Tag Archives: auto informed

Buick 2013 Encore Teaser Photo – Will it Play in China?

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The real challenge for all new Buicks going forward is not whether the vehicle will play in Peoria, but rather how it plays in Shanghai? Buick sold a record of 59,763 vehicles in China in November – more than 5 times what it sold in the U.S. Little wonder the head of GM advance design in China is now Chinese. Continue reading →

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Finalists in for 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Cars selected were the 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Hyundai Elantra and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. Last year the Chevrolet Volt was the car winner. In the misleadingly named ‘truck’ category, the 2012 BMW X3, 2012 Honda CR-V and the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque made the final cut. Continue reading →

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New 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Revealed after Press Leaks

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Press leaks about the new Mercedes-Benz SL have apparently prompted an extensive official release of the all-aluminum sports car ahead of its official introduction at the North American International Auto Show next month. Continue reading →

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New 2.0-Liter Turbo Engine Debuts in the Cadillac ATS

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The Cadillac version of GM’s new powerplant will be one of highest specific output automotive engines, bar none, and more than 20% higher than the next closest competitor, the Mercedes-Benz C250 1.8-liter turbo at 111.6 hp/L. The turbo four will be joined in the ATS with a normally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a 3.6-Liter V6 engine when production begins next summer. Frankly, it’s the price of entry in a segment where Cadillac has failed several times with inferior offerings. Continue reading →

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Ford Employees to Beta Test Latest My Ford Touch Patch

Posted on 14 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company will beta test new software designed to ease myriad consumer complaints about the My Ford Touch infotainment system, which caused Ford and Lincoln vehicles to sink to below average in Consumer Reports quality ratings.

Ford’s overall reliability rank among 28 major car makes slipped from the 10th to the 20th spot this year—the biggest drop for any major nameplate in Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The badly needed software upgrade is coming for 2013 models – and to owners of existing My Ford Touch equipped vehicles. Continue reading →

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CMU Research Backs Ban for Cell Phones When Driving. NTSB Wants States to Prohibit All Non-Emergency Use of Cell Phones

Posted on 13 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Research by Carnegie Mellon University’s Marcel Just shows that simply listening to someone speak on the other end of a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%, compared to driving alone. The decrease in available brain resources can cause drivers using cell phones to commit the same type of driving errors that can occur under the influence of alcohol. Continue reading →

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New Compact Acura ILX to be Built in Indiana by Honda

Posted on 12 December 2011 by Ken Zino

This means Acura ILX will be Acura’s first-ever hybrid model, as well as the first Acura model to be produced in Greensburg, Indiana, which also builds the new 2012 Civic model. The plant recently added nearly 1,000 associates to support the move to two-shift production, which started on Oct. 24, 2011, doubling the plant’s capacity to 200,000 vehicles per year. In what is a major public relations error, Honda did not even release a teaser photo of the ILX. Continue reading →

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News Bits – Carbon Fiber, Chinese Leaf, Rolls-Royce, Thailand Floods and Impending Goodyear Airline Tire Shortage?

Posted on 12 December 2011 by Ken Zino

General Motors and Teijin Limited, Japanese company with roots as a textile maker will co-develop advanced carbon fiber composite technologies for potential high-volume use globally in GM cars, trucks and crossovers.

Nissan Motor and Dongfeng Motor delivered 15 Nissan Leaf EVs to the Guangzhou Municipal Government in China.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that it will enter the South American market for the first time in the company’s history.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company says that as a result of the Thailand flooding commercial airlines are facing a potential global shortage of bias aviation tires

Continue reading →

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NAIAS – Acura, Lexus, Honda Will be Out in Force in Detroit

Posted on 12 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Acura announced today that it will show three all-new vehicles at the 2012 North American International Auto Show – NAIAS – including a compact sports sedan, a redesigned RDX crossover sport utility vehicle, and a concept version of the next generation Acura NSX super car. Honda, Toyota and Lexus will also have strong new vehicles. Continue reading →

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Ford Recall Active for Wheels Falling off Fusion, Mercury Milan

Posted on 9 December 2011 by Ken Zino

NHTSA started the Ford wheel safety defect investigation in January of this year based on complaints from Ford owners, and upgraded it to an engineering analysis in July. It appears that NHTSA forced the Ford recall after a meeting early in November as complaints continued. Two root causes for the latest Ford recall for a safety defect were listed in the required NHTSA documentation: Hayes supplied steel wheels could be defective; and so could Mexican-built Brembo disc brakes. Continue reading →

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Toyota Cuts 2012 Forecast as Yen and Thailand Floods Hurt

Posted on 9 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation today drastically cut its fiscal year 2012 forecast based on the ongoing negative effects of the strong Yen and the production disruptions caused by the Thailand floods. As a result, Toyota has revised down its 2012 full year profit forecast by -¥250 billion to ¥200 billion. Continue reading →

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The Secret of Future Success for Ex Auto Plants is Location

Posted on 8 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The study is the latest example of how devastating the collapse of the automobile industry is to the economies of local communities, many of them now with grim futures. Simply put, the best outcome for a community is to keep auto plants operating. The lack of a U.S. industrial policy – alone among all other industrialized nations and clearly a problem in the view of critics of multinational corporations – is not addressed in the study. Continue reading →

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Ford Family and Other Shareholders to Receive Dividends

Posted on 8 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Ford still remains heavily in debt – at $12.7 billion. However, Ford decreased automotive debt by $1.3 billion in the third quarter of this year, including payment of the remaining $1.8 billion balance of secured Term Loan debt, which was offset partially by an increase in controversial taxpayer-subsidized low-cost loans from the Department of Energy to support advanced technology under the guise of retooling existing plants. Continue reading →

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U.S. Auto Fatalities Drop to Lowest level in More than 60 Years

Posted on 8 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA – today released 2010 fatality and injury data showing highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level for auto fatalities since 1949. What was termed a record-breaking decline in traffic deaths occurred as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2009. Continue reading →

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Tidbits – Leaf, Marchionne, Volt, Politics, Rust, Electronics

Posted on 7 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Nissan has re-opened “reservations” for the 2012 Nissan Leaf electric vehicle in Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Deliveries will begin next spring. Nissan LEAF is now available for order in 30 states, including Washington, D.C. National … Continue reading →

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