NHTSA: Bad Brakes on 1.7M Fords, Lincolns?

Posted on 15 August 2022 by Ken Zino

The Office of Defects Investigation at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened up a formal inquiry about what could be bad brake hoses on 1.7 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles. NHTSA has received 50 complaints alleging front brake hose failures on MY 2013-2018 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ vehicles (RQ 22-004).

These vehicles were not part of the 11 August 2020, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) safety recall 20V-469 on Model Year (MY) 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles that addressed front brake hoses (jounce hoses) rupturing prematurely. The cause was due to consistent localized failures of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue during suspension and steering movement. The recall replaced both front brake jounce hoses with a new revised braid material and bled the brake system. Continue reading →

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First Look at Nowhere – 2023 GMC Canyon and AT4X

Posted on 12 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on First Look at Nowhere - 2023 GMC Canyon and AT4X

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GMC says that the 2023 GMC Canyon mid-size truck is the official vehicle of nowhere. No, the expensive truck division of GM wasn’t referring to the well-publicized industry semi-conductor and other shortages induced by Covid that has severely restricted production.

Instead GMC was trying to emphasize the off-road aspects of the mid-size pickup truck. The new Canyon has a redesigned exterior with a standard factory lift and widened track across the lineup, some new technologies and a new interior design. In short, the next gen Canyon is built for traversing off-road terrain. (AutoInformed: GMC Adds Hummer SUV EV. Direct Selling Without Dealers?) Continue reading →

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Two Bronco Heritage Models New for 2023

Posted on 11 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Two Bronco Heritage Models New for 2023

Note that ‘Heritage’ four-door.

Today Ford announced that for 2023 models, the entire Bronco® family – Bronco two-door, Bronco four-door and Bronco Sport SUVs – will come in Heritage editions. Following an old industry practice, there are hints of the original design in colors, grille, trim and wheels among other gross profit increasing tweaks.

Ford will build 1966 units of each Heritage Limited Edition model to commemorate the year the original Bronco debuted, which given the ongoing parts shortages likely will result in fewer less expensive versions. Continue reading →

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First Look – All Electric Mercedes EQS SUV

Posted on 9 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on First Look: All Electric Mercedes EQS SUV

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The new Mercedes-EQ model – EQS SUV – debuted this morning in Stuttgart. The first all-electric SUV from luxury automaker Mercedes under the electric EQ brand is a two- or three-row large vehicle produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa. It can be ordered now for customers in Europe with deliveries starting there in December. (AutoInformed: First Look: Mercedes EQS All-Electric Sedan, Mercedes-Benz to Increase Focus as a Luxury Car Company, Back to School – E Before Q at MBUSA)

Mercedes with this full-size SUV is mounting a growing defense of its competitiveness in expensive luxury vehicles, which is under attack by Tesla, Lexus, BMW, Porsche, and Maybach, among others, all of whom must address the growing global demand for SUV shapes and the utility provided. By 2030, the subsidiary of Daimler now – belatedly? – wants more than half the cars it sells to have electric drive systems – this includes all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, areas it has been slow to embrace. Continue reading →

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VW Recalls Audi, Golf Models for Exploding Airbags

Posted on 8 August 2022 by Ken Zino

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, and 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.

In the required NHTSA filing made public today VW Group said, “Audi is aware of one customer claim due to this issue.” The issues are an inflator explosion that may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. And/or an improper air bag deployment may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
 Continue reading →

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US Gets Warrant to Seize Russian Oligarch Airbus

Posted on 8 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on US Gets Warrant to Seize Russian Oligarch Airbus

The investigation was coordinated through the DOJ’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an inter-agency law enforcement group dedicated to enforcing sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.

The United States of America today was authorized to seize an Airbus A319-100 owned and controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch. The warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that the airplane is subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violation of the federal anti-money laundering laws. The seizure was made possible in part by Executive Orders Issued by the President of the United States, aka Joe Biden, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control or OFAC.

It’s just the latest example of successful maneuvering by the ‘get tough on criminals’ Biden Administration – “Russia, if you’re listening” which, critics note, is in stark contrast to the former administration’s Republican-endorsed pandering to Russia and its state sanctioned hackers. Russia are you listening now? Continue reading →

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Ferrari NA Recalls 2005-2022 Models for Brake Failures

Posted on 8 August 2022 by Ken Zino

Ferrari North America is recalling various 2005-2022 models* for brake failure. In the required NHTSA filing released today Ferrari said: “These vehicles are equipped with a braking system that could potentially leak brake fluid, which may lead to partial or total loss of braking capability.”

The repair consists of replacing the brake fluid reservoir cap and updating the software where applicable in the affected vehicles to provide for a different warning message if the vehicle should lose sufficient brake fluid. Continue reading →

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Western European Car Sales Point to a Recession

Posted on 5 August 2022 by Ken Zino

The Western Europe selling rate slipped to 9.5mn units/year in July, at the  year-to-date (YTD) average of 9.5mn units/year, the LMC Automotive* said today. “July saw a decline in new vehicle registrations year-on-year (YoY) across most countries,” LMC noted. The consultancy said this “relates to the ongoing supply issues, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine and recent China lockdown.”

