock. Then there is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which lent $9 billion to AIG. Continue reading
Posted in economy, financial results, fools 'n frauds, news, people, results
Tagged aig, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, tarp, taxpayer bailouts
Leave a comment
March U.S. Auto Sales Tracking 6% Higher than a Year Ago
he 2012 outlook for vehicle sales remains positive, as the first quarter selling rate is expected to come in at 11.6 million units for retail and 14.4 million units for total light vehicles. This sales tempo is ahead of the Power forecast for the full year of 11.4 million units for retail light-vehicles and 14.1 million units for total light vehicles. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, results, sales
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, j.d power, Ken Zino, march sales, results
Leave a comment
Taxpayers Make Money on Treasury Bailout of Mortgages
While this is good news in a slowly recovering economy, taxpayers are still on the hook for billions upon billions advanced to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae – up to $100 billion each in capital – to prop up their $5 trillion in outstanding mortgage debt, of which an unknown amount will never be repaid. Continue reading
Nissan Recalls Infiniti M45 for Bad Electronic Gas Gauges
In the pre-Toyota cover-up fines from NHTSA, it appears that Nissan ignored the safety problem and warranty data. In the post Toyota fine era at NHTSA, the number of recalls from Japanese makers, not coincidentally, has accelerated dramatically.
This is the sixth major Nissan recall since the fall. Earlier recalls involved Nissan and Infiniti gasoline leaks, oil leaks, sudden stalling on Sentra models, Juke turbocharger boost sensors, and defective Rogue electric power steering control computers. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, news analysis, quality, recalls, results, safety
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, infiniti recalls, Ken Zino, nhtsa, nissan recalls, recalls
Leave a comment
Electric Sales for Prius C Hybrid after Three Days
While Detroit Three Automakers concentrate on increasing the transaction prices of their new models, Toyota Motor Sales is proving that price matters. In the first three days since the small Prius C went on sale it sold 1,201 units, bypassing sales of the much more expensive – two times the price – Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf for the entire month of February. The Volt plant in Detroit suspends production for five weeks starting next Monday because of slow sales. Continue reading
Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service Improves
It seems a shift in the type of work done is largely responsible for the gains. In 2012, 72% of vehicle owners indicate their latest dealer service visit was for maintenance rather than repair, an increase from 63% in 2011. Customer satisfaction with maintenance visits is typically higher than satisfaction with repair visits, since visits for routine maintenance tend to be less expensive and less time-consuming. Continue reading
Airline On-Time Performance Improves in January
Flights to or from Phoenix (PHX) operated by Southwest or United had the dubious distinction of posting the most delays of greater than 30 minutes in January more than 50% of the time. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, customer satisfaction, news, results, transportation
Tagged airlines, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bts, Ken Zino, on-time performance
Leave a comment
Ford Extends Its $9 billion Revolving Credit Line with Lenders
In a separate transaction, Ford announced its first renminbi-denominated bond issue aimed at RMB investors in Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere outside the United States, with total proceeds of RMB 1 billion or about USD $158 million. Ford is losing money in the Asia-Pacific region. In the fourth quarter of 2011, Ford Asia Pacific Africa reported a pre-tax operating loss of $83 million, compared with a profit of $23 million a year ago. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, financial results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, ford bonds, ford debt, ford dividend, ford motor, Ken Zino, renminbi, rmb
Leave a comment
February Car Sales Drop 10% as Eurozone Crisis Goes On
The dismal sales data, which has potential implications for the U.S. presidential election since all the Detroit Three companies are mired in losses from their European operations and previous taxpayer assistance remains controversial, confirmed what ACEA President Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat S.p.A. said two weeks ago. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, marketing, results, sales
Tagged acea, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, eu sales results, eurozone, february sales, Ken Zino
Leave a comment
BizJet Pays $11.8 M Fine under Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
BizJet International Sales and Support will pay an $11.8 million criminal penalty to resolve charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for bribing government officials. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based aircraft maintenance company with links to Lufthansa was under investigation by the Department of Justice for bribing government officials in Latin America to secure contracts to perform aircraft services for government agencies. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, litigation, news, news analysis, people, results, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bizjet, doj, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Ken Zino, Lufthansa
Leave a comment
Ally Squeals after Flunking New Fed Capital Stress Test
Taxpayers still own more than 70% of Ally, with the owner – the Fed – saying it does not have enough capital to endure a theoretical recession that would produce an unemployment rate of 13% percent, a 21% drop in housing prices and as economic slowdowns in Europe and Asia. This admittedly severe test – surpassing even the Bush Administration’s dismal record of economic stewardship – may or may not be anything more than an academic exercise.
In what I take to be a gratuitous insult to taxpayers, Ally said, “Further, the Federal Reserve has not objected to the ongoing payments of preferred dividends and interest on the trust preferred securities and subordinated debt.”
Darn right we expect you to pay interest on the loans. Continue reading
Volkswagen Group Posts Record 2011 Results – €11.3 billion
Consolidated operating profit rose to a record €11.3 billion, an improvement of €4.1 billion compared with 2010. This profit does not include the Group’s €2.6 billion (€1.9 billion) share of the operating profit of its communist-government-required Chinese joint ventures. These companies are accounted for in the financial result, which rose by €5.8 billion to €7.7 billion last year. Operating margin improved from 5.6% to 7.1%. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, financial results, results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, martin winterkorn, results, vw, vw group
Leave a comment
Focus Electric Approved for $10,000 in Taxpayer Handouts
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (CARB) has dictated that owners of the new 2012 Ford Focus Electric can drive in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Owners also will be able to receive up to $10,000 in tax credits between the state’s new $2,500 rebate and a $7,500 federal tax incentive – both funded by taxpayers at a time of soaring deficits. Critics call this socialism for the rich. These subsidies appear to be crucial for sales success of the Focus Electric. Without them, the car lists starting at $39,995. This means a typical payment to buy the compact car – with $4,000 down – is almost $800 per month for 48 months at Ford’s 7% interest rate. The gasoline-fueled Focus starts at just over $17,000. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, new vehicle, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, carb, focus electric, hov lanes, insight, Ken Zino, leaf, mpge, prius, taxpayer subsidies, volt
Leave a comment
NHTSA Investigating Ford Taurus Runaway Throttle Complaints
Complaints allege engine speeds as high as 4,000 RPM after shifting into Park or Neutral. Some complaints report that it was difficult to slow the vehicle with the brakes during the incident and one report indicated that when the car was finally stopped, it was partially in an intersection after going through a red light. Continue reading
