WEC SPA – Toyota One-Two. 24 Hours of Le Mans Next

Posted on 17 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on WEC SPA Aug 2020

Spa Start – #1 Rebellion Racing / CHE / Rebellion R-13 -Gibson -#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing / JPN / Toyota TS050, #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing / JPN / Toyota TS050 – Total 6 hours of Spa Francorchamps, Stavelot Belgium.

Toyota Gazoo Racing posted a one-two victory in a tense and rain-affected race at  the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the sixth round of the season of the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

After days of sunshine and high temperatures, the frequently variable Spa weather struck just over an hour before the start, with a heavy rainstorm causing the race to begin behind the safety car: two heavy rain showers, and three more Safety Car non-passing periods, made strategy as important as pace. It would have been a vastly different race and outcome if it had remained dry as the rwd Rebellion was clearly faster, until it got wet and had to run against awd Toyotas.
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Software – 2020 Corvette Recall for Trunk Release Failure

Posted on 17 August 2020 by Ken Zino

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling 5,141 2020 Chevrolet Corvette sportscars because the release button located inside the front trunk compartment won’t function after the vehicle has been shut off for ten minutes. These Corvettes fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, “Internal Trunk Release.”

These Corvettes are designed to enter a low power “sleep” mode ten minutes after powering off. The trunk lid release button located inside the front trunk compartment “may not function” while the vehicle is in this sleep mode.
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Petersen Museum Reveals Latest Ford GT Sunday

Posted on 14 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition

Last year for the GT.

Ford Motor Company will reveal the 2021 Ford GT in partnership with the Peterson Automotive Museum’s Car Week Sunday, highlighting two new variants of the Ford GT supercar – including a special-edition that honors its earliest endurance racing roots.

The Ford GT reveal marks the final day of Petersen Car Week, which started airing Wednesday on the Petersen Museum’s YouTube channel. Highlights include several virtual events featuring 25 hours of original content from manufacturers and enthusiasts, plus automotive lifestyle and auction house activities.
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Mazda, Toyota Add Money to Manufacturing in Alabama

Posted on 14 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mazda Toyota Manufacturing

THEN 1998 – the Toyota Mazda JV plant in Alabama. Some assembly required.

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, (MTM), the joint-venture between Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation, have announced an additional $830 million investment for more manufacturing technologies to its production lines and provide enhanced training to its workforce of up to 4,000 employees in Huntsville, Alabama. Full-scale construction of the plant continues, with 75%-100% completion on roofing, siding, floor slabs, ductwork, fire protection and electrical. (See AutoInformed.com on Mazda and Toyota Establish JV to build Vehicles in Alabama, Mazda-Toyota Plant Under Construction in U.S., Toyota Shifts Plans at Its Mazda JV Plant in Alabama to SUVS)

Total funding slated for the facility is now $2.311 billion, up from the $1.6 billion originally announced in 2018. The investment  is said to reaffirm Mazda and Toyota’s commitment to produce the highest-quality products at the facility.

It also insiders say makes production line enhancements made to improve processes supporting unannounced Mazda vehicle and design changes and to the thus far unknown Toyota SUV that will be produced at the plant. Continue reading →

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RumbleOn Posts Q2 Profit of $8.5m, 10.0% of Revenue

Posted on 14 August 2020 by Ken Zino

RumbleOn, Inc (NASDAQ: RMBL), an e-commerce company using technology to gather and distribute used vehicles to and from both consumers and dealers, today announced financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2020. RumbleOn During Q2 had a Gross profit of $8.5 million or 10.0% of revenue compared to $15.6 million or 5.8% of revenue year-over-year. (See AutoInformed.com on RumbleOn Posts Q1 Net Loss of -$22 Million, RumbleOn Posts 2019 Loss. Cancels Guidance)

  • Total vehicle unit sales of 3,694, down from 13,928
  • Total revenue was $84.3 million, down from $270.2 million
    • Powersports revenue was $8.2 million
    • Automotive revenue was $68.3 million
    • Transportation revenue was $7.7 million
    • Other revenue was $0.2 million
  • Net Income was $1.0 million, or $0.47 per basic and fully diluted share, including the effect of $5.6 million of insurance proceeds as compared to net loss of $13.0 million or a loss of $(11.69) per share.
  • Basic and fully diluted shares in Q2 were 2,214,241 shares of common stock outstanding and 1,111,809 shares in Q2 2019.

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Chinese Junk Watch – Intertex Recalls Blowers For Fires

Posted on 14 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Recalled Intertex B-Air, BlueDri, BlueDri Pro and Soleaire blowers

Recalled Intertex B-Air, BlueDri, BlueDri Pro and Soleaire blowers. Click to Enlarge.

This recall for fires involves several models of centrifugal and axial blowers sold under the B-Air, BlueDri, BlueDri Pro and Soleaire brands.  Each blower has convenience outlets on the side of the unit to allow the blowers to be “daisy chained” (several blowers plugged together in series) or other devices to be plugged in.

Consumers should immediately stop using the convenience outlets on the side of the recalled blowers and contact Intertex for a free repair. Consumers with recalled units will receive a free cord set adapter with an integrated circuit breaker. Intertex, LLC at 800-465-7300 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email to recall@b-air.com or online at www.b-air.com for more information. Continue reading →

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Death of the Diesel: Daimler in US to Pay $1.5B for Noxious Diesel Emissions Fraud

Posted on 13 August 2020 by Ken Zino

Daimler AG and its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) have reached an agreement in principle with multiple U.S. authorities to settle civil and environmental claims regarding emission control systems of  ~250,000 diesel passenger cars and vans in the United States.

