Tag Archives: autoinformed

Mazda Gold Cup Shuns Michigan

Posted on 16 February 2015 by Ken Zino

There is nary a Michigan dealer on the list – strange since Mazda was part of a successful joint venture with Ford Motor in Flat Rock, MI for decades. The message for people living in Michigan – shop another brand. Continue reading →

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Super Bowl Auto Ads Better than Incentives?

Posted on 13 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Super Bowl advertising is claimed to be efficient because the average automotive advertiser achieving a projected 2.4% increase in retail market share. Auto brands that advertised during the game gained a combined 0.9 percentage point of retail share compared to those that did not. Continue reading →

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Oil Strike Escalates Nationwide in US. Biggest since 1980

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

The United Steelworkers (USW) oil strike over demands for improved safety provisions has escalated as it entered its second week. Workers at BP refineries in Ohio and Indiana have joined the oil strike that began on 1 February at nine other refineries. From California to Kentucky, this is the first nationwide strike in the industry for 35 years. Continue reading →

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Kia Soul EV Wins 2015 MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Award

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Kia’s first all-electric vehicle, the Soul EV, has been named the Best Eco-Friendly Vehicle in MotorWeek’s 34th annual Drivers’ Choice Awards. Continue reading →

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Chevy Bolt to be Bolted Together in Michigan

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Chevrolet this morning confirmed production of its next-generation pure electric vehicle, based on the Bolt EV concept first shown in January at NAIAS. Bolt will be built at General Motors’ Orion Assembly facility north of Detroit. Continue reading →

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MX-5 Miata Accessories Concept Debuts at CAS

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Vehicle personalization continues to be the trend as affirmed by the debut of an MX-5 accessories design concept of the next-generation 2016 MX-5 roadster that will be in showrooms this summer. Continue reading →

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Wolfsburg Woes as Volkswagen Passenger Car Sales Drop

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

In a damage control statement that is clearly intended to shape expectations, VW said earlier this week “Deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand show we are facing a challenging year. Volkswagen was not immune to the uncertainties in some regions that have continued into the current year.” Continue reading →

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Tiny Talking Robot Kirobo Returns from Space

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

After 18 months on board the International Space Station, humanoid communication robot Kirobo returned to Earth as a passenger on SpaceX’s CRS-5 Dragon cargo supply spacecraft, which successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean earlier today. Continue reading →

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Japan Inc. – Toyota, Nissan, and Honda Jointly Support and will Subsidize Hydrogen Stations

Posted on 12 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Specific measures to be undertaken by the Big Three Japanese manufacturers were not announced, but this appears to an attempt by the automakers to prod the Japanese government into faster action on build hydrogen refueling stations. Continue reading →

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Subaru Donates 513,693 Meals to Feeding America

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

In what it called a celebration of reaching a record 513,693 vehicle sales in 2014, as well as breaking one half million sales for the first time, Subaru of America, aka SOA, will help provide 513,693 meals nationwide through Feeding America and its network of 200 food banks. Continue reading →

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Speedway Motorsports Shuffles Top Executives

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Speedway Motorsports is a marketer, promoter and sponsor of motorsports in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the following tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway. Continue reading →

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Volkswagen Group Selects Jacksonville as its Port

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Currently the German automaker is using Houston, San Diego, Davisville and Brunswick, the former port in the south, Port Canaveral and Tampa. Presumably, all these ports were also considered for the consolidation. Continue reading →

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Honda Announces Second U.S. Acura MDX Plant

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

Honda today said it would add a second U.S. production site for the Acura MDX SUV by investing $85 million in its East Liberty, Ohio plant to produce Acura MDX in Ohio beginning in 2017. The Acura MDX is the best-selling three-row luxury SUV of all time and is now in its third iteration. Continue reading →

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The Jaguar Heritage Challenge Series. Good Idea?

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

The Jaguar Heritage Challenge Series will be during five weekends at tracks in the UK and Europe. The new race series, run in partnership with the Historic Sports Car Club, is open to pre-1966 Jaguar models, ranging from MkI and MkII sedan to C-type, D-type and early E-type cars. The question is do you really want to run these valuable and in some cases rare Coventry classics, risking damages? Continue reading →

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Global Light Vehicle Sales Down in January

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Ken Zino

The Global Light Vehicle market dropped a little in January at 89.4 million annualized units per year. LMC Automotive says this rate is only “a little below our expectation for 2015 in total.” Continue reading →

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