Happy New Year United States – All ~335 Million of You!

Posted on 1 January 2024 by Ken Zino
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The US Census Bureau calculates that the US population will be 335,893,238 today on New Year’s Day, an annual increase of 1,759,535 or 0.53%.

“The combination of births, deaths and net international migration increases the U.S. population by one person every 24.2 seconds. In January 2024, the United States is expected to experience a birth every 9.0 seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds. Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 28.3 seconds. The combination of births, deaths and net international migration increases the U.S. population by one person every 24.2 seconds,” said Derick Moore, senior communications specialist in the Census Bureau’s Communications Directorate. Continue reading →

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Almost All New US Light Vehicles have Automatic Braking

Posted on 29 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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All 20 participating automakers have fulfilled a voluntary pledge to equip nearly all the light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB), according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Five new manufacturers installed AEB on more than 95% of the light vehicles they produced between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, to meet the deadline set in a previous agreement.* General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati and Porsche all dramatically increased the proportion of their vehicles equipped with the technology to meet the target. Kia, which was already close last year, also crossed the finish line.

Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen and Volvo fulfilled the voluntary commitment in previous years. Continue reading →

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Japan Inc – Automakers Start Advanced SoC Research

Posted on 29 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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Twelve companies* comprised of automotive, electrical component, and semiconductor firms have established the so-called  “Advanced SoC Research for Automotive” (ASRA) on 1 December 2023 to conduct research and develop high-performance digital semiconductors (System on Chip or SoC) for use in automobiles.Keiji Yamamoto, Senior Fellow, Toyota Motor Corp., is the chairperson  of the company. Nobuaki Kawahara, Senior Advisor, DENSO Corp., is the executive director.

ASRA aims to establish in-vehicle chiplet technology by 2028 and to install SoCs in mass-produced vehicles from 2030 onward. By combining Japan’s technological capabilities and experience in automotive, electrical components, and semiconductors, ASRA will work with industry, government, and academia to promote domestic and international collaboration as a world-leading technology research group, the socially and environmentally awakened firms said. Continue reading →

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Ford F-Series Truck Best Seller Again

Posted on 28 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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Ford Motor Company said today that during calendar year 2023 more than 700,000 customers chose a new F-Series truck, making it the best-selling truck in the United States for the 47th consecutive year1. (AutoInformed: Ford Claims F-Series Retains Title of Best-Selling Truck in 2022)

“One key to our success in 2023 and beyond is the diversity of our powertrain offerings. We understand that our customers have unique needs, whether they’re on the job site, the farm, or embarking on a weekend adventure. That’s why we’re proud to say that the Ford F-150® PowerBoost Hybrid has claimed the title of the best-selling full-size full-hybrid pickup in America1 (and ranks second overall among all pickups behind the Ford Maverick),” claimed Robert Kaffl, director, US sales. Continue reading →

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Climate Change – 25% of US People Susceptible to Severe Heat

Posted on 28 December 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Census Bureau - 1 in 4 People Vulnerable to Extreme Heat

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As we close out the year of extreme shifts in weather – with 2023 trending to be the hottest year on record – US Census Bureau data show that almost 1 in 4 people in the United States are socially vulnerable and have low resilience to extreme heat exposure.* The so-called Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) for Heat**, an experimental data compendium released last April, measures the capacity of individuals and households in a community to withstand the stress of exposure to extreme heat based on their social characteristics.

The statistical tool produces national, state, county and census tract (neighborhood equivalent) estimates using individual and household data from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) restricted microdata and the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP). Continue reading →

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Nissan Motor Global Production up 27% in November

Posted on 27 December 2023 by Ken Zino

Nissan Motor said today in Yokohama that global production of passenger and commercial vehicles in November surpassed year-earlier results by 27.4% (317,233). Production in Japan also rose Year-over-Year (YoY)  by 21.3 % (68,683). Furthermore production outside Japan rose YoY by 29.2% (248,550). In the US production during November at 48,056 was up +16.8%.

Overall, global sales in November at 282,327 increase+24.2%. Calendar year-to-date (YTD) sales increased +3.2% at 3,056,542. Continue reading →

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Honda Motor November 2023 Global Production up 27%

Posted on 27 December 2023 by Ken Zino

Honda Motor said today in Japan that global production in November rose more than 27% at 414,429 vehicles when compared year-over-year (YoY). It was the third straight month of global increases.

For the calendar year through November, production at 3.8 million vehicles was up 6.5%. North America was notably strong at +31% (10452,338) as the Biden administration’s economic recovery continues. China was notably weak at 1,144,714, a drop of more than 15%. Overall Asia in total remains soft at 1,664,040, a 10% decline. Continue reading →

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GM Recalls Chevrolet Bolt EVs for Fires Again

Posted on 26 December 2023 by Ken Zino

General Motors (NYSE: GM) is recalling a previous recall on 2017-2023 model Chevrolet Bolt EVs. This recall now includes Bolts previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall number 22V-930. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire. More than 6700 Bolt EVs are affected by this safety recall.

