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Tag Archives: auto informed
Chinese Maker to Pay EPA $680,000 Fine for Dirty ATVs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $680,000 settlement with recreational vehicle manufacturers, Loncin (USA), Inc., Longting USA LLC, and Chongqing Longting Power Equipment Co., Ltd., to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) caused by the import of 7,115 uncertified recreational vehicles into the United States. It was the latest in a series of actions against the Chinese company and its agents. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, environment, fools 'n frauds, fuel economy or emissions, litigation, news, news analysis, results
Tagged atv emissions, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, caa, caa violations, chinese atvs, chongqing longting power equipment, clean air act, emissions, epa fines, Ken Zino, loncin, longting usa, motorscience, pep boys, uncertified vehicles
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Honda Accord Coupe Concept – Its 2013 Comeback Car?
Given the competitiveness of the segment – accounting for ~20% of the cars sold in the U.S., Honda is currently behind in technology. This is an unexpected lag for what normally is a company that resides at the top of the innovation column of the scorecard is puzzling. Continue reading
First Lifetime Hybrid Battery Warranty On Hyundai Sonata
The announcement appears to be an opportunistic and pre-emptive use of public relations, given current Chevrolet Volt battery fire concerns. The Chevrolet Volt uses the same supplier – LG Chem – as the 2011 model Sonata Hybrid. Model year 2012 Sonata hybrid versions are just about to go on sale since Hyundai is still clearing out inventories of its 2011 Sonata Hybrid. This is a rare sales setback for Hyundai, which also captured the North American Car of the Car of the Year award for its Elantra compact car at NAIAS, and reflects a larger hybrid sales problem that most automakers have. Continue reading
Stubby Buick Encore SUV Debuts – Revenge of CAFE Regs?
Buick today introduced the all-new 2013 Encore – a Korean-made small crossover that goes on sale in early 2013 in North America. Encore joins a line of Buick vehicles that has recently seen the additions of the Verano compact luxury sedan, the Regal GS sport sedan, as well as ongoing LaCrosse and Enclave models. The Encore SUV is a mere 168.5 inches long – about 10 inches shorter than the new Honda CRV. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, fuel economy or emissions, new vehicle, news
Tagged audi q3, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bmw x1, buick encore, encore, Ken Zino, korean buick, rav4
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Lincoln MKZ Concept Derived off Ford Fusion Debuts at NAIAS
Lincoln needs some sales successes and in the U.S – virtually its only outlet for this fading regional brand – where luxury car sales range from ~10-13% of the market annually. There’s an enormous opportunity now posed by Generation Y types, 80% of whom say they would consider a luxury car in the $30,000 range, which hasn’t escaped impending product actions at Lexus, Acura, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, among others. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, concept, design and styling, news, news analysis, sales
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, lincoln, luxury cars, mks, mkz, naias, u.s. luxury cars
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General Motors Sets Sales Record in China. Ford Up too
Both General Motors and Ford Motor finished 2011 with strong performances in China, the world’s largest automarket for the past three years. GM and its joint ventures sold a record 2,547,171 vehicles up 8.3% from the previous high of 2,351,610 … Continue reading
Posted in auto news, news, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, china, china auto sales, currency value, ford china, gm china, Ken Zino, results, rmb, wto
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Ford Debuts Mondeo Based, Mexican-Built Fusion at NAIAS
Ford’s relative lack of success in car segments will make this launch one to watch. The Number 2 automaker in U.S. sales should have picked up more than a 3.7% increase in passenger car sales during 2011 while the industry gained 9% in the view of critics. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, fuel economy or emissions, new vehicle, news
Tagged accord, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Camry, contour, fusion, Ken Zino, mondeo, mystique, naias
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Nissan and Daimler to Build Engines in Tennessee
For years Mercedes-Benz sold gas guzzlers in the U.S., paying millions in fines – passed on to customers – for its flouting of CAFE regulations. Much higher fines under the latest CAFE standards and growing pro-environmental standards globally makes this a risky strategy going forward. Continue reading
December U.S. Unemployment at 8.5% Remains at Crisis Levels
The 200,000 employment increase is roughly half of what is needed each month to return the almost 20 million under-employed and unemployed back to full-time work as taxpayers in the still ailing U.S. economy. At this rate it will take a decade or more to return to pre-Great Recession levels. Since 80% of workers in the U.S. commute to work in a vehicle, the unemployment crisis hurts the auto industry’s prospects and its own fragile, mostly jobless, recovery that is underway. Continue reading
Ford Shows Fiesta Derived EcoSport at New Delhi Auto Expo
India is projected to become the world’s third largest light vehicle market by the end of the decade behind China and the U.S. Ford lags badly behind competitors in Asia, and is playing catch-up while losing money. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, manufacturing, marketing, new vehicle, news, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, ecosport, Ford, ford india, india, Ken Zino
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Midas Sued in Europe for Breach of Contract
The unwelcome development for Midas shareholders comes as the Midas board of directors is exploring the possible sale of the company during an ongoing strategic review. Share prices have ranged from a 52-week high of $9.50 to a 52-week low of $5.08. Currently Midas is trading at $8.46. Midas during the first nine months of 2011 had net earnings of $4.4 million ($0.32 per diluted share), an increase from $2.3 million or $0.17 per diluted share in 2010. Midas pays no dividend. Continue reading
Posted in aftermarket, auto news, economy, litigation, news
Tagged Alan D. Feldman, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, mds, mesa, MESA S.p.A., midas
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NHTSA Keeps Chevrolet Volt Battery Fire Probe Open
GM said this morning that it was “optimistic” that no recall would be required, a politically sensitive issue since the federal government, which NHTSA is part of, still holds a large 27% stake in GM. For GM’s part, a safety recall is arguably more damaging to the reputation of the Volt than the proposed customer service action. Last year Chevrolet sold 7,671 Volt models , which cost more than $40,000 without taxpayer subsidies to its mostly rich buyers, another political controversy in itself. Continue reading
GM Changes Chevrolet Volt to Protect Battery to Stop Fires
It was not immediately clear whether NHTSA would require that Chevrolet Volt EVs be recalled or whether the modifications can be done as a customer satisfaction procedure. There remains at this moment an ongoing NHTSA engineering analysis, which could lead to a recall. GM said it was “optimistic” that no recall would be required, a politically sensitive issue since the federal government still holds a large stake in GM. Continue reading
Ford Motor December Sales Up 10% Tracking Market Growth
How Ford’s sales performance is interpreted depends on whether the Number 2 U.S. automaker in sales should have picked up more than the 3.7% increase in passenger car sales (industry +9%) with all the major Japanese automakers virtually out of the market for months – May to September or later – because of natural disasters. Ford car sales were actually down 16% in December. Lavishly publicized Fiesta sub-compact and Focus compact launches were not strong successes as sticker price resistance appeared to overcome their relatively good fuel efficiency in a year when U.S. gasoline prices stayed well above $3 a gallon. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, camry sales, ford motor sales, ford results, Ken Zino
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GM U.S. Sales Up 5% in December, +14% 2011. Share Increases
GM expects full-year 2012 light vehicle sales to be in a range of 13.5 million to 14.0 million units. In previous years, GM’s forecasts were based on total vehicle sales, which included medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, or about 300,000 additional units. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged 2011 results, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, gm results, Ken Zino, results, sales results
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