Tag Archives: zino

Tax Cuts, Deregulation Led to Jobs Crisis AFL-CIO Forum Claims. More of Same Means Fewer Consumers

Since two-thirds of the economy of the United States is based on consumer spending, no wonder corporations are reluctant to hire. There is just too much uncertainty in the economy, too much uncertainty in Washington. We could be heading for another recession while politicians dicker. Continue reading

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California High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Closed to Hybrids. CNG, Electric Vehicles Now Picked as Winners by Government

Thus ends another episode of the California government using its power to pick vehicle winners instead of allowing market forces to operate. However, as the hybrid favoritism fades in memory, new auto winners are being picked for single driver HOV access from now until 2015. Continue reading

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EPA Wants to Eliminate a Vapor Recovery Regulation

In a statement the EPA said the “proposal is part of the Obama Administration’s initiative to review outdated and redundant rules and ensure that regulations are beneficial without being unnecessarily burdensome to American businesses.” (Well, yes, but it’s redundant because another regulation was put in place without limiting the life of the existing one.) Continue reading

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U.S. Unemployment Rises Again in June to an Official 9.2%

This means that more than 14 million Americans are unemployed, with at least another 10 million underemployed. The average length unemployment is now the highest on record. The Administration and its cabinet appointees as well as Republicans were quick to attempt damage control. Continue reading

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Toyota Opens a European Proving Ground in Belgium

The new Zaventem Proving Ground will play an important role for Toyota’s European vehicle development as part of the company’s plan to become Toyota’s global development center for the small and compact vehicle segments, the Japanese company said in a release. It’s hard to believe Toyota will move those jobs out of Japan where generations of Corolla and other small models have been developed. Continue reading

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Muscle Hybrids Decried for Performance in Hybrid Scorecard

The pressure group criticized the Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, the new Porsche Cayenne Hybrid and BMW’s X6 and 750i Active Hybrids as among the worst-rated hybrids for environmental improvement because they emphasize power over economy in their design. UCS is apparently unaware of the long standing performance marketing positioning of German brands. Continue reading

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BMW Group Sales at Record for June and Six months

The BMW Group announced this morning in Munich that it delivered more vehicles in June than ever before in any month. A total of 165.855 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles were sold, which is an increase of +15.9% compared to sales in June last year (2010 – 143,156 units). Continue reading

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Infiniti JX Concept Teaser Photo Released

Infiniti also announced the launch of the “Power of 7,” the latest social media campaign from an automaker designed to spark interest about the JX Concept in advance of its global reveal at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18. Continue reading

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GM Claims Landfill Free Leadership in Facility Recycling

In 2010, all of GM’s worldwide facilities combined – including regular and landfill-free plants – recycled 92% of the waste they generated. Continue reading

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40 MPG Hyundai Models Continue to Set Sales Records

Call it luck or call it planning, but Hyundai’s emphasis on fuel economy and interior room is paying sales dividends. The Korean maker announced today that it had sold its 100,000 40 mpg vehicle this year as rated on the EPA highway cycle. Continue reading

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EPA Tightens Airplane Emissions Rules as U.S. Carriers Sue EU

The new EPA standards, lacking a CO2 component that automakers are subject to via fuel economy rules, were either previously adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), or agreed on at ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) in 2010.

Critics say American airlines have a long history of actively seeking to disrupt all measures to cut climate changing emissions. The legal case is another cynical attempt to derail a modest and cost effective climate initiative. Continue reading

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BMW Shows Two Wheel Concept E-Scooter at Motorrad 2011

BMW introduced its latest liquid-cooled electric motorcycle – dubbed E-Scooter at its 11th Motorrad Days in Garmish this past weekend. The E-Scooter is said to use motorcycle technology that could make it suitable for a wider range of commuting than current inner-city scooters provide for short trips. Continue reading

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New-Vehicle Consideration Rates Shift To European Models in China, away from Japanese. Chevrolet and Buick Gaining

The study finds that the proportion of new-vehicle intenders who say they would consider purchasing a model from a European automaker has increased to 32% in 2011 from 25% in 2009. Consideration rates for Japanese models have declined to 27% in 2011 from 32% in 2009. An increasing proportion of intenders are citing concerns about quality and reliability and concerns about dealer service for Japanese models. Continue reading

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Chevy Recalls Colorado, GMC Canyon for Bad Transmissions

The safety defect in violation of FMVSS #114, which deals with the shift interlock design, is caused by a defective automatic transmission adjustment clip built in China. Continue reading

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New Vehicles Overpriced, Sending Sales to Used?

About 8% of the people who bought a used vehicle in June were trying to decide between purchasing a new or used car and elected for the older one. This means that approximately 360,000 new-vehicle sales went to older vehicles. That’s two final assembly plants worth, and it doesn’t include supporting component parts plants at a time when unemployment is officially more than 9%. Continue reading

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