One-Millionth Subscriber Joins Subaru Connected Services

Posted on 5 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Subaru Starlink

Connected Services can be accessed through the vehicle, smartphone or computer.

Subaru of America says it has enrolled the one-millionth subscriber into Starlink Connected Services. Subscription-based services are part of Subaru’s In-Vehicle Technology program that with variations is increasingly offered by other automakers in hopes of generating revenue.

The  Subaru system claims to provide multimedia content, smartphone connectivity, navigation, extra safety, and everyday convenience. Looming as these systems increase are privacy and security concerns as well as the re-selling of customer data, which critics argue the customer owns. Continue reading →

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VW Beetle Ensnared in Takata Airbag Recall

Posted on 4 January 2021 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com

A bug in the airbag propellant, so to speak.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 105,652 model-year 2012-2014 Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible compacts. The Takata supplied driver’s side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.The exploding airbag sends shrapnel into the interior, which can cause serious or fatal injuries.

VW maintains that the Takata SDI-D driver frontal airbag inflators installed in the recalled vehicles currently do not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety to drivers of affected vehicles. “Based on its prior conversations with NHTSA, Volkswagen understands that the Agency is concerned that after additional time, the airbag inflator may not perform properly in the event of a crash,” VW said. Continue reading →

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Commerce – S. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam Tire Dumping

Posted on 4 January 2021 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued at year end a preliminary decision that passenger and light truck tires imported from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value, aka “dumping.”

The petitioner is the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC (Pittsburgh, PA). Using Census Bureau trade numbers, AutoInformed figures this involves 85,330,506 tires with a value of more than $3.5 billion. The case will drag on well into this year. Continue reading →

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Miss Shilling’s Orifice Fixed Merlin Engines on Spitfires

Posted on 2 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Beatrice Shilling and SU Carburetors During WW2

Beatrice continued racing a 1935 Lagonda at Silverstone and took part in sportscar races at Goodwood during the 1950’s but was always known for her Merlin engine modifications.

My first knuckle-skinning love of SU Carburetters (sic) came along with sundry ground-bound Austin-Healey and MGs I owned and thrashed over New Jersey and New York roads. Little did I know, that late in 1940, years before I was born, an engineer named Beatrice Shilling introduced a modification that allowed the Merlin engine to overcome “fluff” or fuel starvation, thereby allowing war production of automotive parts to defend Old Blighty during the Battle of Britain.

In one of those odd and startling connections, we are in a war now against Covid that will require the collective sacrifice and patriotism that was on display during the British battle and subsequently – in another parallel – our struggles under the Roosevelt Administration that followed a demonstrably incompetent Republican one. Continue reading →

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Aston Martin Returns to Formula 1 in 2021?

Posted on 1 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Aston Martin Returns to F1 in 2021

A dubious proposition then and now?

For the first time in six decades, Aston Martin will make its racing debut at the start of the 2021 Formula 1 season in Melbourne.

The Aston Martin Formula One Team will reveal in February its 2021 livery – working on sponsors – and driver line-up with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel,  from Ferrari and infrequent Grand Prix podium finisher Lance Stroll from Williams and Racing Point –  at the home of Aston Martin in Gaydon.

The Aston Martin name had been established on the hill-climb courses of Great Britain during beginning of the last century. Lionel Martin had success at the wheel of his own car. However, Grand Prix racing around Europe promised the wider fame and sales he wanted for his company.

Whether that holds true today given the tatters that F1 was in last year remains to be proven. The 2020 F1 season is one I won’t miss. (I guess the nicest way to characterize the last race is “strategic.” This is a polite way of saying there wasn’t any racing going on. Ferrari with six straight losing seasons. Mercedes dominating qualifying and the races as it had for years on years. YAWN. Changing 2021 down-force doesn’t appear to be anything but a meaningless tweak. I know: don’t write your lede on the way to Australia in 2021. Still it reminds me of the McClaren mid-1980s domination years that badly damaged F1 with its lack of racing. ) Continue reading →

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Setback – Ford Motor and Mahindra End JV Discussions

Posted on 31 December 2020 by Ken Zino

In a classic 4:15pm release on New Year’s eve designed to bury bad news, Ford Motor Company has just announced that it is ending a proposed joint-venture with Mahindra that would have been responsible for expanding the Ford brand in India and exporting Mahindra products to Ford entities globally. Ford would have continued to own the brand (a valuable asset that could be borrowed against as it did during the Great Recession), and its branded vehicles would be distributed through the current Ford India dealer network. Mahindra would have continued to own the Mahindra brand and operate its own independent dealer network in India. (See AutoInformed.com on Ford Restructuring – Mahindra Joint Venture Announced and Mahindra, Ford to Study Links in India, Emerging Markets)

