Tag Archives: auto informed

U.S. Vehicle Sales as Percent of Population Remain Weak

Posted on 22 July 2012 by Ken Zino

As the U.S. auto industry slowly recovers from the Great Recession, new vehicle sales as a percent of the growing population remain weak by historical standards. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls 2013 Escapes for Fires; Honda Recalls CRVs

Posted on 19 July 2012 by Ken Zino

This is the second recall on the new Escape, an earlier one was conducted to repair carpeting that interfered with accelerator and brake pedal movement, and it raises concerns about Ford’s ability to launch new models without quality concerns. Honda recalled more vehicles in 2011 than any other automaker operating in the U.S. Continue reading →

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Unintended Acceleration on 730,000 Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute SUVs under NHTSA Scrutiny in New Preliminary Investigation

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The Center for Auto Safety had petitioned NHTSA last week to open defect investigations on the V6 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute models equipped with cruise control. NHTSA opened its own investigation instead, in a move that was required given the seriousness of the allegations that were about to become public.

In a defensive bureaucratic move, NHTSA also denied a CAS request for potentially embarrassing public hearings about the safety agency’s, as well as Ford Motor’s and Mazda’s lack of corrective action thus far. To make matters more complicated and potentially more image damaging for all involved, it is possible that an earlier safety recall resulted in more unintended acceleration accidents on the models involved. Continue reading →

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Honda Indiana Plant to Increase Capacity and Add Civic Hybrid

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Honda announced at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit that it is investing $40 million to increase annual capacity by 50,000 units to 250,000 vehicles at its Indiana plant. The strong Japanese Yen continues to be a good development for autoworkers as all Japanese firms are shifting production out of Japan. Continue reading →

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Mustang GT with V8 Priced at $69,000 in Philippines Debut

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The new Ford Mustang today debuted in the Philippines with a $69,100 price for the 5-liter V8 powered GT. This adds another meaning to muscle car – as in having the strength to lift a wallet that large. The 3.7-liter V6 Mustang is priced at almost $60,000 in Manila. Customer deliveries start in September. The descendants of the original pony car come from the AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Ford has had a spotty history in the Philippines and pulled out of the market in the early 1980s only to return in 1998. Japanese makes not surprisingly dominate the market. Continue reading →

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EU Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicles Sales Down Again

Posted on 17 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Thus far the European auto industry has done little to reduce its capacity, which is now widely discordant with constantly falling demand. GM is planning to close its Opel Zafira plant in Bochum, Germany after the run-out of the current Zafira in 2015, but that is not enough to return Opel to profitability after decades of losses totaling hundreds of billions dollars. Opel employs 20,800 people across Germany and more than 40,000 across Europe. The head of GM Europe was ousted earlier this month over the continuing losses and the lack of progress. Continue reading →

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NHTSA Prompted Latest Lexus Recall after Web Complaints

Posted on 17 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The latest Lexus floor mat recall is the result of ongoing complaints filed by owners on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. It took another NHTSA inquiry to Toyota back in May to prompt Toyota to action. With virtually instant feedback available at the world’s largest auto safety agency, automakers are increasingly under pressure to fix defects and institute recalls within five business days. NHTSA confirmed this summary in a statement that said in part, “NHTSA requested that Toyota conduct an immediate recall of model year 2010 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450 H vehicles for a serious safety issue involving potential pedal entrapment by the floor mat.” So NHTSA asked Toyota once again to conduct a recall. NHTSA is also requesting additional documentation from Toyota and is considering opening another investigation into whether Toyota met its obligation to notify the agency and conduct a recall in a timely manner.
Continue reading →

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Ford India Expands Chennai Engine Plant

Posted on 17 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Ford India today announced it has completed the expansion of its Chennai engine plant, increasing annual engine production capacity 36% to 340,000. The additional capacity of 80,000 diesel engines helps meet increasing demand for diesel powertrains in India as well as export markets. The expansion, which Ford hopes will be ongoing, led to the hiring of 200 employees. Continue reading →

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BP, Marathon, Exxon Mobil, Monsanto, BASF, and Other Hazardous Waste Polluters to Pay for Texas City Superfund Cleanup

Posted on 17 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced have reached an agreement with more then three dozen companies and government agencies that will result in a $56.4 million cleanup of the “Malone Services Company” Superfund Site in Texas City, Texas. The former waste-disposal site is near the shore of Galveston Bay. The deal avoids costly and time-consuming litigation. Continue reading →

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2013 Lexus ES 350 Starts at $36,995, Hybrid at $2,750 Premium

Posted on 16 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Both of the new ES models are based on – and use the same gas and hybrid powertrains – as the 2013 Toyota Avalon, which seems an unusually strong car from both technical and design viewpoints. Avalon will not only give Ford Taurus, Buick La Crosse and Chevrolet Impala strong competition next year in a full-size car segment once dominated by the Detroit Three, but it will challenge the new Lexus ES as well. Continue reading →

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BP to Pay $13 Million More in fines for Refinery Worker Deaths

Posted on 13 July 2012 by Ken Zino

BP Products North America will pay $13,027,000 in penalties and fix workplace violations that led to the deaths of 15 workers at its Texas City refinery in 2005. In September 2005, OSHA cited BP for a then-record $21 million – before the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf – because of the explosion at Texas City. Under the agreement, BP has fixed or will fix all existing violations by the end of 2012. Continue reading →

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PSA Peugeot Citroën to Reorganize, Close Aulnay Plant

Posted on 13 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Philippe Varin, Chairman of the PSA Peugeot Citroën Managing Board has told the works council that the loss-making French automaker will close the Citroën C3Aulnay plant in 2014, and trim production at Rennes, which makes the Peugeot 508 and Citroën C5 and C6. More than 4,400 jobs are affected. Work in other plants could absorb 1,500 of the displaced workers in the local Paris area. The company will also pursue voluntary separations of its corporate workforce. Continue reading →

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Army Drops NASCAR as Military Sports Sponsorships Are Attacked

Posted on 12 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The Army claims that about a third of recruits come from motorsports marketing and recruiting booths at the racetracks, but that assertion is under attack as dubious. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army has spent nearly $20 million in the past two years on its NASCAR sponsorship as part of its recruitment budget. The larger business issue here is just how effective are expensive racing sponsorships for any organization. AutoInformed, for the moment, will ignore the fund raising practices or sponsorships of bought and paid for politicians who should be required to wear NASCAR style uniforms when conducting public business with the logos of the special interest money feeding them prominently displayed. Continue reading →

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EU Pols Say Tough New CO2 Limits Will Create Auto Jobs

Posted on 12 July 2012 by Ken Zino

As part of the proposal adopted yesterday by the European Commission to limit drastically CO2 emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles, there were claims made that it makes economic sense. Continue reading →

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Aloha Petroleum Unveils First Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers

Posted on 12 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Aloha Petroleum now has working fast chargers for electric vehicles at three locations in Oahu, Hawaii. As a promotional tool, EVs equipped with a CHAdeMO fast-charging outlet, including some models of the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV can be topped up free at these Aloha stations. Aloha is the largest gasoline retailer and convenience store operator in the state. Continue reading →

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