by Ken Zino | May 27, 2010
Nearly one in five licensed drivers – or about 38 million Americans – would not pass a written drivers test if taken today, according to a new survey from GMAC Insurance. Some might question why it isn’t more. The sixth annual survey polled 5,202 licensed...
by Ken Zino | May 27, 2010
BYD Company Limited and Daimler AG today signed a contract creating a 50:50 joint venture called Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd. The new firm will develop an electric vehicle for China under a new brand name. Daimler and BYD will invest RMB 600 million...
by Ken Zino | May 27, 2010
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has proposed changing the congestion charge exemption to include cars with conventional engines that emit low levels of CO2, in many cases lower than the hybrid or alternate fuel vehicles currently benefiting from taxpayer largess....
by Ken Zino | May 26, 2010
If the latest survey from Consumer Reports is accurate, 73% of car buyers said they were “somewhat” or “very likely” to purchase the same make they currently drive the next time they shop for a new car. However, if they were to change brands, most respondents said...
by Ken Zino | May 26, 2010
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more than 6,200 complaints involving sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus models, including 89 deaths and 57 injuries. The safety agency, which is under attack by Congressmen and safety advocates for not doing...
by Ken Zino | May 26, 2010
The Honda versus Toyota question goes back for decades, not as long as the Yankees versus the Red Sox, but with almost the same intensity among fans as the ongoing diamond debate. The latest version of the Accord, introduced in 2008, is more aggressively styled, has a...
by Ken Zino | May 25, 2010
The Volkswagen Group will take a 90.1% stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. (IDG), Turin, including the brand name rights and patents. The agreement was announced today at a joint press conference in Turin. Regulatory approvals are pending. The shares are being...
by Ken Zino | May 25, 2010
The fallout from Toyota’s cover-up of unintended acceleration problems and the lack of action at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continues to reverberate in Washington in ways that will affect all automakers and possibly make our roads safer. David...
by Ken Zino | May 24, 2010
Ford is recalling model year 2010 Ranger vehicles for defective parking brakes. On Rangers made from June 8, 2009 through February 2, 2010 equipped with manual transmissions, it is possible for the parking brake cable to become disconnected from the right rear...
by Ken Zino | May 24, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced that while seat belt use is at a record high 84% nationwide, 45 million Americans are still not using seat belts when riding in motor vehicles. In an effort to increase belt use and save lives, the Secretary...
by Ken Zino | May 24, 2010
Nissan is recalling more than 41,000 model year 2010 Titan, Armada, QX56, Frontier, Xterra, and Pathfinder vehicles manufactured from November 19, 2009 through March 3, 2010 for a problem with the front wheels, which could send the trucks out of control. The lower...
by Ken Zino | May 21, 2010
President Obama today ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to institute the first regulation to increase fuel efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas pollution from medium- and heavy-duty trucks for...