The failure “was driven by fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions – caused, in part, by the global pandemic – over the past 15 months.  Those changes influenced separate decisions by Ford and Mahindra to reassess their respective capital allocation priorities,” Ford said. Ford in AI’s opinion is on track to lose $400 billion this quarter. Ford and Mahindra announced an alliance in September 2017, and it was expected to be operational by mid-2020. (Things move glacially at Ford see Ford Motor Changes CEO from Jim Hackett to Jim Farley and Weak Ford 2018 Financial Results Prove Need for Shakeup) The joint venture would have been operationally managed by Mahindra, and its governance will be composed of representatives of Mahindra and Ford. Continue reading →

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Small Business Pulse Weak – Large Negative Covid Effects

Posted on 31 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Small Business Pulse is Weak as Trump is Ousted

Click to Enlarge.

The Small Business Pulse Survey that describes information from businesses with one to 499 employees on things such as location closings, employment changes, disruptions in the supply chain, the use of federal assistance programs, and expectations concerning future operations, was a timely addition by the Census Bureau this year.

It continues to show the deadly effects of COVID-denial and incompetence among Trump Administration officials that is killing ever more Americans daily with no end in sight. At the very least it provides insight as to what relief is really needed even as Mitch McConnell and his band of Republican outlaws and traitors refuse to provide federal aid to people who plainly need it. Continue reading →

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Alexa Voice Now Available on FCA’s New Fiat 500 EV

Posted on 30 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Fiat 500 EV adds Alexa

Alexa is the intelligent cloud-based voice service that you can talk to.

Alexa voice is now embedded in the new Fiat 500, along with the new MyFiat Connected Car Skill. With Alexa built-in, occupants can ask Alexa to play music, hear the news, check weather, control smart home devices, access tens of thousands of Alexa skills, and other technical curiosities. (New Fiat 500 Debuts at the Quirinale and Palazzo Chigi)

The Alexa invasion, offered as part of FCA’s Uconnect Services option, is first available to customers in Italy, with new models continuing to roll out through 2021 in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The launch Alexa on the Fiat 500 continues a global collaboration between FCA and Amazon. FCA customers were initially introduced to Alexa through FCA’s custom Alexa Connected Car Skills, including MyJeep and MyAlfa, which allows customers with Alexa-enabled devices at home to easily ask Alexa to check the battery level of the car, lock/unlock doors, among other trifles. The integration of Alexa on the Uconnect Services suite “deepens the experience by bringing Alexa into the vehicle itself” claims FCA. (Eightieth Anniversary of the Fiat 500 ‘Topolino’) Continue reading →

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Droning On: FAA Belatedly Issues Unmanned Aircraft Regs. Bits of Aircraft Rules Pilots Obey Now Will Eventually Apply

Posted on 29 December 2020 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Belated FAA Drone RegulationsThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced final rules for Unmanned Aircraft (UA), commonly known as drones. The new rules – years upon years late – finally will require Remote Identification (Remote ID) of drones and allow operators of small drones to fly over people and at night under some conditions. Private and commercial pilots flying aircraft in the same airspace as drones have been doing this for decades – well into the last century – and are also required to possess a license that require rigorous training in airspace, among other areas such as weather, aerodynamics, and operator medical factors.

These rules come at a time when drones are the fastest-growing segment in the entire transportation sector – with currently more than 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA “certificated” (requirements not even close to what private pilots must know on the FAA written test) remote pilots. Continue reading →

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FAW To Enter EU with a Luxury Electric SUV – Hongqi E-HS9

Posted on 28 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hongqi E-HS9 Luxury SUV EV

AutoInformed defers to your taste and definitions to determine if the Hongqi E-HS9 delivers “great sportiness and stylishness” as FAW says.

The Hongqi E-HS9, an electric premium SUV, was unveiled in Boao, Hainan, China on 4 December 2020. Now comes word that this  flagship electric SUV manufactured in China by the formidable communist FAW Group, that Hongqi will first implement its Europe strategy in Northwestern Europe with E-HS9. It says that it will gradually assist European users to become familiar with Hongqi brand. In coming years, Hongqi will roll out small-and-medium-size SUVs and sedans.

The first European sales partner of Hongqi is a relatively obscure Norwegian auto distributor called Motor Gruppen with 45 years of history. Hongqi E-HS9 will be officially distributed in Norway by Motor Gruppen, while FAW will provide parts and technical support. “Both sides will make joint efforts to promote the development of Hongqi in Norway. In the future, starting from Norway, FAW will gradually establish sales service networks in other European countries and regions and launch its models, striving to extend its success in China to Europe and even the world,” FAW said. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls a Recall on 2002-06 CR-V Models for Fire Hazard

Posted on 26 December 2020 by Ken Zino

What started out as a recall on CR-V power window master switches has resulted in a recall of that recall because the recall fix (NHTSA ID 12V-486) of applying butyl tape to seal the power window master switch (PWMS) from moisture was “insufficient.”

