Tag Archives: autoinformed

GM to Add 200 Jobs at Lansing Grand River Plant

Posted on 22 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The plant currently builds the Cadillac ATS and the three Cadillac CTS models – sedan, coupe and wagon, as well as high-performance V-Series models of each. The next-generation Chevrolet Camaro due in 2015 will also be assembled at Lansing. Continue reading →

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Marchionne Apologizes for Being Irreverent

Posted on 21 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has apologized to an organization called One Voice for his quip last January at the North American International Auto Show where he said Alfa Romeo models when re-introduced into North America should have Italian engines. Journalists present laughed it off as being typical of the straight talking executive who uses humor, including self-deprecating humor to make his points. Continue reading →

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Two Denso Executives Plead Guilty to Price Fixing

Posted on 21 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The plea bargain entered appears to be just that, a bargain for the criminals. Continue reading →

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Fiat Recalls Maserati, Alfa Romeo Cars for Suspension Failures

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The lack of a zinc coating on rear suspension parts is prompting the recall of 2005 to 2008 Maserati Quattroporte, 2008 Granturismo and 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C cars. More than 7,400 Italian built vehicles are involved because the rear tie rods can corrode and ultimately fail, resulting in the loss of vehicle control, thereby increasing the risk of a crash. Continue reading →

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EU Car Sales Weak in April. Off -7% YTD

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Ken Zino

This was the third lowest level of new registrations for a month of April, with the historic low for April reached in 2012 at 1,021,358 units, according to ACEA, the auto trade group. Continue reading →

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Milestones – One Million Jeep Wranglers Made at Toledo

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The sprawling Toledo complex, famous in its own right, became the center of a Romney Presidential campaign controversy last fall, when a desperate Romney trailing in virtually all industrial states used attack ads proclaiming that Chrysler was going to move the jobs in Toledo to China. It was a complete falsification and came as Chrysler was expanding and retooling the North Plant, where the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee will be built. Continue reading →

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Another Lawsuit Filed against Ford EcoBoost V6 Engines

Posted on 16 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The suit mirrors one filed in last February, alleging the same thing, asking for $500,000,000 million in damages. These legal matters are now looking like the beginnings of prolonged and image-damaging lawsuits about Ford’s claimed fuel economy breakthrough with the downsized EcoBoost engine. (Class Action Suit Filed Against F-150 EcoBoost Engines for Stalling) Continue reading →

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2015 Acura NSX Assembly Slated For Marysville Ohio

Posted on 14 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The original Acura NSX was built at the Takanezawa Plant in Japan from 1990 until production moved to the Suzuka Plant in early 2004, where it was produced until 2005. Part of the Tochigi Factory, the Takanezawa Plant was the first manufacturing facility in the world to mass-produce an all-aluminum body and balance advanced production equipment with hands-on “craftsman” processes. Continue reading →

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GM to Rebadge Nissan NV200 as Chevrolet City Express

Posted on 14 May 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors and Nissan announced today that the companies signed an agreement for Nissan to produce a small cargo van that GM will sell in the United States and Canada. GM will rebadge the Nissan NV200 as the Chevrolet City Express, which will go on sale in the fall of 2014. Why the world’s second largest automaker needs to go outside for a small commercial van goes back to a decades old Opel decision to outsource small van production in Europe. Ford, Renault and Citroen all thrive in the segment. It is an embarrassing position for GM in AutoInformed’s view. Continue reading →

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Full-Size Pickup Truck Trade-In Prices Up 7%

Posted on 14 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Auction prices for full-size pickup trucks are up 7% for the first four months of 2013, according to the May edition of the NADA Used Car Guide. Contributing to the higher values for used, full-size pickups is supply and demand. The supply of full-size pickups up to 8-years-old declined by 17% from 2007 to 2012, and will fall by an additional 8% on an annual basis in 2013, NADA predicts. As a result, full-size pickup trucks have increased in price 28% from 2007 to 2012, Continue reading →

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Supply of Used Vehicles Up, Values Down Slightly

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The latest used vehicles report for May and June shows U.S. used car supply rising, thereby decreasing trade-in values. Continue reading →

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Korean Trade Deficit Soars under Obama Administration Deal

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. deficit with Korea in autos and auto parts increased 16% during the first year of the FTA. U.S. auto imports from Korea have surged by more than $2.5 billion. Continue reading →

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Milestones – Volvo Produces New Engine Family

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Volvo Car Group is now manufacturing the first versions of a new, high-efficiency four-cylinder engine family after two years of preparation. The engine plant in Skövde, Sweden is making new smaller engines that are claimed to deliver higher performance than today’s six-cylinder units, while offering lower fuel consumption than the current generation of four-cylinder units. Continue reading →

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Jeep Grand Cherokee, Commander Recalls for Rollaways Active

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group recalls 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs because a transfer case electrical failure causes unintentional shifting of the transfer case into neutral position. Continue reading →

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Ford Family Defeats One Share, One Vote at Annual Meeting

Posted on 13 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Once again, the Ford family with its 16 votes for every share of class B beat back a dissident shareholder proposal that would recapitalize the company at one vote per share. All told, a total of 5,734,531,807 votes were vote at the meeting. Continue reading →

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