Tag Archives: zino

Hyundai Recalling 2011 Santa Fe SUVs for Bad Brakes

Hyundai is recalling all 2011 Santa Fe models built at a Kia plant in Alabama because of bad brakes. Defective rear brake calipers can leak and diminish braking performance. Drivers of the affected Sante Fe models should see a brake … Continue reading

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Charles “Chuck” Jordan, GM Vice President of Design Staff

Charles M. “Chuck” Jordan, 83, died at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., late last week. Jordan was the fourth man elected to the position of vice president of the General Motors Design Staff, leading a key industrial design … Continue reading

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Toyota Recalls Sienna Minivans for Defective Brakes

Toyota is recalling 94,000 2011 Model Year Sienna vehicles because the brakes might hang up and ultimately fail.

The latest safety defect from Japan’s once preeminent automaker arises from the clearly faulty design of a brake light switch bracket, which, according to Toyota, is too close to the parking brake pedal and can become “deformed” if driver applies the parking brake, something that Japanese development engineers apparently missed during testing, or procurement or manufacturing engineers missed after manufacturing began. Continue reading

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Cadillac Returns To SCCA GT Racing With CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac today announced that it will return to racing in 2011 with a version of its CTS-V Coupe competing in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge.

The return to SCCA sanctioned tracks sees Cadillac rejoin a series where it successfully competed from 2004 to 2007, capturing the Manufacturer’s Championship in 2005 and 2007, the Driver’s Championship in 2005. Continue reading

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World Car – 2011 Buick Regal

Buick Regal sales since a late summer U.S. introduction – 9,000 to date- and 2,000 sales in November are a start, but honestly more time is needed to see if the sedan is an enduring success at the GM division that U.S. Treasury Department officials wanted to kill during GM’s forced and well earned bankruptcy. Continue reading

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AFL-CIO Rejects Korean FTA. New Trade Policy Called For

The proposed Korean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S. should be rejected by the Congress because its investment and government procurement provisions will encourage “offshoring,” according to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. His statement came after the Detroit Three auto companies … Continue reading

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Detroit Three Continue to Trail Import Brands on Customer Retention Rates. Conquest Rates Are Up Slightly

While customer retention rates among Detroit Three brands as a whole have improved slightly from 2009, domestic makers still trail import brands when an existing vehicle owner considers purchasing the same brand again. Continue reading

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Hybrid Vehicle Sales Slump! EV Demand Overhyped?

Data continue to show that widely publicized green vehicles, notably hybrid vehicles whose sales are in a slump, and electric vehicles just now starting sales are losing popularity among potential buyers. The latest evidence of a hybrid sales slump comes from CNW Research in a report that suggests consumers are increasingly less willing to spend additional money for a hybrid than a conventional gasoline car or truck of the same size and use. Continue reading

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Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative Moves Forward

Ten companies, agencies and universities have joined The Gas Company (TGC), and General Motors to make hydrogen-powered vehicles and a fueling infrastructure a reality in Hawaii by 2015. Taxpayers are subsidizing the program. Continue reading

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Auto Credit Loosens. Average Loan Now More Than $25,000

New vehicle loans to “credit-challenged” buyers grew by 12.7% in Q3 2010, compared with Q3 2009, as lenders loosened their auto credit standards slightly as delinquencies dropped.  

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Renault 4 Anniversary – World’s Most Popular Car after Beetle and Model T

The third best selling model in auto history and the unquestioned bestselling French car globally, the Renault 4 celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. Global sales of more than eight million units in 100 countries, bestow upon the Renault 4 … Continue reading

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Korean Free Trade Agreement gets UAW, Ford Support

Two of the biggest automotive opponents of the controversial Korean Free Trade Agreement – the Ford Motor Company and the UAW – have reversed their opposing positions following modifications late last week that keeps tariffs on Korean auto exports to the U.S. while eliminating them on U.S. automotive exports.
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Baucus Proposes Continuing Billions in Ethanol Subsidies

Senator Max Baucus, D-Montana, chairman of the Finance Committee has proposed draft legislation that would continue lavish taxpayer financed ethanol subsidies instead of letting then expire at the end of this year. Continue reading

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Hyundai Strike! UAW to Demonstrate at Hyundai America

The United Auto Workers Union will demonstrate this Monday at the Hyundai America Technical Center in Michigan to support of a strike by Hyundai workers at a seat plant in Ulsan, South Korea. The Hyundai strike has Korean workers occupying … Continue reading

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General Motors Sets November Sales Record in China

General Motors China and its Chinese-government mandated joint ventures reached a new November sales record in China, growing 11.2% to 196,990 units. GM also set double digit increase in its smaller U.S. home market as sales rose 21%. GM is … Continue reading

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