CARB Presents Six 2020-2021 Haagen-Smit Awards

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino

The California Air Resources Board today honored recipients of the 2020-2021 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards, widely recognized as California’s premier award recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving air quality. The contributions of this year’s award winners will have lasting impacts for air quality and climate goals not only in California, but throughout the world, CARB said.

“The Haagen-Smit Award is our way of honoring individuals who have championed public health with innovative and far-reaching contributions to air pollution research, science, clean air technology and advocacy, policy and leadership,” CARB Chair Liane Randolph said. “From shaping our understanding of the human health impacts of toxic diesel pollution to groundbreaking work in atmospheric chemistry research, the long and distinguished careers of these six extraordinary people have changed how we address climate change and fight air pollution around the world.” Continue reading →

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BMW iX Flow Connected Directly to the Brain?

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Go with the Radical E Ink Flow from BMW?

Click to Enlarge Dr. Frankenstein.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 in Las Vegas, the BMW Group unveiled the BMW iX Flow with (marketing babble alert> E Ink, a unique vehicle capable of changing its entire body color at the touch of a button. Delegates at the BMW Group’s rad°hub (sic) dialogue platform held at Plant Munich on 12-13 May had the opportunity to experience the enhanced color switching abilities of the BMW iX Flow up close for the first time.

“We have already introduced further improvements for the technology since CES,” said Stella Clarke, project lead of the BMW iX Flow. “Previously, the changes between color patterns only took place in a gradual transition. Now, the control electronics have been tweaked to enable instantaneous transformations, resulting in an even more stunning visual effect.” Sounds like a stoner on speed to AutoInformed. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz to Increase Focus as a Luxury Car Company

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mercedes-Benz Digital ESG Touts Cutting CO2 Emissions

Striving for an operating margin target of ~14%.

Mercedes-Benz (MBG stock symbol) has hosted a strategy update on the Côte d’Azur dubbed  ‘Economics of Desire’ that outlined the future of Mercedes-Benz as a ‘pure-play’ luxury car company. The company will focus more on luxury, elevate its product portfolio, accelerate its path to a fully electric future and target structurally higher profitability, according to top executives. (AutoInformed: Mercedes-Benz Group Posts Some Strong 2021 Results)

“What has always been the core of our brand is now also the core of our strategy: the luxury segment. We are further sharpening the focus of our business model and product portfolio in order to maximize the potential of Mercedes-Benz even in challenging conditions. At the heart of that is our goal to build the world’s most desirable cars,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Continue reading →

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Lamborghini Joining IMSA GTP LMDh in 2024

Posted on 19 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Lamborghini will join the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class in 2024 with an LMDh prototype. Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche previously announced plans to join the class in 2023. Lamborghini began competing in the WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class in 2016. Since 2016, Lamborghini has posted 15 victories in the WeatherTech Championship GTD class, including consecutive wins at the Rolex 24 in 2018, ‘19 and ’20.  Continue reading →

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Record Auction Price – €135m for Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR

Posted on 19 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Record Auction Price - €135m for Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR

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A Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe from 1955 has been sold at auction for a record price of €135 million to a private collector, Mercedes-Benz said today.

It was one of just two prototypes built at the time. Named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, it is considered to be “one of the finest examples of automotive engineering and design by automotive experts.” Continue reading →

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NHTSA Consumer Advisory – 2021 Expedition, Navigator Fires

Posted on 19 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford Expediton and Lincoln Navigator Fires.

See the story below the jump for the recall link.

Ford Motor Co. is warning rental car companies and other owners of 2021 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators to park their vehicles outside due to the risk of fire. The automaker has confirmed 16 fires, mostly in vehicles that were unattended. Fourteen of these fires were in rental cars, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned today.

“Until further notice, owners of these affected vehicles should not park them inside – they should only be parked outside and away from homes and other structures. Fires have occurred in vehicles that were parked and turned off. Continue reading →

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EU Passenger Car Sales Drop 21% in April

Posted on 19 May 2022 by Ken Zino

During April 2022, new passenger car registrations in the European Union saw a significant drop (-20.6%), as supply chain issues continued to disrupt car production.

With the exception of the pandemic year in 2020, this was the weakest April result in terms of volumes sold since records began. Put another way, Russian roulette is a bad game. All major markets contributed to the region’s negative performance: Italy (-33.0%), France (-22.6%), Germany (-21.5%) and Spain (-12.1%), according to ACEA*. Continue reading →

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Europe’s Diesel Car Problem – 20% of the Market!

Posted on 18 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Europe’s diesel vehicle sales continue the counter-intuitive trend of  strength this year as the move to plug-in electrification has slowed in part because of a diminished focus on tougher CO2 targets. Another factor: diesel popularity is also due to price increases starting to negatively affect BEV buyers in particular, the respected LMC Automotive consultancy said today.

The latest diesel sales information comes at a time when 27 automakers are lobbying the EU to ban the sale of all, yes all, internal combustion vehicles by 2035 and replace them with zero emissions vehicles  – aka electric –  if  the Global Warming goals of net zero emissions are to be met by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of planet- and people-killing climate change. Continue reading →

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ASEAN Light Vehicle Sales Still Soaring in March

Posted on 17 May 2022 by Ken Zino

ASEAN LV sales continued to grow in March (+17% YoY +32% MoM), improving Q1 2021 sales by 23% YoY, according to the LMC Automotive consultancy. LMC attributed this to falling COVID-19 cases normalizing economic activity and mobility in the region. “As a result, overall ASEAN LV sales are now increased to 3.10 mn units, or a 13% YoY increase, this year,” said LMC. Toyota Group remains the dominant force in the market. Continue reading →

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CARB to Open New SoCal Headquarters to Public

Posted on 17 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on CARB to Open New SoCal Headquarters to Public

CARB’s new Mary D. Nichols Campus in Riverside.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said today it will host an open house of its new state-of-the-art “green” Southern California Headquarters at its Mary D. Nichols Campus in Riverside*. People are invited to tour the facility from 2- 5 p.m. as well as experience an electric zero-emission car Ride and Drive, interactive booths, a display of zero-emission trucks and buses, and what is likely the largest art collection dedicated to air quality. CARB Board Members, CARB Executive Officers, Riverside City and County Representatives will be in attendance.

“This world-class facility houses the newest advanced vehicle emissions testing laboratory in the world. The new headquarters and laboratory will enable CARB to continue its globally recognized research and achievements in reducing air pollution and fighting climate change over the coming decades. Continue reading →

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Honda Title Sponsor of the 2022 F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Posted on 17 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda Title Sponsor of the 2022 F1 Japanese Grand PrixHonda Motor Company today announced that it has spent an unspecified sum to become the title sponsor of the Japanese Grand Prix in this season’s 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship. The Japanese Grand Prix will be held at Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture), 7-9 October. 2022 as the Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022.

“It is great pleasure for Honda to be named as the title sponsor of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix to be held at the Suzuka Circuit which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year,” Koji Watanabe, Operating Executive, Head of Corporate Communications Supervisory Unit, Honda Motor Company. Continue reading →

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Restricted Sale of Genesis GV60 EV Starts Today at $60,000

Posted on 17 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Restricted Sale of Genesis GV60 EV Starts Today at $60,000

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Today, Genesis Motor America announced the start of sales of its first electric vehicle, the 2023 GV60 SUV. The GV60 will be offered in two packages in the United States. Initially,  Genesis GV60 will only be sold at some Genesis retailers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. It is as much a biometric information sales experiment as it is a vehicle. Customer response will be worth watching. No range numbers were in the release? (AutoInformed: Genesis Electrification Follows Hyundai Motor Group Ideas)

The Genesis GV60 is a first step in the brand’s move towards a lineup of fully electrified vehicles. GV60 delivers  apparent world-first automotive technologies including so-called Face Connect, a system enabling drivers to unlock and lock their vehicle securely with facial recognition, and optional Genesis Digital Key 2 with Ultra-Wideband (UWB) applicability. Continue reading →

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A Closer Look at Biden’s 49 MPG CAFE Standard

Posted on 14 May 2022 by Ken Zino

The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards proposed by the Biden Administration# last month require an industry-wide fleet average of ~49 mpg for passenger cars and light trucks in model year 2026, the strongest fuel efficiency standards to date. On the face of it it appears to be sound policy. However, the devil is in the details. And lobbyists for special interests are largely hidden from public view.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set standards that will increase fuel efficiency 8% annually for model years 2024-2025 and 10% annually for model year 2026. They will also increase the estimated fleet-wide average by nearly 10 miles per gallon for model year 2026, compared to model year 2021 when voters Dumped the Trump anti-environment mis-administration. This badly needed revision is a 43% increase from the previous standard of approximately 28 mpg, thereby undoing the Trump Administration’s rollback of Obama-era standards in 2020.

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on A Closer Look at Biden’s 49 MPG CAFE Standard

Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz USA – Stop Driving ML, GL, R-Class Vehicles

Posted on 12 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA said today that Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on model-year 2006-2012 ML, GL and R-Class vehicles, the brake booster might be affected by advanced corrosion and fail. 

Mercedes-Benz AG has found that moisture may wick under a rubber sleeve installed around the brake booster housing. Following extended time in the field with significant water exposure, “this safety defect could result in corrosion in the joint area of the brake booster housing, thus contributing to a vacuum leak at the brake booster. The brake force support might be reduced, leading to an increase in the brake pedal forces required to decelerate the vehicle and/or to a potentially increased stopping distance,” Mercedes said. In some cases it could be impossible to stop the vehicle with the brake pedal.
Continue reading →

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CBO – Taxpayer Cost is $31B for Troubled Asset Relief Program

Posted on 12 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on CBO - Taxpayer Cost is $31B for Troubled Asset Relief Program

This is a pittance when viewed against the ongoing effects of Republican  tax cuts for the rich.

CBO today estimated the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) net cost to taxpayers will be $31 billion. This is roughly what it reported in July 2021, although a tad less than OMB’s latest estimate*. The estimated cost of the TARP stems largely from ongoing grant programs aimed at preventing foreclosures on home mortgages, assistance to American International Group (AIG), and aid to the automotive industry. Taken together, other transactions with financial institutions have yielded a net gain to the federal government from dividends, interest, and capital gains.

TARP, arguably the most contentious of the Federal government’s numerous attempts in 2008 to stop the U.S. and global economies from sliding into another Great Depression or worse, prevented the collapse of the financial system by bailing out profligate and reckless Wall Street firms and insurance companies. Continue reading →

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