In the required safety defect report just made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM said that Bolts with recall 22V-930 completed by dealerships other than Simpson Chevrolet of Irvine are not affected by this new recall. A GM employee submitted this issue to GM’s Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program on 29 August 2023, following a dealer report that 66 vehicles that received the recall remedy in GM recall 22V930 at Simpson Chevrolet of Irvine were in fact not repaired. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Maverick Pickups for Defective Software

Posted on 26 December 2023 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling 2022-2024 Maverick compact pickup trucks. If one of the rear turn signals stops working, the vehicle will not adjust the turn signal flash rate frequency to warn the driver that a turn signal is not working correctly. As such, these Mavericks fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108 “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.”

In the required recall documents just made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford said the Mexican built Mavericks contain rear tail-lamps with two turn signal lamp bulbs on each side. The body control module will not provide an outage notification to the driver if only one of the two rear turn signal lamp bulbs has failed. Continue reading →

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Honda Expands Sudden Fuel Pump Failure Recalls

Posted on 26 December 2023 by Ken Zino

American Honda Motor is recalling more than 2.5 million gasoline and hybrid vehicles because the Denso-made fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. In the required safety defect report just made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda said the fuel pump impeller was improperly molded, resulting in low density impellers. Over time, the low-density impeller can deform and interfere with the fuel pump body, making the fuel pump inoperative. If the fuel pump module is inoperative, the engine may not start or can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

This is an expansion of previous fuel pump safety defect recalls. The latest Honda recall affects 2018-2020 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2020 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2017-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. Continue reading →

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Porsche Fires – Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan Charging Cables

Posted on 26 December 2023 by Ken Zino

Porsche Cars North America is recalling various models and model years of its Cayenne, Panamera and Taycan hybrid models because the 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable can overheat causing the risk of fires. More than 41,000 Porsches are involved. According to documents just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Porsche is blaming the home wiring of affected customers for the safety defect. This recall also applies to more than 93,000 Volkswagen Group Audi vehicles.*

“In certain instances, the charging cables can become hot during charging when plugged into certain types of lower quality electrical receptacles due to elevated electrical resistance at the receptacle interface. Increased resistance in the charging cable can increase the risk of overheating and thermal damage to the electrical receptacle and the surrounding area. If left undetected, the local thermal damage could potentially spread, resulting in a fire. Continue reading →

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Tesla Model S and X Recalls for Failed Side Impact Protection

Posted on 26 December 2023 by Ken Zino

Tesla is recalling more than 120,000 model year 2021-2023 Model S and X vehicles, according to documents just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The cabin doors can unlock during a crash. These Tesla models fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214 “Side Impact Protection.”

The recall includes all model year  2021-2023 Model S vehicles produced between 3 February 2021, and 13 December 2023, and all Model X vehicles produced between 18 August 2021, and 14 December 2023. Continue reading →

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Honda, Mitsubishi, Tokuyama Studying Fuel Cell Recycling

Posted on 25 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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Honda Motor, Tokuyama Corp., and Mitsubishi Corp. will run a joint demonstration to operate a data center using by-product hydrogen and a stationary fuel cell (FC) power station. It will reuse FC systems from fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Project Members will explore the potential of reusing automotive FC systems in a stationary application. The objective of the Demonstration Project is to reduce the economic liability on customers installing and operating stationary FC systems, which will contribute to the decarbonization of electric power. (AutoInformed: Toyota Developing Hydrogen Engine with Motorsports)

This awakened Demonstration Project was proposed to and adopted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)* as one of the projects for the “Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society / Development of Technologies for Regional Hydrogen Utilization.” In short, Japanese industries are increasingly embracing the switch to a carbon fuel free society. Continue reading →

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Isuzu and Honda Public Road Testing Fuel Cell HD Truck

Posted on 23 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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Isuzu Motors and Honda Motor are now testing the so-called Giga Fuel Cell truck on public roads in Japan. The hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck is being co-developed by the two companies. The prototype model being used for this demonstration is the same type as the one exhibited earlier this month at the Isuzu Group booth at the Japan Mobility Show 2023. Toyota Motor is arguably the furthest along in using the emerging technology in large trucks and other diesel applications.*

The demonstration testing, scheduled to run through September 2024, will collect data and detect technical issues in preparation for a 2027 market introduction of production trucks, the companies said. Continue reading →

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Chinese BYD to Build Hungarian EV Factory

Posted on 22 December 2023 by Ken Zino
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BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles (NEVs)* in communist China, said today that the next step of its European strategy will be the construction of a new manufacturing and production center in Szeged, Hungary. The factory will be the first of its kind built by a Chinese automotive company in Europe. The factory will be built in phases and is projected to create thousands of local jobs, boost the local economy and support local supply chains. BYD will also apply its expertise in integrated vertical supply chains to help create a green ‘ecosystem’ locally.

Hungary is an essential transportation hub and has a rich history of expertise in the automotive industry, according to BYD. With a mature infrastructure and a well-established industrial foundation, Hungary has been chosen by several premium European manufacturers as a production location for passenger cars. “This further supports BYD’s decision to make Hungary the center of European production operations,” the company said. However, there is an ongoing dispute about whether Hungary can maintain its status as an EU member, which could hurt BYD’s plans to have 10% of the market. Continue reading →

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