by Ken Zino | Mar 15, 2010
Some small steps toward implementing the latest Opel/ Vauxhall “viability plan” occurred today in Europe as the UK government announced a €300 million loan guarantee to help secure Opel/Vauxhall’s operations in Britain. Discussions with governments in other...
by Ken Zino | Mar 15, 2010
Chrysler Group is recalling Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicles made during December 2009. The supplier, Global Automotive Systems, improperly welded the bushing-retaining hoops on the rear track bar. A normal quality inspection showed that a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 15, 2010
Spurred by some of the heftiest incentives in some time, industry observers report seeing significant signs of growth in the U.S. auto industry during the first part of March. At least one well-regarded analyst is forecasting that demand could reach an annualized rate...
by Mike Davis | Mar 15, 2010
More than 50 years ago, the director of a Florida police academy told me the entire rationale for police traffic enforcement was supposed to be safety and only safety. Enforcement should be keyed to specific “accident” causes. Nevertheless, as any motorist can attest,...
by Ken Zino | Mar 12, 2010
Nissan is conducting what it calls a “Voluntary Service Campaign” on a 9,000 four-wheel-drive Armada, Frontier, Pathfinder, Titans, Xterra and Infiniti QX56 2010 models to inspect the front driveshaft. This is not a safety recall but a service action of the kind that...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 12, 2010
Reader Terry Beamon had a simple comment regarding my recent review of a prototype Chevrolet Volt. “I think the price is too high for the average buyer,” he complained. (Click Here for the review and all comments.) I’ve heard that a lot from folks, whether they’re...
by Ken Zino | Mar 12, 2010
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) has announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 Nissan GT-R sports car, which is on sale now at about 700 Nissan dealers. The previously available GT-R base model is eliminated, leaving the GT-R Premium as the only available 2011 model,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 12, 2010
Korea’s LG Chem will invest $303 million to set up a plant in Western Michigan to produce enough lithium-ion batteries to power as many as 200,000 electric vehicles annually. The primary customer for the LIon technology will be General Motors, which last year chose LG...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 12, 2010
Nissan rolled out its new commercial van at the National Truck Equipment Association’s annual Work Truck Show in St. Louis, this week, and is also suggesting the small van will be among the first electric vehicles to follow the Nissan Leaf sedan into the market....
by Ken Zino | Mar 11, 2010
David Strickland, the newly appointed administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vigorously defended the agency’s actions during the decade that complaints grew about Toyota unintended acceleration problems. Strickland testified before the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 11, 2010
“Sometimes I feel like it’s back in 1969 and I’m flying medevacs, taking fire and occasionally getting hit,” says Don Esmond, a slight grimace showing through his smile. A decorated helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, Toyota’s senior vice president of automotive...
by Ken Zino | Mar 11, 2010
The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th consecutive quarter. Secretary LaHood released the preliminary data ahead of a...
