Tag Archives: auto news

Comments Closing Today on Proposed Bus and Truck Fuel Economy Standards. 500 million barrels of oil at stake?

Posted on 31 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The proposed rules would create comprehensive heavy-duty national program (HD National Program) designed to address what EPA says is “the urgent and closely intertwined challenges of dependence on oil, energy security, and global climate change.” Continue reading →

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Allstate Says Its Zodiac Accident Rate Release is Hooey

Posted on 30 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The Allstate Corporation set off a furor last week when it issued a press release that compared Zodiac sign accident rates.

In it the auto insurance giant said that during the past year, Virgos were “nearly 700% more likely to be in a car accident when compared to the determined and aware Scorpio accident rates, the best drivers in the study.” Scorpios were only involved in 1.5% of all accidents in 2010. Continue reading →

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Honda Ranks First for Automaker Website Satisfaction

Posted on 30 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Honda’s website ranks the highest among new vehicle shoppers, according to an automaker website evaluation study just released. Honda had the highest with a score of 836 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in information/content, navigation and speed measures, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Continue reading →

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Smart USA Delivers First ForTwo Electric Vehicle

Posted on 29 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Smart USA has delivered the first Smart ForTwo electric vehicle to a retail customer in the United States. Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske and Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak made the ceremonial delivery to lessee Mindy Kimball at her home in Silver Spring, MD. Continue reading →

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Toyota Tops in Quality in Germany Says TÜV

Posted on 28 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Germany’s leading technical inspection association, TÜV, says the Toyota Prius ranks in first place for quality for vehicles aged two to three years. TÜV reports only 2.2% of the Prius hybrids inspected showed signs of a defect.

Toyota’s Auris was a close second in the same category at just 2.3% compared with an average of 5.5%. Furthermore, vehicles across Toyota’s product line performed well in the annual report – including the Avensis, Corolla Verso, RAV4 and Yaris models. Continue reading →

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260 MPG Volkswagen XL1 Debuts at Qatar Motor Show

Posted on 28 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Volkswagen is showing a two-seat XL1 prototype this week at the Qatar Motor Show in Daho that it claims uses 0.9 liters of gasoline for every 100 km traveled, or more than 260 miles per gallon for the metrically challenged. Continue reading →

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Renault-Nissan Alliance Posts Record 2010 Sales of 7.3 million

Posted on 28 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The Renault-Nissan “Alliance” had a record year with 7,276,398 units sold in 2010, a 19.6% increase over 2009 in a market that grew by 11.8%, Renault today said in a release.

This means that Renault-Nissan Alliance captured 10.3% of the global market in 2010, if you use Renault’s estimate of 70,476,213 vehicles sold during the calendar year. Continue reading →

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Ford Reports 2010 Full Year Net Income of $6.6 Billion

Posted on 28 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today reported 2010 full year net income of $6.6 billion, or $1.66 per share, an increase of $3.8 billion, or 80 cents per share, from 2009. Continue reading →

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Chevrolet Volt Hybrid Available Nationwide By End of 2011

Posted on 27 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Chevrolet said today that it is moving up the national rollout of the Volt hybrid to the end of this year instead of 2011. The latest development for the increasingly popular four-seat car comes closely after General Motors decided to increase Volt production for at least the second time in four months. Continue reading →

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GM Says No To More Taxpayer Funding. Withdraws Federal Loan Application for Advanced Technology Vehicles

Posted on 27 January 2011 by Ken Zino

General Motors today announced it is withdrawing its $14.4 billion application for direct loans from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that it submitted in October of 2009 after it had emerged from bankruptcy. Continue reading →

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General Motors Declares Quarterly Dividend on Preferred Stock

Posted on 26 January 2011 by Ken Zino

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.647 per share on its Series B mandatory convertible junior preferred stock. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls 425,000 Windstar Minivans for Bad Steering

Posted on 26 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling 1999 to 2003 model Windstar minivans because the steering can fail after the front suspension rusts away. More than 25,000 of the Canadian-built Windstar minivans are prone to rusting problems. Continue reading →

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Construction of Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle Battery Plant in Tennessee Well Underway

Posted on 26 January 2011 by Ken Zino

Construction is progressing on Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, which will produce lithium-ion batteries for the Leaf electric vehicle. Continue reading →

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GM Invests in Envia Systems’ Battery Cathode Material

Posted on 26 January 2011 by Ken Zino

General Motors Ventures LLC has invested $7 million in Envia Systems get access to what is said to be an advanced lithium-ion cathode technology that delivers a battery with higher cell energy density and lower cost. Continue reading →

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Refinery to Pay $5.3 Million Penalty for Clean Air Act Violations

Posted on 26 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Hovensa LLC, owner of the second largest petroleum refinery in the United States, will pay a civil penalty of more than $5.3 million and spend more than $700 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands refinery. Continue reading →

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