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The following articles are selected to provide informative and entertaining views of the automotive industry. We look at local news and unique stories from throughout the world.
Current News
Boxer Introduces Legislation to Close 'Revolving Door' Between NHTSA, Automakers
The legislation would bar former NHTSA employees from working for auto manufacturers in any capacity that required written or oral communication with the agency for three years. Despite the precautions, two 800-foot-long tents came loose during the storm's high winds. One tent was blown from its anchors onto a nearby freeway and the other tent collapsed onto cars entered in the auction.
A Blue Island (Illinois) woman is seeking more than $1 million from a car dealership after a person driving a car owned by the business struck the woman as she tried to cross the street.
April 30, 2010
Electric-Car Shoppers: Get Ready To Be Tested
“There are a lot of enthusiastic people out there who want to be pioneers,” says BMW spokesman Tom Plucinsky. But they might not be ready for the demands of electric cars.
Woman sues dealer after being struck by car
A Windsor, Ont.-area car dealership suspects an ex-employee loaded illegal copies of Microsoft Office on to company computers, and then called up the Business Software Alliance to cash in on the incentive they offer.
The Mercedes is a loaner from a local dealership. Six vehicles below were damaged by falling bricks.
April 28, 2010
Germany’s Der Spiegel: Electric Cars Are an “E-llusion”
Der Spiegel compares the rage of electric cars with the recent “euphoria surrounding biofuels, which were once touted as a viable alternative to petroleum. Those hopes “were quickly dashed” when the true energy costs and the impact on global food markets were more fully evaluated.
Just across the freeway from the museum itself, the park will hold two road courses, one of which will be the longest track in the U.S., plus a karting track, 10-acre autocross pad, skid pad training area and a 1/4 mile dragstrip.
April 27, 2010
Black Book: Wholesale Market Finally Turning in Dealer Favor
Black Book managing editor Ricky Beggs has seen the wholesale market take a positive turn for dealers. He based this judgment on the fact that fewer vehicles had to have values tweaked upward during the week.
Compact Corolla is the world's most popular car, with 908,661 units sold last year, about one-third of them in the U.S. The lead may not last forever, though. Ford is copying Toyota's strategy, and with great success.
April 26, 2010
Southwest Florida auto dealer Frank Galeana, 80, 'was a rock', son says
In 1974, he bought Van Dyke Dodge in Warren, Mich., and began building his empire, eventually becoming one of America's top dealers.
Students compete to build an affordable 100 mpg car
Organized by the X Prize Foundation and backed by Progressive Insurance, the competition encourages the invention of a vehicle that will get at least 100 miles per gallon or its equivalent.
April 23, 2010
Coupon looks like $100 bill
Brantford police say a local promotion by an automotive store has them concerned about potential fraud.
Electric cars were on roads 80 years ago
The automobile originally could have gone the electric, steam or gasoline route. We all know which won out
April 22, 2010
Why the Electric Car is Stalling in China
China’s nearly 100 automakers (including Chery, BYD and others) are beginning to introduce EVs, but the market isn’t responding. A paltry 3,000 to 4,000 EVs and hybrids were sold in 2008, and about half of that was the Toyota Prius.
Woman sentenced for 'stupid' thefts from workplace
She was working at a local car dealership when prosecutors said she wrote more than $140,000 worth of company checks to pay off her personal credit card debt.
April 21, 2010
Ford says auto future hinges on electric car
"It appears that the biggest game-changer will be electric vehicles," Ford said during a speech in Detroit. "Our plan includes the introduction of five new high-mileage vehicles."
Car buyers still not tempted by dealer finance offers
Only 11% of car buyers it surveyed would take out finance through a dealer and 56% of those looking for dealer finance stated that the rates weren’t competitive.
April 20, 2010
Today, three Florida Chrysler dealers try to get their business lives back via arbitration
Bob Taylor Jeep will argue it performed effectively, was sufficiently capitalized, helped Chrysler and was an asset to its community.
The goal of the Fraunhofer researchers is to develop prototypes for hybrid and electric vehicles, in order to support the German automotive industry as it makes the crossover to electromobility.
April 19, 2010
After $70K verdict, faulty-car suit settles
A counselor for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools, was not properly informed that the 2003 Mini Cooper was a “dealer buy-back,” the jury decided after a four-day trial in county circuit court.
The fight that was revved up by a recent decision by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which ruled that franchising contracts dealers had with car makers superseded amendments to the Florida Automobile Dealers Act.
April 16, 2010
The fight that was revved up by a recent decision by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which ruled that franchising contracts dealers had with car makers superseded amendments to the Florida Automobile Dealers Act.
April 15, 2010
Chrysler teams with NASA on future technologies
Chrysler and the NASA are forming a three-year alliance to share research on technologies such as robotics, radar, barriers and other energy storage devices.
April 14, 2010
Manual Transmissions – A Feature Of The Past?
Most car companies, even those known for sporty, fun-to-drive cars, say demand for stick shifts slips a bit every year.
