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Tag Archives: auto informed
Chinese Automaker Zhejiang Youngman to Buy 29.9% of Spyker
Chinese automaker Zhejiang Youngman will invest Euro €10 million in Spyker and take 29.9% holding of the company. A series of transactions starting next week will involve the purchase of 6.7 million Class A shares of Spyker at €0.05 per, as well as a loan of roughly €3.3 million to the Dutch company. Two new joint ventures to develop and manufacture Saab based vehicles will also being formed. In a statement issued this morning, Youngman said it will not increase its position further and has no intention of taking over Spyker – but that depends on which company you are looking at. Continue reading
Recycling NASA Style as Kings Point Buys Liberty Star
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York has a new training vessel, the MV Liberty Star, a twin diesel ship with 2,900 horsepower. The 176-foot long Liberty Star has a 6,000 mile range and a maximum published speed of 15 knots. In its prior seagoing life, Liberty Star was one of NASA’s rocket booster recovery vessels. Along with its twin, MV Freedom Star, Liberty Star worked on NASA’s shuttle missions by positioning itself 140 miles offshore of Cape Canaveral in advance of shuttle launches to retrieve the two 146-foot, 200,000-pound reusable booster casings ejected during shuttle launches. Continue reading
Posted in new vehicle, news, people, transportation
Tagged al burns, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, coast guard, Ken Zino, kings point, merchant marine academy
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U.S. August Auto Sales Tepid at a Projected 12 Million Units
LMC Automotive has revised the outlook for total light-vehicle sales in the United States downward to 14.3 million units from 14.5 million units, with retail auto sales at 11.4 million units, down from 11.5 million units. Weaker U.S. economic growth and concerns with the deepening Eurozone crisis are cited as factors for slower growth during the second half of the year. The U.S. auto industry is still projected at a 15-million-unit level in 2013, but the outlook has been cut from 15.2 million units, as the risks in could carry over into next year. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, results, sales
Tagged august sales, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, lmc automotive
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Auto Loan Delinquency Rate Declines by 35%
Mirroring a trend in many consumer lending categories, auto loan delinquency rates have declined significantly in July year-over-year. Equifax’s latest monthly National Consumer Credit Trends Report released today says that auto loan 60-day plus delinquency rates declined 35% in dollars.CNW Research also has good news for automakers and their stockholders. Its latest Loan-to-Value Ratio data shows a rise, especially for sub-prime borrowers. Banks are once again chasing auto loans because of low repossession rates and a minimum of late-payers. In the heyday of sub-prime lending, those with the lowest acceptable FICO score (credit rating in industry jargon) had LV ratios in the near-100% range. Continue reading
Union Pacific Unveils Low Emissions Hybrid Locomotive
Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP) today unveiled an experimental locomotive that will test three emissions-reducing technologies – exhaust gas recirculation, diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters. While automotive enthusiasts might snicker about how far behind the heavy-duty diesel engine industry is lagging what are now virtually emissions free automobiles, the new locomotive is a significant step toward meeting EPA Tier 4 emission standards that are finally addressing large commercial vehicles. Continue reading
First Look – Bentley Continental GT Speed Flagship
Bentley has released details of its Continental GT Speed, a revised 205 mph, all-wheel drive performance coupe ahead of its official international debut at the Moscow Motor Show on 29 August. The Continental GT Speed is the fastest road-car Bentley has ever produced with deliveries scheduled to start in October 2012. Continue reading
Consumer Reports Auto Tester David Champion Joins Nissan
Nissan today announced the hiring of former Consumer Reports Auto Test Center Senior Director, David Champion, for a newly created position of executive adviser, competitive assessment and quality. The Japanese automaker is launching five new vehicles in 15 months, and its quality reputation is decidedly uneven. Consumer Reports rates 13 of 25 Nissan and Infiniti models this year as recommended buys. The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability report has both Nissan and Infiniti well below industry average. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, people, quality
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, consumer reports, j.d power, Ken Zino, nissan
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Milestones – 40 Years of Toyota Auto Body – Thanks to a so-called “Chicken Tax”
In one of the ironies of history, Ford Motor, one of the then dominant Detroit Three companies that lobbied the Johnson Administration for protection against imported light trucks, now uses the same tax dodge by performing minor work on its Turkish-built Transit Connect van outside the incoming port of Baltimore to lower its tax rate to 2.5%. Continue reading
SAE Convergence 2012 offers Telematics Courses on Connected Cars
SAE International will hold three professional development courses in conjunction with Convergence 2012 this October 16-17 in Detroit. In a focus on the latest technology now used in automotive electronics, seminars will be on Autonomous Vehicle Positioning Systems, Wireless Communications in the Autonomous Connected Vehicle, and Software Architectures and Security for Connected Vehicular Systems. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, engineering, news, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, connected cars, gps, Ken Zino, sae, telematics, wireless communications
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World Record Claimed for Pebble Beach Auto Auction
The official auctioneer of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance sold more than $113.7 million at the Pebble Beach Auctions on August 18 and 19. Twenty-four collector cars sold in excess of $1 million each, led by the von Krieger Special Roadster, a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K, which sold for $11,770,000 on Sunday night, a claimed double world record for a Mercedes-Benz and a pre-war car at auction. Continue reading
Messing with Texas – Trees for Electric Vehicle Testing
Electric utility Reliant (NYSE: NRG) and its EV recharging subsidiary eVgo will donate $25 to the Texas Trees Foundation or Trees for Houston each time a customer take an electric vehicle test drive of the Mitsubishi “i” or Nissan Leaf in North Texas or Houston between now and December 1st at participating EVs for Trees dealerships. Participating dealers will also donate $25. If a NRG customer test drives both the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi I, a total of $75 will be donated to the local tree planting organization. Continue reading
Largest Road Test of Connected Vehicle Crash Avoidance Started
The U.S. Department of Transportation is starting the largest road test or vehicles with crash avoidance technology today in Ann Arbor, Michigan. About 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with “connected” Wi-Fi technology that allows vehicles and infrastructure devices to “talk” to each other. The goal is to see if crashes could be avoided and traffic flow improved during the next year. In Europe, such technologies are also under study. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, news, news analysis, safety, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, crash avoidance, Ken Zino, nhtsa, telematics, v2i, v2v
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Auto Theft UK Style – $473 Million Unrecovered in 2011 Alone
The latest auto theft numbers in Great Britain are just as grim as in the U.S. In 2011, 65,000 vehicles were taken from their owners in the UK and never recovered for losses of £300 million or $473 million. More than two thirds (71%) of stolen cars disappear, never to be seen again. As they are stripped for either parts or shipped out of the country, according to swiftcover.com. Not surprisingly, more expensive stolen cars are more likely to disappear without a trace. Continue reading
GM China Begins Building and Testing Advanced Batteries
General Motors China is now making and testing prototype battery cells and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, potentially creating a huge offshore industry that will build more affordable batteries for customers globally. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, environment, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, china, electric vehicles, EVs, Ken Zino, volt
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D.C. Court Throws Out E15 Lawsuit on a Technicality
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has dismissed petitions challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s partial waiver allowing gasoline with 15% ethanol or E15 in 2001 and newer model vehicles. Federal law establishes a renewable fuel mandate that requires gasoline producers to introduce significant amounts of renewable fuel such as ethanol into the Nation’s gasoline supply. Continue reading