Well partially yes, but AutoInformed’s reading of economic data leads us to believe that Europe is in an ongoing recession as the US economy is growing. LMC’s take is, arguably, more optimistic than ours. Continue reading →

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Transportation Unemployment Now at Pre-Pandemic Levels

Posted on 5 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Biden Recovery: Transportation Unemployment Now at Pre-Pandemic Levels

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The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.2% (not seasonally adjusted) in July 2022 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

This means that the July 2022 rate – by falling 3.1 percentage points from 7.3% in July 2021 – is now same as the pre-pandemic July level of 4.2% in July 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020 under the failed policies and denials of what would become the voted-out Trump Administration in November 2020. Thus the Biden Administration policies continue to strongly benefit the economy and US workers.
 Continue reading →

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New Side-Crash Tests: Few Mid-Size Cars Rated Good

Posted on 4 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on New Side-Crash Tests: Few Mid-Size Cars Rated Good

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Only three of seven mid-size cars earn good or acceptable ratings, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today as it published results of its updated side crash test. Overall, this initial group of midsize cars did not perform as well as the first batches of small and mid-size SUVs evaluated earlier. This appears to be a result of their lower ride height.

IIHS developed the updated side crash test after research showed that many of the real-world side impacts that still account for nearly a quarter of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities are more severe than the original evaluation.
 Continue reading →

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Toyota Motor FY Q1 Profit Drop Spooks Market

Posted on 4 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota Motor FY Q1 Profit Drop Spooks Market

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Toyota Motor Corp. today reported a quarterly profit of ¥736.8 billion ($5.5 billion) for Q1 of Fiscal Year 2023, down from ¥897.8 billion ($6.74B) the previous year, even though sales rose 7% to ¥8.49 trillion ($63 billion).

A favorable foreign exchange rate from a weak Yen increased Toyota’s operating income for the quarter by ¥195 billion ($1.5 billion), TMC said in a results presentation.

Aside from the well-known semiconductor problems, Covid lock-downs in Shanghai and other parts of Asia, as well as flooding in South Africa and the ongoing Hino emissions fraud matter hurt the results. Toyota shares fell -3.45% after it released its earnings report, which showed a 42% year-over-year drop in operating profit, but recovered slightly to close down -2.99%. The Nikkei average share closed up 0.69% at ¥27,932.20 and even topped the ¥28,000 mark at one point. Continue reading →

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July US Light Vehicle Sales Still Stalled

Posted on 3 August 2022 by Ken Zino

US Light Vehicle sales in July performed mostly in line with the June results, according to LMC Automotive,* which means they are still stalled at ~1.13 million units. “While the selling rate improved slightly for the second consecutive month, to 13.3 million units. Yet, the inventory crisis has forced the US to lose 1.65 million units of potential demand so far in 2022 – equivalent of total sales in Canada last year,” LMC noted. (AutoInformed on: US July Sales Forecast Down. Prices, Profits Still Records)

Compared to July 2021, sales fell by 11.6% – only January’s decline of 10.2% was better thus far in 2022. However, last July was hampered by the chip shortage. Since 2000, this July was only better than the period of the Great Recession in 2008-2011. Year-to-date, sales stand at 7.91 million units, down by 17.3% YoY. Continue reading →

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FCA Emissions Fraud: Accountability or Accountancy?

Posted on 3 August 2022 by Ken Zino

FCA US LLC (FCA US), previously Chrysler Group, and now part of Stellantis, was sentenced this week in federal court in Detroit and ordered to pay a fine of $96,145,784; and a forfeiture money judgment of $203,572,892. The court also imposed a three-year term of organizational probation.* Stellantis previously said it had reached an agreement – subject to court approval. “As described in Stellantis N.V.’s 2021 financial disclosures, approximately €266 million ($301 million) was previously accrued related to this matter, which is sufficient to cover the forfeiture and penalty imposed by the plea agreement,” it said in a 3 June release.

“This case demonstrates the Criminal Division’s dedication to prosecuting companies that seek to place profits above full candor, good corporate governance, and timely remediation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence shows that companies that engage in misleading U.S. regulators, or their own customers, will be held accountable.” Continue reading →

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GM Expanding Super Cruise Hands-Free Driver Assistance

Posted on 3 August 2022 by Ken Zino

General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced today that Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology, will soon be expanded so that it works on more roads in the US and Canada. Hundreds of thousands of additional miles will become available for Super Cruse use, which GM describes as “the industry’s first true hands-free driver assistance technology.” To date, GM says customers have driven more than 34 million miles with Super Cruise engaged.*

“We are pursuing what we believe to be the most comprehensive path to autonomy in the industry with responsible deployment of automated driving technology like Super Cruise at the core of what we do,”said Mario Maiorana, GM chief engineer, Super Cruise. Continue reading →

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Back to School – E Before Q at MBUSA

Posted on 2 August 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Back to School - E Before Q at MBUSA

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Today Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announced the launch of Mercedes-EQ Experience, a training program for dealership and corporate employees “to both deepen knowledge of electric vehicles and create unprecedented pride for Mercedes-EQ, the new sub-brand of electric vehicles.”

The program is hosted in Alabama and will provide a three-day training session designed to educate, and electrify Mercedes-Benz team members nationwide. (AutoInformed: Mercedes-Benz Starting Global E-Learning for Employees) Continue reading →

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