April 13, 2010
West Milton Woman Sentenced In Dealership Theft
A woman accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a dealership in Greenville was sentenced on Monday. Prosecutors said the theft is a minimum of $380,000.
April 12, 2010
Ford CEO Alan Mulally says dealerships will look like Apple Stores
As Apple did with its iProducts, Ford will allow developers to create applications for the Sync system already availalbe in roughly two million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.
Long-time Toyota of Bend worker charged with theft
A former long-time office manager for Toyota-Scion of Bend was arrested Friday on charges of stealing more than $10,000 from her employer, and police said the final tally is likely to be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
April 9, 2010
Brownback Pushes a Break for Auto Dealers
Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kan.) plans to introduce an amendment to the financial overhaul bill that would exempt most auto dealers from new consumer financial protection rules.
Mazda's diesel to take on hybrids
The Japanese automaker plans to bring a diesel-powered midsized sedan to the United States in 2012 that will get 43 miles per gallon. That is better than any of today's midsized hybrids, and Mazda promises its car will cost far less.
Copiers: Gold Mines for Identity Theft
"You're looking at 15, 20 thousand documents each" Juntunen says - documents that still reside inside. Most copy machines use hard drives to store every document that has been scanned, printed, faxed, or e-mailed.
April 7, 2010
Former worker accused of embezzling money from car dealership
UNION COUNTY, NC - A Monroe woman is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the car dealership where she was employed.
April 6, 2010
Man behind promised electric car plant in Simpson County now in debt
Randall S. Waldman had promised to build an electric car plant in Simpson County that would employ as many as 4,000 people, but the plant never materialized. Colburn Group Insurance of Troy, Mich., cited a 2009 United Kingdom study suggesting that the color of your car speaks volumes about your outlook on life and even your driving style.
What's your color? It says a lot about your personality and driving style
April 5, 2010
Save The Hummers! Summit Set for Chicago
The fund management firm Capital & Labor International Coalition has announced plans to hold a “Save Hummer Motors in America Summit” April 11 in Chicago. The company “is planning to invite all of Hummer’s stakeholders and dealers, several influential UAW members, and Jim Taylor -- Hummer’s CEO -- to the conference.
Electric cars are riding high, as incentives and new models make them a realistic option, but the fresh attention may highlight flaws compared with gasoline and alternatives such as biofuels.
April 2, 2010
Lawsuit claims woman 'pilfered' $645,000 from Bellingham (WA) car dealership
The declaration states that when Chad Chambers confronted Griffin the next day, she "did not deny that she had used company funds," and in later meetings, "admitted using company funds for personal expenses ... and estimated that she had taken about $1 million from the dealership over the years because she felt that she was 'undervalued' at work."
Market research company finds more US vehicles scrapped than added to fleet
More than 14.8 million cars and light trucks were retired from the fleet between July 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, compared to new registrations of slightly more than 13.6 million.
The new solution Microsoft Hohm announced by the companies at the 2010 New York auto show, is claimed to make electric vehicle ownership easier and cost-effective.
March 31, 2010
California 'cool cars' rule for window glazing scrapped
The California Air Resources Board has scrapped the requirement that windows on new cars be coated with a special glazing that would cool the interiors.
Study Outlines Approach to Fuel Economy Standards for Trucks
The study says considerable fuel efficiency gains are possible through a range of technologies and methods, and recommends that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration employ a fuel economy measurement that takes freight into account.
March 30, 2010
Ferris Bueller Ferrari Can Be Yours For $67,000
According to a description by London auction house Bonhams, which will put the car on the block April 19, the car is one of two replicas Paramount commissioned especially for the film.
March 29, 2010
Startup automaker addresses viability concerns
An application for $321.1 million in federal loans to start production of a fuel-efficient vehicle in Louisiana was rejected because the financial viability of V-Vehicle Co. was questioned, a company spokesman said Monday.
Political leaders in Kentucky may have snubbed General Motors by killing a bill to name the Corvette as the state's official sports car.
March 26, 2010
Crash During Pagani Zonda Test Drive Results In $445,000 Damage Bill
Speaking with the BBC, a spokesperson for insurance company Aviva said: "This is the biggest insurance payout we have had for repairs to a private car in the UK."
March 25, 2010
West Pennsboro woman accused of improperly padding savings accounts
State police at Carlisle have filed felony charges against a West Pennsboro Township woman accused of improperly funneling more than $74,000 into savings accounts for herself and her husband.
March 24, 2010
Auto insurer to reimburse nearly $1 million to New York policyholders
A New York-based automobile insurer will pay out $992,000 to customers it overcharged and pay a $360,000 fine for improperly imposing a 30% rate hike.
"Smarter" Airbags Yield Increase in Driver Injuries and Death
Recent studies by researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal a 21 percent increase in injuries and death to belted drivers in vehicles with the newer generation airbags.
March 23, 2010
$30 Million Suit Filed Against Hyundai on Behalf of Major Auto Dealer
Plaintiff Jim Estes and his dealership Merced Hyundai are charging Hyundai with fraud, intentional misrepresentation, and concealment, along with other claims.
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