Tag Archives: Ken Zino

Japanese Top Consumer Reports 2026 Automotive Report

Posted on 4 December 2025 by Ken Zino

“We’re releasing new overall score rankings,” said Jake Fisher, CR’s Senior Director of Automotive Testing. “That’s really who makes the best cars along with new car reliability, used car reliability, which is really looking 5 to 10 year old models that are on out in the road, owner satisfaction, our road test scores, repair costs. … We have all the information for each one of the models on our website. That’s all live right now…. We are very excited that this year. We actually have the most amount of vehicles that we’ve had for a very long time. We’ve made some changes to make the survey easier to complete. … We’ve actually gone from 300,000 vehicles in the survey to 380,000 vehicles in the survey. That’s total.” Continue reading →

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Constitution Day 2025 Thoughts

Posted on 17 September 2025 by Ken Zino

The point here is that to govern without facts is madness. Leaving aside the historical revisions that show that King George III, the monarch who lost the colonies to what became the United States, was, well,  mad as a hatter in his later years. Donald J. Trump – the man who wishes to be our King now  – should not be our president based on his deteriorating mental condition. He doesn’t even know what is going on in his own administration.Is Trump going to fire the entire CBO? [See the following] It’s time for “We the People” to fire Trump and his Curia Regis, the advisors – cabinet members, agency heads and the like – who are against the facts or falsify them. Continue reading →

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UAW Has Tentative Contract at GE Aerospace

Posted on 13 September 2025 by Ken Zino

The UAW said today that after a two-week strike over “unfair labor practices,” UAW Local 647 members at GE Aerospace now have an agreement that addresses  the principal issues. The tentative agreement covers a five-year term. However, all picket lines at both the Erlanger, Kentucky and Evendale, Ohio sites will continue until the UAW Local 647 membership (~600) at GE Aerospace holds a ratification vote on Friday 19 September 2025. The strike was the first UAW strike at GE since 1988. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-AMG Hybrid Wagon Priced – Bring Money

Posted on 12 September 2025 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA said today that 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid* arrives at U.S. dealerships in early fall 2025, starting from $93,3502. That excludes a $1150 destination and delivery charge as well as options. AutoInformed speculates that Trump Tariff chaos had something to do with the price. Green would be an appropriate color under the circumstances. No U.S. photos or the rear interior area of the wagon were provided. Continue reading →

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New Porsche 911 Turbo S Most Powerful 911 Ever

Posted on 12 September 2025 by Ken Zino

Porsche (P911.DE) showed the new 911 Turbo S series at the IAA Mobility motor show in Munich. The twin-turbo powertrain with so-called T-Hybrid technology makes the new 911 Turbo S the most powerful production 911 thus far. The sports car, available as a coupé and cabriolet, claims more intelligent aerodynamics, an optimized chassis and more exclusive equipment. Prices, inevitably high, are thus far are unknown. They will be influenced negatively by the ongoing Trump Tariff economic chaos.

“The 911 Turbo S is the most complete and versatile form of driving a Porsche 911. Whether in daily use, on long autobahn journeys or on the racetrack – we have made the new 911 Turbo S even more comfortable, more individual and significantly faster than its predecessor,” said Frank Moser, Vice President of the 911 and 718 model line. Continue reading →

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Trump Economics – Growth Slowing, Unemployment Rising

Posted on 11 September 2025 by Ken Zino

John C. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer Federal Reserve Bank of New York spoke at the Economic Club of New York on 4 September 2025. The views expressed are his own. However, AutoInformed notes that, regrettably, the data when … Continue reading →

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Gasoline Prices Stable as Summer Travel Ends

Posted on 11 September 2025 by Ken Zino

“The national average for a gallon of regular is down about a penny to $3.19. There remains an abundance of crude oil supply which is outweighing demand. The seasonal transition to winter-blend gasoline – which is cheaper to produce – is also beginning. While the national average has been relatively stable, drivers in the Pacific Northwest are feeling pain at the pump. Gas prices in the area have jumped more than 20 cents in the past week due to the shutdown of a major pipeline that transports fuel from Washington to Oregon. The pipeline is reportedly expected to resume operations in a few days,” said AAA Continue reading →

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Trump Tariffs Hit N.A. Automakers $1.389B

Posted on 11 September 2025 by Ken Zino

“Tariffs hit North American automakers hard in July,” said Patrick L. Anderson, Principal & CEO of Anderson Economic Group. “The automakers made extensive use of temporary allowances that effectively allowed an exemption for the majority of both parts and vehicles through June. That changed in July for assembled vehicles, and we can expect that these costs will become embedded into the prices consumers are paying in the very near future.” Continue reading →

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Magna Names Philip D. Fracassa CFO

Posted on 11 September 2025 by Ken Zino

“I would like to extend my gratitude to Pat for his significant contributions and partnership, particularly during a dynamic period in the global economy and our industry,” said Swamy Kotagiri, Magna President and Chief Executive Officer. “On behalf of the entire Magna team, we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

“Phil is a seasoned financial leader with a strong track record of delivering results and driving transformation,” said Kotagiri. “His experience and perspective will be invaluable as we continue executing our strategy and advancing Magna’s financial position. I am looking forward to partnering with Phil on our continued journey,” said Kotagiri. Continue reading →

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Nissan Testing Cooperative Congestion Management

Posted on 10 September 2025 by Ken Zino

Nissan said today that a trial with UC Berkeley and Contra Costa Transportation Authority showed how connected vehicles can help reduce congestion. Nissan’s Cooperative Congestion Management (CCM) trial resulted in 85% fewer hard-braking events and 70% less time stopped in traffic during 600 miles of testing. It’s the latest example of how connected vehicles can yield safety benefits, although there are still huge, unanswered questions about privacy rights and the lack of regulations with the impending monitoring by State and the Federal government entities. Continue reading →

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Annals of Marketing – Audi F1 and Adidas

Posted on 10 September 2025 by Ken Zino

The Audi F1 Team and adidas (sic) today announced a multi-year partnership whereby the German sporting goods manufacturer becomes the team’s official apparel partner. The collection will be released before the start of the 2026 season when Audi takes over Sauber Motorsport.

“adidas and Audi have decades of collaboration in top-level sports – built on shared values and the desire to inspire through performance. Our partnership in Formula 1 goes far beyond the pursuit of innovation and peak performance: it combines the strengths and visions of two progressive brands. The upcoming adidas collection will be characterized by clarity and precision, just like Audi’s new design philosophy. The fact that we are shaping our brand’s entry into the premier class of motorsport together with adidas underscores the great trust and appreciation we have for our collaboration,” said Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG. Continue reading →

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IIHS Safety Award to Use Risky Driver Behavior Tech

Posted on 9 September 2025 by Ken Zino

Vehicle technology that can detect certain types of risky driver behavior will soon be added to the requirements for a safety award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Institute’s president, David Harkey, announced today during a roundtable on impaired driving organized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

“As part of our 30×30 vision to cut U.S. road deaths 30% by 2030, we are committed to addressing the risky – and often illegal – behavior that underlies most fatalities today,” Harkey said. “One way we plan to do that is to leverage our ratings and award programs to encourage automakers to adopt this new class of safety technology, just as we got them to improve vehicle structures, airbags and collision avoidance systems.” Continue reading →

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Chinese Junk Watch – Makita Grease Guns, Hoses

Posted on 9 September 2025 by Ken Zino

The Consumer Products Safety Commission https://www.saferproducts.gov/SaferProducts.gov says that there is s recall for ~63,000 Chinese-made Makita Professional Cordless Grease Guns with model numbers XPG01S1, XPG01SR1 and XPG01Z, and Makita Grease Gun Hoses with model numbers 191A79-9, 191A80-4, 191W59-7 and 191W58-9.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Makita Cordless Grease Guns and Makita Grease Gun Hoses and contact Makita for a free replacement hose,” CPSC said. Continue reading →

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A BMW Motorcycle for Pope Leo XIV?

Posted on 9 September 2025 by Ken Zino

BMW today said that on 3 September 2025, a specially modified BMW R 18 Transcontinental motorcycle was presented to Pope Leo XIV for his blessing and signature during a celebratory event at the Vatican. This R 18 Transcontinental bearing the Pope’s signature will be auctioned by Missio Austria via Sotheby’s in October 2025, with the proceeds going to children’s aid projects in Madagascar. Markus Flasch, the CEO of BMW Motorrad and Michael Sommer, head of BMW Motorrad Germany, presented the motorcycle to the Pope for blessing and signing, after the general audience at the Vatican.

“What initially sounded more like a crazy idea has developed into a great charity campaign. I am happy that we at BMW Motorrad can support aid projects for children in Madagascar with our R 18 Transcontinental. I would also like to thank Pope Leo XIV for taking the time to support this project,” said Flasch. Continue reading →

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Toyota – Latest Emission Scandal Compliance Report

Posted on 9 September 2025 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM, 7203T) said today that it has submitted a progress report on recurrence prevention of model certification application issues to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in compliance with the correction order issued by the ministry. This report, summarizing actions taken to date, is the fourth of a series of quarterly reports that resulted after Toyota and Group companies falsified emission compliance reports*

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda took the lead during February 2024 “in calling on Group companies to start Toyota’s company-wide TPS (Toyota Production System) training program for Certification Work. The aim of this initiative is to create a better work system through improvement. The president and other members of management continue to be on-site daily at various genba [In the Toyota production system Genba means the actual place where the work is done such as a factory floor or an engineering center. Monozukuri, below is craftsmanship or the art of manufacturing. It is used as shorthand to represent the whole history and depth of Japanese manufacturing practices. – AutoCrat]. This is being done to clarify stagnation factors in each process and to create a system to identify abnormalities,” Toyota said. Continue reading →

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