Car makers risk €10 billion fine for EU carbon breach
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
A handful of car makers risk potential fines of €10 billion ($13 billion) for failing to meet European targets on carbon emissions in 2012, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Tuesday. "If car manufacturers make no further improvements in carbon efficiency of new cars between 2010 and 2012, non-compliant manufacturers could face fines which in total would add up to €10 billion," the EAA said. Large auto manufacturers face being fined if they fail to meet a directive for lowering emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas. The emissions target across the industry is an average of...
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
Electric car maker Aptera closes its doors
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
Electric car maker Aptera Motors is closing after failing to woo enough investors to bring a new sedan to market. Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur said the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company closed its doors Friday and laid off all 30 of its employees. The company was hoping to get a $150 million loan from the Department of Energy but needed to raise matching funds, Wilbur said. He said Aptera had trouble drumming up interest from investors, who have been spooked by the difficulties other small electric car makers have had. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla Motors Inc., for example, has racked up millions...
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
What a 120mph Crash-Test Looks Like
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
Occupants experience "up to 400 g" As you are likely aware, our own NHTSA test-crashes all new cars for sale in the US at speeds up to 40 mph- as do EU authorities and a few others. One day the folks at English television show Fifth Gear (not to be confused with Jeremy Clarkson's unparelled Top Gear) wondered over tea what would happen if they had some crash-test pros set up the cement barrier and run a Ford Focus into it at 120 mph... triple normal testing speeds. So they did it... and this is what happens: Car decelerates from 120-0 in .068 seconds Occupants experience up...
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
Three dead in 52-car German pile-up
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
Three people were killed and 35 injured in a massive collision on a fog-covered highway in western Germany, police said.
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
Checking the Numbers on Michigan's Auto Jobs
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
When GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to Michigan and said he was opposed to the auto bailout, the Associated Press reported: “GM and Chrysler are again making money and adding thousands of jobs in Michigan, which continues to struggle with an 11.1 percent unemployment rate, the nation's third highest.” But have GM and Chrysler really added thousands of jobs in Michigan? That could be a stretch, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. From September 2010 through September 2011, Michigan added a net 65,300 jobs, according to the most recent BLS figures. “That’s a very positive sign about...
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
How Much of Michigan's Troubles Can Be Blamed on the Auto Industry?
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
With the GOP presidential candidate debate held Wednesday night in Michigan, the state’s economic woes received national attention from an Associated Press story that pinned the malaise on the auto industry. “But Michigan's economy is still bad, a victim of the auto industry's long slide,” the AP story reported as it was picked up all across the country. Blaming the auto industry for the brunt of Michigan’s problems is not uncommon. Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm used the auto industry as a reason why the state languished during her eight-year run. But James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at the...
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
Foreign cars more pricey than ever compared to Detroit's
Posted by admin / Under Auto Insurance
The article says the average selling price for a new imported car climbed to a record high of $31,536 in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was $7,614 more than the average domestic-made car, the biggest gap since December 1999. With Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics in short supply, more Americans have turned to Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Fiesta cars.
Published on Monday 6th of February 2012 12:27:59 PM
Share this!