The butyl tape could separate from the master switch  if improperly applied. Moisture can then enter through an open driver’s window and reach the switch on the door. Over time, moisture can cause electrical resistance in the switch, which ultimately can cause the switch to overheat and melt, damaging the switch made in Japan by Nidec Mobility and potentially damaging an associated wire harness. If a switch melts, it could produce smoke and increase the risk of a fire. Continue reading →

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FAA Grants Santa Claus Special Flight and Launch Permissions

Posted on 24 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Santa and COVID Christmas

Ho, ho, ho…

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Santa Claus and his reindeer-powered sleigh special operating authority to engage in interstate air-cargo-delivery services directly to rooftops throughout the United States on Christmas Eve.

In addition, for the first time ever, the FAA issued Santa a special commercial space license for a crewed mission to the International Space Station using his StarSleigh-1 space capsule powered by the Rudolph Rocket. The mission license includes both launch and reentry operations and will occur from a U.S.-based spaceport.

Santa knows this Christmas is different from other years and agrees with the FAA decision to give priority to flights carrying COVID-19 vaccines and other cargo critical to the nation’s response to the ongoing public health emergency that was made worse by a naughty and decidedly not nice Republa-Grinch group. Follow Santa’s progress as he travels across the U.S. by visiting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, where NORAD tracks Santa’s Christmas Eve voyage. Continue reading →

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Telematics – New Ford and Lincoln Vehicles Enable Insurance Company Monitoring of Your Driving Behaviors

Posted on 23 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2020 Ford Explorer

The 2020 Explorer was a leader at Ford Motor with its embedded telematics.

During the last 12 months, Ford  has secured agreements with key insurance carriers*,  that can help customers save money on insurance premiums based on driver behavior, with built-in connectivity technology on many Ford and Lincoln vehicles#. Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure also offer usage-based policies through FordPass and Lincoln Way apps. Connected vehicle data also enables the usage-based insurance products offered through Ford Credit’s insurance agency subsidiary, American Road Services Company. Telematics data is shared with insurance carriers through Ford’s embedded modem that is now standard on all new vehicles – and enables the carrier to use that information to analyze driving habits and offer potential savings.  The embedded modem eliminates the requisite plug-in devices.

This is part of a sweeping change in the pricing of auto insurance. It also raises yet again  larger privacy issues for the owners of connected vehicles along with intelligent phones , computers and appliances. A vast amount of owner information is now available to companies – from Google and social media apps or computers running on Microsoft Dos or Apple computers and iPhones – for resale or for their own cash flows, sometimes without owner’s consent or any usage fees given back to the creators of the data. In Ford’s case, customers have a choice. (AutoInformed on – Pew Research Center on Americans’ Views About Privacy, Surveillance and Data-Sharing)

Continue reading →

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New LG and Magna Joint Venture in Powertrain Electrification

Posted on 23 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken ZIno of AutoInformed.com on Chevrolet Bolt EV and Magna and LG Electronics

Chevrolet Bolt EVs and Sonics are assembled at a GM plant in Orion Township, Michigan.

LG Electronics and Magna International said today that they have a proposed joint venture to manufacture e-motors, inverters and on-board chargers and, for un-named automakers, e-drive systems to support the growing global shift toward vehicle electrification. The transaction is expected to close in July of 2021, subject to several conditions including obtaining LG shareholder approval and all necessary regulatory approvals. The question in AutoInformed’s opinion is to how many electrification parts and services will be brought in-house by automakers and how much will go to suppliers?

The new company, tentatively called LG Magna e-Powertrain, is said to combine Magna’s strength in electric powertrain systems and automotive manufacturing with LG’s expertise in component development for e-motors and inverters. The stated goal is to hasten both partners’ growth in the electric powertrain market. The market for e-motors, inverters and electric drive systems is expected to have significant growth between now and 2030, and the JV will target this fast-growing global segment. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls 737,000 Accord, Insight Cars for Bad Software

Posted on 22 December 2020 by Ken Zino

Honda is recalling 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles because a Sumitomo software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components. Various malfunctions of windshield wipers and defroster, rearview camera, exterior lights, audible warning of a stopped vehicle, and power window operation can occur.

These Hondas fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, “Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems” and number 111, “Rear Visibility” as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305. Continue reading →

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