Tag Archives: zino

Mopar Debuts Third Factory Built Hot Rod off Chrysler 300

Posted on 31 January 2012 by Ken Zino

Still working its muscle car roots, the Mopar 300 has a 363 horsepower (hum the Charger was 370?) 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine and a now dated five-speed automatic transmission. A change from a 3.06:1 to a 3.91:1 final-drive means zero-to-60 mph times in the low 5-second range, according to Chrysler, same as the Charger. Continue reading →

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

PBGC Says American Airlines Workers Should Worry About Pensions and Medical Care – So Should Taxpayers

Posted on 30 January 2012 by Ken Zino

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has called out what it says is misleading statements to American Airlines employees by its management about their pension plans under a bankruptcy reorganization. “American Airlines is telling their workers and retirees not to worry, … Continue reading →

Posted in aviation, economy, financial results, labor issues, news, news analysis, people, results, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Plans Four World Debuts at NAIAS. Where is Bob Lutz?

Posted on 2 December 2011 by Ken Zino

“ATS enters the biggest market segment in the global luxury car industry, both in terms of volume and importance,” said Barra.

No kidding. ATS better be good when it appears next fall.

But when I asked what GM consultant Bob Lutz was doing these days, Barra said she was trading e-mails with him about getting Lutz to drive a new Chevy Sonic, which has been on sale globally for a couple of years. While Barra called Lutz an “automotive rock star,” there was no hint in her brief response that she was spending any time with Lutz. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, new vehicle, news, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Vehicle Sales Satisfaction Improves from 2010

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales process has improved from 2010, according to a new study released today. All sales satisfaction measures improved “notably” from 2010, with the greatest increase in the delivery process, despite the fact that the average length of time to complete the delivery portion of a new-vehicle sale has increased by four minutes to an average of 32 minutes in 2011. Continue reading →

Posted in aftermarket, customer satisfaction, marketing, news, news analysis, results | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota Motor November Sales Up 7% as Inventories Build

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor has now returned near the sales levels it had in Q1 before the tragic Japan earthquake disrupted production for months. With the auto industry monthly sales running at the highest rates since August of 2009 when taxpayer subsidies boosted sales under the Cash for Clunkers program, Toyota seems ideally positioned top be back to full strength by early next year. As it is now Toyota has about a 14% market share in the U.S. even though year-to-date total sales are off a whopping 20%, at 1,384,558 vehicles. Continue reading →

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

Ford Motor November U.S. Sales Up 13%

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Overall, ytd Ford Motor has sold 1,938,666 vehicles, more than 500,000 vehicles ahead of Toyota Motor Sales. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, news, news analysis, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM U.S. Sales Up 7% in November – SAAR Booming

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Increased sales of pickup trucks and full size vans dominated GM’s results. GM deliveries y-o-y showed a 34% increase in Chevrolet Silverado pickuo truck sales (34,251) and a 22% increase in GMC Sierra pickup sales at 11,971 Continue reading →

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

BMW and Toyota to Jointly Research Lithium Ion Batteries

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Ken Zino

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) where the companies will research together the next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies. It is the latest example of automakers trying to decrease the astronomical cost of developing more efficient vehicles mandated by increasing stringent fuel economy or CO2 regulations. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, environment, news, news analysis, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment