Tag Archives: autoinformed

Chevrolet to Sell 4G LTE Data Connections Next Summer

What this does for the deadly distracted driving problem remains to be seen and depends whether the driver or passengers are surfing the web. There is also risk involved; electronics in automobiles are now the largest single source of customer dissatisfaction if there are glitches, dropped voice commands, screen crashes or problems connecting portable devices. Continue reading

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U.S. Light Vehicle Sales to Soar in 2014 Says NADA

Employment, particularly in the construction, services industries, will improve this year, and a continued moderation in gasoline prices and improvements in the housing market will help to offset stagnation in wages and income in 2014. Continue reading

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Texas RV and Motorcycle Importers Fined for CAA Abuses

Savoia, BMX Imports, BMX Trading, and their owner, Terry Zimmer, allegedly illegally imported motorcycles that didn’t comply with the Clean Air Act, or CAA Continue reading

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EU Light Vehicle Sales Increase in December

While the EU economy is still on life-support, light vehicle sales during December increased in most major Western markets. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Company Board Increases Dividend

The Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company declared a Q1 2014 dividend of $0.125 per share on the company’s family-controlled Class B and common stock. This is a 25% increase from the dividend paid in each quarter of 2013. Continue reading

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December Auto Sales Stall – Worry or Fluke?

Taking a longer view of the economy, though, saw 2013 as another successful year for the wealth-creating auto business. Thirteen ran at 15.6 million units, which was an increase of more than one million units compared to the year before. This was the fourth straight year of growth after the disastrous 2009 and 2010 economic collapse caused by an unregulated Wall Street Continue reading

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Top Auto Stories of 2013

As is our annual predilection, here comes AutoInformed on the Top Auto Stories of 2013. As always, these are presented with our wry awareness that opining columnists conduct their education in public as we most certainly did last year – with both good and bad results – and will continue to do so during 2014. Continue reading

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John Krafcik out as Hyundai President and CEO

No reason was given for Krafcik’s sudden departure, and a Hyundai spokesperson refused to comment on whether he was fired. Continue reading

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Chesapeake Energy to Pay Millions for Wetlands Destruction

No criminal charges against executives were pursued, however. So the environmental rhetoric of the Obama Administration is put aside in the latest corporate friendly deal under Eric Holder, his politically appointed Attorney General. Continue reading

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Hyundai Cops Plea on Mileage Fraud Class Action

The fraud produced mileage claims that could be as much as 6 mpg higher than EPA tests showed. About 900,000 vehicles are affected in the largest mileage fraud in history, including the best-selling Kia Optima and Hyundai Elantra sedans. Both makers heavily advertise and promote fuel economy as cornerstones of their brands, of course. Continue reading

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Prison Time for Perp in Odometer Fraud Case

A North Carolina man, Francis Marimo, will spend 18 months in prison for his role in an odometer fraud scam. Continue reading

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Ally Settles Auto Loan Discrimination Case

The agreement is the first joint fair lending enforcement action by the Justice Department and CFPB, which Republicans and their Wall Street and banking cronies continue to fiercely resist. However, in AutoInformed’s view this is not exactly the strongest test case possible. Continue reading

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December U.S. Vehicle Sales Projected at a +4% Increase

The Detroit Three continued to build inventory rapidly, and their combined days’ supply climbed from 87 days at the beginning of November to 93 days by the end of the month. This is potentially worrisome. Continue reading

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BP Engineer Guilty of Obstruction of Justice in Deepwater Horizon Spill

Kurt Mix, a former engineer for BP, was convicted yesterday of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the 20 April 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mix, 52, of Katy, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury in … Continue reading

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Honda shows U.S. Fit, Acura Debuts new TSX at NAIAS

In essence, the Fit take the place of the Civic, the car that put Honda on the map in the U.S. decades ago, but in subsequent generations grew so much larger that it is no longer a sub-compact. How’s this for an advertising line – At Honda we finally have a car that is the same size as the car that made us famous. Continue reading

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