Tag Archives: automotive news

GM, Toyota Computer Problems Cause Latest Safety Recalls

Posted on 29 May 2012 by Ken Zino

The ongoing computerization of vehicle systems has caused safety recalls at GM and Toyota. In the latest round of software malfunctions, brand new 2013 model Chevrolet Malibu cars can blow up the roof rail airbag for no reason or prevent the air bags from going off in a severe accident. Toyota’s Lexus luxury division is recalling its 2013 model GS performance sedans because a sensor can cause the steering wheel to be wildly out of place to where the front wheels are actually pointed. Continue reading →

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Owner of Hawaii Car Dealerships Pleads Guilty to Tax Crimes

Posted on 29 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Alan Pflueger, the owner of multiple car dealerships and one of Hawaii’s wealthiest people, was at the head of a tax crimes fraud that paid his personal expenses, which were deducted as business expenses by Pflueger Inc, the Justice Department said. Continue reading →

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Honda Auto Production Sets April Record – Tsunami Now Beat

Posted on 29 May 2012 by Ken Zino

The Honda comeback from the effects of natural disasters last year – the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March and the later floods in Thailand – included all-time monthly records for April production in North America (137,067), United States (97,497), Asia (102,195), and China (61,330). Continue reading →

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Ecotality Sues California Regulators over Dynegy Price Gouging Deal and Alleged EV Charging Station Monopoly

Posted on 25 May 2012 by Ken Zino

In March, Governor Jerry Brown announced a controversial agreement between the PUC and NRG Energy as part of a legal settlement that goes back to California’s 2001 energy crisis. NRG is the successor entity to Dynegy Power Marketing, the firm blamed by PUC for $940 million in price gouging, widespread blackouts and the bankruptcy of PSEG. Continue reading →

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GM CFO’s Wife Disclosed in $600,000 Related Party Deal

Posted on 25 May 2012 by Ken Zino

In an amended proxy filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission made public today, General Motors said that it recently learned about a related party transaction in 2011 not included in the original proxy statement. Pernilla Ammann, the wife of GM’s Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann, is an officer and partner in an advertising agency that received approximately $600,000 for services provided to a GM subsidiary in 2011. Continue reading →

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Bowing to Pressure, Fiat Suspends Business in Iran

Posted on 25 May 2012 by Ken Zino

The auto industry represents 20% of Iran’s GDP that is dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. UANI has developed model legislation, The DRIVE Act, to force auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act requires automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or engaged in the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance. Continue reading →

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International Mini Meeting Opens Today in Hungary

Posted on 24 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Wedding bells will also be ringing as two members of the host Mini Club take their vows at the event arena before starting their new life together at the wheel of a classic Mini – followed by a celebratory convoy of some 200 other examples of this British classic, whose drivers have registered in advance for the occasion. Continue reading →

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May U.S. Auto Sales Projected Close to 1.4 Million Vehicles

Posted on 24 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Total light-vehicle sales in May are predicted at 1,384,000 units, a 21% percent increase from May 2011. However, fleet volume as a percentage of total light-vehicle sales is expected to remain high in May, at 22%. Continue reading →

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BMW Group and Brilliance Open Second Plant in China

Posted on 24 May 2012 by Ken Zino

BMW has been producing BMW 3 Series and 5 Series models for the Chinese market with Brilliance in Shenyang since 2003. The opening of the second vehicle plant in China will expand the range of locally produced models to include the BMW X1. Production of the long-wheelbase version of the BMW 3 Series will also begin during the coming weeks. Continue reading →

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New EPA Grants Go to Clean Up Contaminated Industrial Sites

Posted on 24 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Since its inception, EPA’s brownfield investments have used more than $18.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. During an election year, the ‘no jobs’ Obama Administration claims this has resulted in approximately 75,500 jobs. More than 18,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 700 properties have been cleaned up. Continue reading →

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Judge Rules Against Dealers on Disclosure of Car Loan Terms

Posted on 24 May 2012 by Ken Zino

A federal judge in Washington has ruled that automobile dealers who engage in so-called three-party financing transactions must disclose information to consumers who take out car loans if they are offered less favorable terms, such as a higher interest rate, than the most favorable terms available to the majority of consumers. Continue reading →

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Iran Auto Production Down 27% as UANI Blasts Peugeot and Nissan for Ongoing Business with Islamic Revolutionary Guard

Posted on 23 May 2012 by Ken Zino

The auto industry represents 20% of Iran’s GDP that is dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. UANI has developed model legislation, The DRIVE Act, to force auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act requires automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or engaged in the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance. Continue reading →

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BP Fined $8 Million for Clean Air Act Violation in Indiana

Posted on 23 May 2012 by Ken Zino

BP North America  will pay  an $8 million penalty and invest more than $400 million to install pollution controls and cut emissions from BP’s petroleum refinery in Whiting, Indiana because of air pollution violations under the Clean Air Act. The … Continue reading →

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Fiat and Mazda to Develop a Sports Car for Alfa and Mazda

Posted on 23 May 2012 by Ken Zino

The non-binding MoU states that both Fiat and Mazda will develop two “differentiated, distinctly styled, iconic and brand-specific light weight, roadsters featuring rear-wheel drive.” The Alfa Romeo and Mazda models will each be powered by specific proprietary engines unique to each brand. Continue reading →

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Milestones – Toyota Motor Sells 4 Million Hybrid Vehicles

Posted on 22 May 2012 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Japan announced today that its global hybrid vehicle sales totaled four million vehicles through April 2012. of that 1.5 million Toyota hybrids have been sold in the United States where it dominates the advanced technology vehicle market by outselling all other hybrid and electric vehicles combined. Toyota in the U.S. now holds 65% of the hybrid market, with the Prius a line accounting for 1.2 million vehicles year-to-date. Continue reading →

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