Vehicles involved in what AI calls Dieselgate starting with Volkswagen in 2015 had engine calibration software that caused them to emit fewer harmful diesel pollutants in lab tests than actual driving on the road. The concerned U.S. authorities involved in the fraudulent cheating scandal are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the California Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Continue reading →

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Michigan and Cavnue to Create Autonomous Vehicle Lanes Linking Ann Arbor and Detroit

Posted on 13 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Michigan and Cavnue Autonomous Vehicle Corridor

An investment in the future to save a key part of Detroit’s past. Click to Enlarge.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) today announced a plan to develop a “first-of-its-kind corridor for connected and autonomous vehicles designed to improve transportation for communities in Southeast Michigan.”

She claimed the main goal of the project will be to design the corridor with a focus on closing long-standing gaps in access to transit and transportation across the region.

The project will draw on an advisory committee of automotive and autonomous mobility companies, including Ford, GM, Argo AI, Arrival, BMW, Honda, Toyota, TuSimple, & Waymo. Notably absent is Fiat Chrysler. (AutoInformed.com on Bye Bye FCA and PSA. Hello Stellantis) Continue reading →

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Making America Poor Again

Posted on 13 August 2020 by Ken Zino

The Trump Administration keeps lying about its failure to contain COVID-19 and the Great Economic Depression Trump Version 2.0 that is underway. The latest evidence comes from the Associated Press, whose reporters do not gather their real – not fake news – from the isolated confines of white country clubs. Instead AP spoke to people who have lost their jobs.

The Depression Version Trump 2.0 sees The AP’s Business team chronicling the changing economy, “from the difficulties faced by people who have lost their jobs to how businesses are adapting to the new reality. We are using data and interviews with experts, officials and people affected to understand which changes are temporary and which ones are likely to permanently alter the ways we live and work.”

Also the number of U.S. residents who have died since March is now more than 200,000 higher than it would be in a normal year, a New York Times analysis found. Those “excess deaths” most likely reflect the true cost of the pandemic — and suggest that the official death toll may be a substantial undercount. Continue reading →

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Most Say COVID Restrictions Nixed Too Quickly

Posted on 12 August 2020 by Ken Zino

As a growing number of states struggle with a drastic rise in corona virus cases, 69% of Americans say their greater concern is that state governments have been lifting restrictions on public activity too quickly; just 30% say their bigger concern is that states have been too slow to lift the restrictions. Fully 75% of Americans who say insufficient social distancing and mask-wearing is a major reason the corona virus outbreak has continued in the U.S. Continue reading →

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Unifor Opens Contract Talks with Detroit Three in Canada

Posted on 12 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Unifor and Detroit Three 2020 contract Talks

Matt Hough, GM Canada general director, human resources and labour relations (right) and Unifor president Jerry Dias (left) officially open up 2020 contract negotiations.

Unifor opened formal contract talks with the Detroit Three automakers, Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, to reach collective agreements for nearly 20,000 members in Toronto today, 12 August 2020.

All ten of the Detroit Three Canadian plants are at risk some analysts say that potentially could be covered by a new four-year contract. The union represents ~35,000 auto workers overall, with ~20,000 employed by the Detroit Three.

Mimicking UAW collective bargaining for ~150,000 autoworkers in the US, Unifor negotiates vital parts of the contract with one automaker and that establishes the pattern for the rest. The target company will be announced in July. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Recalls for Brakes, Corrosion and Fires

Posted on 12 August 2020 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is issuing three safety recalls in North America it announced today. Affected are 2015-18 Ford Edge and 2016-18 Lincoln MKX 2020 Lincoln Corsair crossovers, and 2020 Ford F-150 pickups. All told more than ~560,000 vehicles are being recalled for dangerous safety defects.
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NASCAR and BetMGM to Offer In Race Sports Betting

Posted on 11 August 2020 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Sports Betting and NASCARNASCAR and BetMGM today announced a multi-year sports betting partnership. As an Authorized Gaming Operator of NASCAR, BetMGM “will collaborate with NASCAR to create and promote engaging sports betting experiences, including introducing in-race betting options, for racing fans across the United States.”

Live, in-race betting will begin in 2021. BetMGM is currently licensed for sports betting in seven states and has plans to be in 11 states by the end of 2020. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. (See list of AutoInformed.com on NASCAR below.) Continue reading →

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J.D. Power to Buy ALG from TrueCar

Posted on 10 August 2020 by Ken Zino

J.D. Power, a data analytics and consumer intelligence firm widely known in the auto industry has an agreement to purchase ALG, Inc., from TrueCar, Inc., for $135 million by year end. ALG is an industry specialist on automotive residual value projections in both the United States and Canada.

The acquisition is predicted to augment offerings from the data & analytics division of J.D. Power. It is subject to the necessary regulatory approvals. Upon approval and close, all 40 ALG employees will join J.D. Power. Continue reading →

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Federal Deficit for FY 2020 To Date – $2.8 Trillion or +$1.9 Trillion Year-over-Year

Posted on 10 August 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on US Budget Deficit July 2020

Click to Enlarge.

The federal budget deficit in July 2020 was $61 billion, CBO estimates, compared with a deficit of $120 billion in the same month last year. That decrease, following three months of mind-blowing larger deficits, happened because payment deadlines for individual and corporate income taxes were delayed from April and June to July. Tax receipts were unusually large in July as a result. All told, from April through July, revenues were down 10% from last year’s amounts.

The cumulative federal budget deficit for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2020 reached $2.8 trillion, +$1.9 trillion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last year. Revenues were 1% lower and outlays were 51% higher through July 2020 than during the same 10-month period in fiscal year 2019. Continue reading →

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