Tag Archives: automotive news

Alaskan Contractor to Serve Time for Dumping Hazardous Waste

Posted on 2 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The former owner of a road and parking lot painting and striping business in Anchorage, Alaska will serve time in prison for dumping hazardous waste. William Duran Vizzerra, Jr., 43, was sentenced by Chief Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 15 months in prison. The court also ordered Vizzerra to pay $395,319 in restitution to two victims. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota Settles Lawsuits for $1.1 Billion and Will Modify Millions of Vehicles with Electronically Controlled Gas Pedals to Stop Runaways

Posted on 27 December 2012 by Ken Zino

In an engineering lapse of monumental consequences that included several deaths, the computer programming on affected vehicles when confronted with both brake and accelerator inputs did not favor the brake input for its electronic engine controls. Such over-ride software is in widespread use at other automakers. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, engineering, litigation, news analysis, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bosch follows Automakers into Russia as Market Booms

Posted on 26 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The irony here is that Bosch opened it first sales office in Russia during 1904 under the Kaiser and the Czar. Certain political disputes resulted in devastating wars and revolutions during the next decade that changed the ruling orders in both Germany and Russia, among other places with future dire consequences. That is history. We are now talking about the wealth creation of that the automobile industry makes possible. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM and PSA Peugeot Citroën to Develop New Gas Engines

Posted on 24 December 2012 by Ken Zino

PSA Peugeot Citroën and General Motors are expanding the scope of their alliance announced earlier this year to include a new line of small gasoline engines developed from PSA’s small gasoline engine program known as the EB engine. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, new vehicle, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Santa One Cleared for Flight by FAA

Posted on 24 December 2012 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed salutes the real elves at the FAA, the hard working men and women who are our air traffic controllers. In spite of an FAA management bureaucracy that is often clueless and ineffective, these elves know how to move the aluminum or in this case a wooden sleigh without worrying about fine points of regulations while using demonstrably deficient equipment. Therefore, AutoInformed sends season’s greetings to some of the hardest working civil servants in the U.S. And to all a good night, err flight. Continue reading →

Posted in aviation, news, people, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fiat Melfi Plant to Make Two New Cars, Including a Baby Jeep

Posted on 23 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Existing production processes are being modified to handle what’s called a new modular Small Wide platform – one of Fiat-Chrysler’s three principal architectures – that can also be adapted to produce larger vehicles. Fiat confirmed that the platform will have the product and safety aspects that comply with U.S. regulatory standards. This means that vehicles produced at the Melfi plant including the baby Jeep will be export ready, with no requirement for further modifications. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, marketing, new vehicle | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honda Environmental Report Shows CO2 Cuts, Fuel Economy Gains

Posted on 22 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The eighth annual Honda environmental report just released for the North American regions show that the Japanese automaker reduced on average its output of CO2 with corresponding increases in fuel economy. During the 2012 fiscal year that ended last March the CO2-adjusted fleet-average fuel economy of Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. in model year 2011 rose 0.8 mpg, or 3.2%, to 25.7 mpg, compared to the previous model year. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, energy, environment, fuel economy or emissions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jeep Liberty to evolve as a Front-Wheel-Drive Alfa Romeo Derivative

Posted on 21 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group is preparing an all-new Jeep Liberty replacement that will debut within 18 months, eventually going into production in the U.S., Italy and China. As with the just released Dodge Dart, the new Jeep – thus far unnamed – will be based on a corporate platform from owner Fiat. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, design and styling, new vehicle, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

December U.S. Auto Sales Forecast to Close the Best Year Since 2007

Posted on 20 December 2012 by Ken Zino

While still well below the annual rates of 16 to 17 million during the last decade, December’s SAAR is 500,000 units higher than predicted for the 2012 full-year pace. Buyers are apparently ignoring the dire predictions and political posturing from that tawdry cast of cliff dwelling and big-money-bought politicians inhabiting the banks of the Potomac river while living in their taxpayer-funded socialist paradise. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, sales | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Next Gen Chevy Camaro to Be Built in the Lansing, Michigan Plant

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Bye, bye Maple Leaf, hello Stars & Stripes: GM announced today that the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro would be assembled at the Lansing Grand River Plant in Michigan. GM said that lower capital investment and improved production efficiencies were factors that caused it to move the Camaro from its home plant in Oshawa, Ontario since its fifth generation revival in 2009. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, manufacturing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ally Financial Pays Off Last $4.5 Billion of Debt Issued Under TLGP

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Treasury, via taxpayers, currently holds about 74% of Ally common equity, and $5.9 billion in mandatory convertible preferred securities, which have a dividend rate of 9%, after a more than $17 billion bailout. Ally at the end of Q3 2012 had about $182 billion in assets, so it increasingly looks like taxpayers have a good chance at getting their money paid back, perhaps turning a profit. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, economy, milestones, news, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Treasury to Sell GM Stock at a Loss During the Next 15 Months

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

It appears that Treasury is making a very bad decision here based on ideology, not good old American pragmatism. It was ideologues who opposed the successful TARP bailouts, and now Treasury – the government agency that is supposed to understand money and stock markets – is also taking an impractical position based also on ideology. Since the end of September taxpayers earned more than $1.5 billion from the increase in value of GM stock. Why dump and run now? No surprise here at AutoInformed that most Americans are disgusted with the way government handles their money. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, economy, financial results, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Less Expensive Chevrolet Cruze Airbag Earns 5 Stars from NHTSA

Posted on 18 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The 2013 Chevrolet Cruze using a groundbreaking single inflator airbag has been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a maximum 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score. The development is potentially significant for car buyers because the 2013 Cruze model switched to a less expensive, more compact and lighter airbag design from Takata. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, engineering, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EPA Releases Annual Enforcement Results

Posted on 17 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA today issued its annual enforcement results, which the Agency said showed significant environmental and public health protections achieved during 2012. EPA said that there was a reduction of 2.2 billion pounds of air, water and land pollution, and 4.4 billion pounds of hazardous waste, as well as $252 million in civil and criminal penalties levied. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, environment, fuel economy or emissions, news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM to Face F-Series, Ram with New 2014 Silverado, Sierra Pickups

Posted on 17 December 2012 by Ken Zino

An initial analysis by AutoInformed indicates that the trucks are good, but the question lingers will they be good enough against Ford’s F-Series and Dodge’s Ram line, both with considerable marketplace momentum, and both with their own unique selling points from recent revisions. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, design and styling, new vehicle, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment