Tag Archives: autoinformed

During Q2 Ford Posts Best Profits, $2.9B, Since 2000

It was Ford’s best automotive quarterly profit since 2000. Continue reading

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NHTSA Whacks Chrysler with Record $105m Safety Penalty

In an unusual Sunday release, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced yesterday that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles acknowledged violations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act’s requirements to repair vehicles with safety defects. Continue reading

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CFPB Scoffs at NADA FOIA Request on Auto Lending

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, aka CFPB, has rejected a Freedom of Information Act – FOIA – request by the National Automobile Dealers Association to release a memorandum that NADA alleges shows that the agency is seeking to exercise jurisdiction over auto dealers financing, which is prohibited under the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, also called Dodd-Frank. Continue reading

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Ford Recalls Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Lincoln MKS, MKT Models

Ford in a statement said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. Continue reading

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Ferrari Recalls All 2015 Cars. Bad Takata Airbag Stops Sales

This defect comes from “insufficient gluing” of the leather on the driver’s side airbag cover and the possible rotated installation of the driver’s airbag cushion in the airbag module. The potential for a defect was first discovered during out of position (OOP) tests with a 458 Italia model for validation of a new steering column. Continue reading

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Taxpayer Rip-off as Bureau of Land Management Discounts Royalty Rates on Our Property at 50% of Actual Market Value

The BLM oil and gas management program is one of the most important mineral leasing programs in the Federal government. The total value of production is over $33 billion, which generates more than $3 billion in royalty revenue annually from oil and gas leasing activities on public lands, most of which is shared with state and local governments, and nearly $1 billion in royalty revenue from activities on tribal lands, all of which goes to tribes or individuals. Continue reading

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DOJ Honda Consent Order Aims to Cut Auto Loan Abuses

The consent decree is a substantial, perhaps fatal, setback for dealer lobbying groups such as NADA and AIADA who have been fighting CFPB on non-discriminatory pricing. Continue reading

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GM to Spend $1.4B on Arlington, Texas Plant Improvements

A day after the opening of talks with the UAW on a new four-year contract, GM announced today that it would spend $1.4 billion on the Arlington Assembly Plant that produces full-size SUVs. Continue reading

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Automakers Protest European Laws Targeting Diesel Use

The automakers reason, not without some basis in fact – that the most effective way to improve air quality is getting older cars and trucks off the road. New vehicles less than one year old are roughly 5% of the road population in the EU. As more of the older diesels are replaced, it looks like fewer of them will be diesels, no matter how clean the newest ones are. Continue reading

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Increased Fines, Prison for Auto Execs in Safety Cover-ups

Automotive industry executives who cover up or conceal the death and injury risks of defective vehicles or parts could face up five years in prison, under auto safety legislation sponsored by three leading Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee. Continue reading

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NHTSA Blasts FCA Recalls – Big Fines, Maybe Criminal Charges Coming for Italian Automaker? Litigation Ongoing.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, aka ODI, has outlined problems associated with 23 different Fiat Chrysler recalls involving millions of vehicles. These recalls are for serious safety defects and “non-compliances.” Including recalls for fuel systems that can catch fire in rear crashes, defective ignition switches that can disable a vehicle’s air bags and defective air bags that can unexpectedly explode. These defects have caused deaths and serious injuries. Continue reading

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Screw US Workers! Trade Policy Fails Again

Imports of auto parts, engines, vehicles through May 2015 increased to $112,315,000, a dismal job-destroying record. May at $29,462,000 was a record as well. Continue reading

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June Light Vehicle Sales Soar in US

U.S. light vehicle sales in June posted their highest rate since 2005 at 1.5 million, which translates to a SAAR – Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate – of 17.16 million. Continue reading

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432k Focus, C-MAX, Escape Recalls for Bad Ignition Switch

In these defective vehicles, among the best sellers at Ford, it is possible for the engine to continue running after turning the ignition key to the “off” position and removing the key. Continue reading

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NASCAR Disavows Racist Confederate Flag

“To do that, we are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events. This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events. Continue reading

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