Tag Archives: autoinformed

Democrats Plan to Bail Out Bankrupt Highway Trust Fund

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have refused since 1993 to raise gasoline taxes of 18.4 cents per gallon as well as a 24.4-cent diesel tax, the trust fund’s major revenue source. Inflation has raised the cost of construction, while revenue has lagged because Americans are driving less and vehicles are more fuel-efficient. Continue reading

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GM Nominates UAW VP Joe Ashton to Board of Directors.

The move comes after radical Republicans thwarted the establishment of a works council, which would require union representation in the anti-union South at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. This is the only VW plant in the world without a works council, and VW has apparently put a big plant expansion on hold as a result. The high paying jobs with great benefits could now go to a VW plant in Mexico because of senseless political ideology. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Q1 Pre-Tax Profit $1.4 Billion. Net $989 Million. Both Down

Ford Motor Company today posted decidedly mixed results as its warranty costs, older products, increased competition and special items led to a Q1 pre-tax profit of $1.4 billion, a decrease of $765 million compared with a year ago. Q1 net income is $989 million, or 24 cents per share, a decrease of $622 million compared with a year ago, including pre-tax special item charges of $122 million. Continue reading

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U.S. April Auto Sales Up to pre-Great Recession Levels

April auto retail sales of new light vehicles in the U.S. are expected to reach their highest levels for the month of since 2005 at 1.1 million units. This is 5% higher than in April 2013. Continue reading

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Switched Off! GM Q1 Earnings Plummet to $100 Million

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced Q1 net income only $100 million, or $0.06 per diluted share. Q1 was a disaster with its net loss from special items of $400 million, or $(0.23) per diluted share, and a whopping $1.3 billion pre-tax charge for the cost of recall-related repairs, or $(0.48) per diluted share – a negative $1.7 Billion swing. Continue reading

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Toyota Motor Production 2.6 Million in Japanese Q4.

Toyota Motor posted strong results in its latest quarter with the fifth consecutive year of offshore production increases – a record high – with an ongoing and growing manufacturing presence in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Continue reading

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Honda Project Drive-In Helps Brownsville, PA

Brownsville Drive-In in Pennsylvania is the tenth drive-in theater to benefit from Honda’s sponsorship of an American tradition Continue reading

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Japanese Auto Parts Maker Showa Guilty of Price Fixing

Showa Corp., an automotive parts manufacturer based in Saitama, Japan, will plead guilty and pay a $19.9 million criminal fine for its role in a price fixing conspiracy. Continue reading

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Milestones – Beijing Motor Show – Toyota 50 Years in China

Toyota first entered the Chinese market with the ungainly Crown sedan in 1964 – long after the Japanese rape of Nanjing during WW2. Continue reading

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News and Buzz at New York Auto Show on Car Concerns Radio

Hear Ken Zino on the news and the buzz from the New York Auto Show, with Zino coming live from New York on Car Concerns with co-host Harry Douglass as part of the lifestyle Talk Radio Network. Continue reading

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GM Loses Market Share in Q1. China Sets Record

GM sales were down in North America (-16,000 to 745,000), South America (-24,000 to 211,000) and International Operations (-10,000 to 203,000). GM’s sales in China are now about 50% greater than its sales in the United States. Continue reading

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Renault Name in Mandarin Chinese for Shanghai F1 Race

At the fourth race of the 2014 F1 season in Shanghai, Renault – which provides the Lotus team’s V6 hybrid power unit, the Energy F1 2014 – was written in Mandarin (雷诺). It didn’t help. Mercedes-Benz took first and second places; Ferrari third. The two Lotus cars finished 14th and 21st. Continue reading

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Bridgestone Exec to Plead Guilty For Price Fixing U.S. Car Parts

The Japanese auto parts price fixing scandal continues to grow with more indictments and prison time likely coming. To date, 33 people have been charged in the government’s ongoing investigation of the auto parts industry. Additionally, 26 companies have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty and have agreed to pay a total of more than $2.29 billion in fines. Continue reading

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Dürheimer to Head Bentley Motors. Schreiber to Return to Volkswagen Group

Wolfgang Dürheimer, 55, General Representative of the Volkswagen Group responsible for motorsport, is the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors on June 1. He is to succeed Wolfgang Schreiber, 56, who will take a “leading position” within the Volkswagen Group. Continue reading

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EU Car Sales Up 10.6% in March

However, in absolute figures, the 1,449,148 vehicles registered was the second lowest result to date for a month of March since ACEA, automaker’s trade group, began the tally in 2003 with the enlarged EU. Continue reading

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