Tag Archives: zino

HondaJet Makes First Flight toward FAA Certification

Honda Aircraft Company announced today that it has successfully completed the first flight of its FAA-conforming HondaJet light business jet, a step that could now lead to customer deliveries during the third quarter of 2012 of the delayed aircraft. The … Continue reading

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Toyota Motor Fined Another $32.425 Million for Safety Defects

Toyota Motor Corp. will pay $32.425 million in civil penalties as the result of two Department of Transportation Investigations into safety defects it was announced late last night by DOT. The additional penalties are on top of a previous fine … Continue reading

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Colonel Shoup’s Sleigh Ride! North American Aerospace Defense Command Still Tracks Santa Claus

This sleigh ride started with a misprint: In 1955 a Sears Roebuck & Company advertisement asked kids to call Santa at what was a wrong phone number. The Santa Claus number was actually the hotline for the Commander-in-Chief of  the … Continue reading

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Camaro Sales to Beat Mustang for First Time Since 1991!

Call it a Bowtie blowout or another example of a GM comeback, but unless Ford pulls off a Christmas miracle later this month, Camaro will take the annual sales leadership crown from the Mustang for the first time since 1978. Continue reading

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U.S. Navy Accepts GM Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle

The U.S. Navy is among the first customers to take delivery of a Chevrolet Equinox  hydrogen fuel cell vehicle as part of the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative, GM said today. The Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative, subsidized by federal taxpayers, will try to promote hydrogen … Continue reading

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BP Oil Spill Spawns Chevrolet Volt Plastic Parts

General Motors announced this morning that it has a process to convert the boom material used to soak up spewing oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP Oil spill disaster into plastic parts for its Chevrolet vehicles. The ongoing project is expected to create enough parts to supply the first year of production of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid vehicle that has just gone on sale. Continue reading

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Volkswagen Recalls 377,286 Jetta, Beetle and Rabbit Models for Fuel Leaks and Potential Underhood Fires

Volkswagen is initiating a recall of hundreds of thousands of Mexican built Jetta, Beetle and Rabbit models for fuel leaks that could lead to underhood fires. Model years 2006-2010 are affected. The affected models all have 2.5-liter engines with design … Continue reading

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UAW Defends Korean FTA as Other Unions Protest Deal

In a late Friday afternoon e-mail to its members and supporters, the United Auto Workers Union defended its endorsement of the revised and still controversial Korean FTA or so called Free Trade Agreement. The defense came after the heads of … Continue reading

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Nissan Adds Power Windows to All Versa Sub-Compacts

Nissan North America says that all Versa sub-compacts now come standard with power windows and door locks. This change affects all Versa 1.6 Sedans, as well as Versa 1.8 S Sedan and 1.8 S Hatchback models (power windows and door … Continue reading

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Honda Passport SUVs Recalled for Wheels Falling Off

Honda will recall 35,984 Passport SUVs sold in the United States from model years 1998-2002 to inspect the rear suspension lower trailing links. The forward mounting bracket for the left or right rear suspension lower link may suffer excessive corrosion leading to a failure of the suspension, increasing the risk of a crash.

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GM Names Joel Ewanick Global Chief Marketing Officer

General Motors today announced that Joel Ewanick is now Global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective immediately, and will have responsibility for GM’s brands globally. Ewanick, 50, will report to CEO Dan Akerson as Global CMO and continue to report to … Continue reading

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American Honda Recalls Fit for Headlight Failures

American Honda Motor Company will recall approximately 143,083 model year 2007 and 2008 Honda Fit vehicles because of a bad headlight switch, which can case the low-beams to fail and possibly start a fire. The problem derives from the routing … Continue reading

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Merry Christmas as U.S. December Auto Sales Trend Upward!

It could be a wild sleigh ride later this month, but preliminary data show that the U.S. December new-vehicle retail sales trend is significantly higher than two-handed economists predicted, setting the stage for a 2011 comeback for the U.S. auto industry.

December new-vehicle retail sales are expected to come in at 936,300 units, which means seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 10.8 million units, the highest of the year. December retail sales are expected to be up 19 % from one year ago. Continue reading

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Fuel Economy Regulations Risk Huge Job Losses, While Increasing Environmental Damage, CAR Study Predicts

This comes as the U.S. national unemployment rate hovers at an official 9.8%, which is an understated number since it doesn’t include under-employed, forced retirees or beaten down job seekers who are the victims of Republican ‘socialism and tax cuts for the rich’ policies.  Continue reading

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Redesigned Models Offer Automakers the Best Chance to Increase Buyer Consideration

A redesigned new model is an automaker’s best opportunity to change the perceptions of the past, according to a new study released today that analyzes the reasons auto buyers fail to consider – or avoid – particular models when shopping for a new vehicle. Continue reading

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