-
Recent Posts
- Rising EV Sales Deepen Need for Charging Systems
- ACEA – EU November Car Sales Flat. Tesla Wilts
- Honda Aircraft Company Offers Performance Upgrade Package
- November 2025 UK Vehicle Production Plunges
- US New-Vehicle Sales Q4 Forecast Down in 2025. Year Up a Tad
- Toyota to Export U.S. Made Vehicles to Japan
- Nissan Claims to Kill Wireless Phone Charging Bugs
- Electrify America EV Charging Adds WS Development
- Q3 2025 Airline Profits in Trump Slump
- Honda Recalls 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EVs
- Ford Motor Eliminates Model E in Profit Seeking About Face
- Wadda You Say? Personalized Sound at Nissan, Infiniti
- Bye Sauber – Hi Audi Revolut F1 Team
- Pre-Owned Vehicle Marketing – Stellantis, Cox Automotive
- Chinese Junk Watch Death Risk – Luyuan Youth ATVs
Recent Comments
- Magna on its Share Repurchase Plan in reference to on Magna Posts Solid Q3 2025 Earnings Gain
- Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador on Ford Performance Rebranded as Ford Racing
- Gen 3 2026 Nissan Leaf Less than $30,000? | AutoInformed on Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee
- ACSI – Customer Satisfaction with Autos Dropping | AutoInformed on New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump
- Cadillac Off-Roader – Elevated Velocity | AutoInformed on Annals of Marketing – Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept EV
Archives
Meta
Tag Archives: Ken Zino
EV Servicing – First Power CSI Satisfaction Drop in 28 Years
You can sell EVs, but you can’t service them to the customer’s satisfaction. That’s the bottom line of the results in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study,SM released today. The growing volume of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) being serviced at dealerships is having a negative effect on overall customer service satisfaction, resulting in a year-over-year decline in score for the first time in 28 years. Satisfaction with the service experience declines 2 points to 846 (on a 1,000-point scale) in this year’s study. Continue reading
IIHS Questions the Safety of Electric Vehicles on Others
“Assuming the new generation of heavy EVs is designed to perform well in our crash tests, there is no reason they can’t provide good protection to their occupants. In fact, their extra weight will afford them greater protection in a multivehicle crash. Unfortunately, given the way these vehicles are currently designed, this increased protection comes at the expense of people in other vehicles,” Arbelaez said. Continue reading
Mercedes-Benz EQE Priced from +$79,000 in the US
For the first time, the fully variable 4MATIC all-wheel drive system with torque shift in the EQE 350 4MATIC SUV is offered at the same starting price as the EQE 350+ SUV. Mercedes-Benz claimed that this , enhances value for customers for the highest volume model. Each trim has EQ-specific innovative technologies and luxurious features, along with an array of additional options for further personalization. All are built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.* Continue reading
NHTSA Opens Tesla Probe for Steering Wheels Falling Off
In the filing, ODI said both vehicles received an end of line repair requiring removal and re-installation of the steering wheel. A friction fit maintained the connection between the steering wheel and the column splines during operation until separation. Sudden separation occurred when the force exerted on the steering wheel overcame the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion. Both known incidents occurred at low vehicle mileage. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, manufacturing, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Ken Zino, NHTSA PE23003, odi
Leave a comment
Nissan Recalls Rogues for Sudden Engine Shutoff
Owners are warned not to attach any accessories to their key and only use the key in the unfolded orientation until the remedy for the safety defect is available. In addition, dealers and rental fleets will be instructed on an interim remedy to insert a fastener into the key slot that will prevent the key from folding. When remedy parts are available, dealers will insert a spacer into the key slot of the customer’s key fob that will not allow the key to collapse. Continue reading
Ford Recalls Ranger Airbag Recall for Unsafe Repair
Although Ford service instructions include diagrams and instructions for proper airbag inflator installation, technicians who mis-installed the inflator told Ford they did not review the instructions prior to installation. Ford did not name the “select dealerships (responsible) and a certain third-party mobile repair team,” which discovered botched repair(s) in the required filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Justice Sues to Block JetBlue’s Purchase of Spirit Airlines
“JetBlue’s proposed acquisition of Spirit eliminates a disruptive, low-cost option for millions of Americans. Whether they fly Spirit or not, travelers throughout the United States benefit from an independent Spirit because where Spirit competes, other airlines – including JetBlue – are forced to compete more vigorously by lowering fares, offering greater innovations, and delivering more consumer choice,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This transaction occurs against the backdrop of years of airline consolidation in the United States.” Continue reading
Cadillac CELESTIQ Debuts With Hands-Free Driving Possible in Most Conditions Early in 2024. Caveats Apply
General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced today that Ultra Cruise1, the company’s next-generation advanced driver assistance system2 designed to enable hands-free driving in 95% of all driving scenarios, will have a 360-degree view of the vehicle through a unique sensor suite when it launches on the ~$300,000 Cadillac CELESTIQ 3 in early 2024. There are of course many technical, regulatory and insurance issues the need to be resolved before full deployment is underway. Continue reading
SEC Charges Mining Company Rio Tinto with Bribery
Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) among other large international corporations have supply contracts or business relationships with the mining conglomerate involving electric vehicle battery materials. Whether this is a bum in the road or a longer-term impediment to EV advancement is an open and ongoing matter subject to debate in industrial and public policy sectors. Continue reading
February 2023 Western EU Passenger Vehicle Sales Up 11%
However, LMC hedged by saying that 2022 is a weak base for comparison. “In YoY terms, the market was up 2.8%, though the same period last year was particularly weak” Continue reading
Honda Using Fuel Cell to Back Up Power at Its Data Center
The power station uses Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell technology know-how and contributes to the company’s global goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050.In the coming years, Honda will begin applying a next-generation stationary fuel cell system to Honda manufacturing facilities and data centers globally, thereby reducing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading
NADA Economist Predicts 14.6 Million Light Vehicle Sales
“Looking ahead, we believe that vehicle production will show continued improvement in March. Wards Intelligence expects that 2023 Q1 North American light-vehicle production will grow by 7.3% compared with the first quarter of 2022. This should be good news for continued inventory growth throughout the year. We believe that with more inventory available, new light-vehicle sales will increase in 2023. Our full-year forecast is 14.6 million units,” said Manzi. Continue reading
US January Aviation Fuel Use Recovering
The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released US airlines’ January 2023 fuel cost and consumption numbers. US scheduled service airlines used 1.413 billion gallons of fuel, 4.0% less fuel than in December 2022 (1.471 billion gallons), but only -0.7% less than in pre-pandemic January 2019 as the economy remains resilient. Continue reading
Ford Motor Establishes Latitude AI for Autonomous Driving
Ford Motor Company said today that it has established Latitude AI, a wholly owned subsidiary, develop “a hands-free, eyes-off-the-road automated driving system.” The move follows in the wake of a $2 billion loss posted for 2022, partially the result of a Q3 2022 decision that saw Ford shift its capital spending from the L4 advanced driver assistance systems being developed by Argo AI to internally developed L2+/L3 technology. Continue reading
Nissan X-in-1 – Shared, Modular EV Components
“We make the most of our expertise and know-how from our more-than-a-decade long development and production of electrified technologies. Through our innovations in electrified powertrain development, we’ll continue to create new value for customers and deliver 100% motor-driven vehicles – EVs and e-POWER – as widely as possible,” said Senior Vice President Toshihiro Hirai, who leads powertrain & EV engineering powertrain development. Like all automakers, converting to EVs is an expensive process, potentially ruinous for shareholders. Continue reading →