Tag Archives: autoinformed

Buick to Try Avenir as Sub-Brand in 2018

Actually it’s not “sub” (Buick’s description), but apparently intended to be priced above existing Buick models. Continue reading

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Trade Agreement Data at Odds with Political Rhetoric?

No wonder President Harry Truman was looking for a “one-handed economist.” So is AutoInformed, and we suspect millions upon millions of workers. Continue reading

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Ford Recalls Transit, Focus Models in North America

Ford recalls 2014 Transit Connect vehicles to reinstall badly glued panoramic roofs, and 2013-17 Focus hatchbacks to update interior latch release software. Continue reading

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India Honda Workers’ Hunger Strike on Week 2

Five fired employees of the Tapukara plant of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) began a hunger strike on 19 September demanding reinstatement of workers and the “withdrawal of false police charges” filed against them. On 26 September, the eighth … Continue reading

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New Texas Titan Trim Package Added by Nissan

Basically a “special chrome grille” and 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels comprise the Texas package that is now available for the first time in 2017 on two Titan and four Titan XD Crew Cab grades. Continue reading

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Wages Rising at New Car Dealerships. Turnover Problematic

During 2015, America’s new-car dealerships created new jobs and provided median weekly earnings of $1,026, which exceeded non-farm, private-sector median weekly earnings of $825 by 24%. Over a five-year period, average compensation across all dealership positions increased steadily at an average annual rate of 3.2%, while median income growth of all positions grew at an average annual rate of 2.6%. Continue reading

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South African Metalworkers Win 35% Wage Increase

NUMSA declared a dispute with the employers’ group in July. After prolonged negotiations, an agreement was reached and signed on 12 September. This is the first time in nine years that an agreement was reached in the sector without strike action. In 2013, a strike by NUMSA in both manufacturing and components caused major problems for automakers. Continue reading

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Can Another Exploding Airbag Be the Fix for Interior Deaths?

With intense engineering, some of these problems could be dealt with by passive solutions. This could be far less expensive than adding another airbag to every new vehicle. It is worth intense study because explosive devices, as Takata conclusively proved, can go off at the wrong time with deadly consequences.

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Gasp! Bentley Bentayga Diesel Debuts

Is there is any appeal for the super-rich for a high mileage Bentley? The Crewe, UK, based, VW-owned purveyor of luxury cars and with Bentayga trucks, claims this is also the fastest diesel SUV: 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 270 km/h (168 mph). Continue reading

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Hyundai Interseat Airbag Reduces Head Injuries 80%

Hyundai says that it has completed the development of an interseat airbag, aka center airbag, which reduces head injuries to passengers by more than 80% during a lateral collision. An interseat airbag protects passengers on the opposite side of the contact point. In case of a lateral collision, the passenger can be protected by the curtain airbag or the side airbag, but the person next to him or her may sustain a critical injury their head against the other passenger’s shoulder or head. As these kinds of cases have been reported, the European automotive safety evaluation program, aka Euro NCAP, said in 2014 that it strongly recommends interseat airbags. Continue reading

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Controversial Federal Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles Out

The primary focus of the policy is on highly automated vehicles, or those in which the vehicle can take full control of driving in at least some circumstances. Portions of the policy also apply to lower levels of automation, including some of the driver-assistance systems already being deployed by automakers today. Continue reading

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Mazda Recalls Liftgate Struts on 580,455 Cars and Crossovers

Mazda North American Operations recalls 580,455 Mazda3, Mazda5 cars and CX-3, CX-5 crossovers going back to the 2012 model year because the Showa supplied liftgate gas struts can fail from corrosion. Continue reading

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Unifor Reaches Deal with GM Canada. Strike Avoided

Local 222 in Oshawa, Ontario was at the center of the negotiations. Oshawa’s future was unknown past 2019 since GM moved the production of the Chevrolet Camaro to a plant in Lansing, Michigan after a previous contract four years ago. Continue reading

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More VW Diesel Woes – €800 Million German Suit

The lawsuit concerns losses investors suffered from the drastic drop in VW share value in shares traded on the German Deutsche Börse Xetra exchange, as a result of the VW diesel emission fraud scandal. Continue reading

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FAA Issues Guidance on Exploding Samsung Galaxy Devices

The move comes after a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 because of explosions and fires. Continue reading

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