Regulations: Page 35
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fit, Finish Issues Ding Otherwise Adequate OnStar Aftermarket System
Arriving now at BestBuy stores across the nation, OnStar FMV takes the safety, security and convenience power of the GM telematics service to the masses.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chinese Auto Makers Flex Muscles in Emerging Markets
The central government has a general plan to push Chinese auto makers onto the international stage and this year is encouraging them to expand their presence in Africa, South America and parts of Asia.
By Mack Chrysler • July 26, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rufio Was Wrong; U-Haul Lawyers Don’t Deserve Hook
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts. I still laugh at this scene from the movie, Hook. It is a delicious moment when Rufio, a spike-haired amalgam of Peter Pan and Robin the...
July 19, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New A-Pillars Enhance Safety But Impede Visibility
Cars and trucks are supposed to be getting safer, yet there is one thing literally standing in the way: A-pillars that are expanding to meet roof-crush requirements, while obscuring pedestrians.
By Tom Murphy • July 13, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
France Spells Out EV-Charging Safety Recommendations
The guidelines on recharging EVs have been shared with operators of parking facilities, auto makers and the electric industry and “will be imposed.”
By William Diem • June 29, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Proposed Anti-Drop Out Law: No Diploma, No Driver’s License
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.When I was a teen, you could identify high-school dropouts by the cars they drove. Nice ones, often sporty, shiny and new. In contrast, ki...
By Steve Finlay 2 • June 3, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fraud in the Dealership
Dealers work with a lot of numbers. What acceptable number, in dollars, should a dealer set as the threshold before terminating or prosecution an employee for theft? Let me pose the question differently. What are you as a dealer willing to tolerate from one of your employees who is intentionally circumventing company policy for personal enrichment? And is the unethical behavior more tolerable if it
By Phil Villegas • May 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Obesity, Aging Population Newest Auto Safety Threats
UMTRI conference reveals independent safety researchers and NHTSA have an ever-widening number of vehicle safety concerns.
By Drew Winter • Feb. 25, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Are Fun Cars Doomed?
Enthusiasts worry regulations and changing consumer tastes will bury sporty cars.
By Drew Winter • Jan. 27, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Jack Fitzgerald Proposes Plan to Replace the Estate Tax
Dealer Jack Fitzgerald wants the estate tax eliminated and replaced with a proposal he has come up with. He says his idea is more equitable than the so-called death tax a long-time bane of auto dealers and other business people and would put as much money in government coffers. Over the years, businesses have been sold or disposed of to raise money necessary to pay estate taxes, Fitzgerald says. Many
By Steve Finlay • Jan. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
CARB Must Modernize
The California Air Resources Board likes to brag that it technology, but lately its outdated testing regimens, bias toward electric vehicles and bald-faced arrogance are killing innovation rather than pushing it. CARB's refusal to grant Advanced Technology Partial-Zero-Emissions Vehicle status to the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is the latest in a series of blunders that is costing
By Drew Winter • Dec. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Vietnam Gearing Up for Rapid Auto Industry Growth
The government has ambitious plans to develop an industrial platform that will turn this Cold War-era nation into Asia’s newest tiger economy, playing catch-up with its more industrialized neighbors.
By Edd Ellison • Nov. 15, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Emerging Markets, Safety Push to Boost Telematics Penetration, ITS Japan Official Says
Developing a system that allows two cars to communicate with each other to avoid a collision is “our ultimate goal,” ITS Chairman Hiroyuki Watanabe says in an interview.
By Roger Schreffler • Sept. 27, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Peru Sees Strong Vehicle Sales Rally Amid Government Reforms
Experts contend the auto industry’s future hinges on the federal government’s ability to reassert limits on used-vehicle imports and wrest back regulatory control of the market.
By Erik Derr • Sept. 21, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nanofiber Material Promises Better Li-ion Batteries
It looks like a roll of duct tape, but it is very sophisticated stuff that promises to significantly improve the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries. Shown off for the first time at a recent automotive conference, it is a nanofiber-based polymeric battery separator DuPont Co. says can increase battery power 15% to 20%, increase battery life up to 20% and improve battery safety by providing
By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
2025 CAFE Proposal Likely to be 60 MPG
Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. are expected to propose auto makers achieve a fleet-fuel economy of up to 60 mpg (3.9 L/100 km) when the two agencies release their first estimates on potential mandates for 2025 this month. The federal offices, along with the California Air Resources Board, recently concluded a round of information gathering
By James M. Amend • Sept. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Merging Malaysia’s National Car Companies Hard to Justify, Analysts Say
Both Proton and Perodua have been indulged and overprotected by the government for years. Yet, they have developed quite differently in character, composition and conduct.
By Mack Chrysler • Aug. 31, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Smoke and Mirrors
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Government's capacity to muck up our otherwise orderly world is beyond mind-boggling. Consider the State Children's Health Insurance Plan,...
Aug. 10, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Let’s Outlaw Dishonest Internet Smear Campaigns
told the audience at the Automotive Customer Centricity Summit that I had vowed to stop making industry-related predictions. Then, about 30 minutes later, I broke that promise.
By Steve Finlay • June 21, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Falling Stars May Hinder Safety Ratings
“There’s a vehicle I know of that previously was a 5-star,” says a TRW executive familiar with the revised federal NCAP safety ratings. “Tested to the new NCAP, it’s barely a 3-star.”
By Tom Murphy • June 21, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Let’s Outlaw Dishonest Internet Smear Campaigns
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.I told the audience at the Automotive Customer Centricity Summit that I had vowed to stop making industry-related predictions. Then, about 3...
By Steve Finlay 2 • June 19, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Detroit Three’s CAFE Investment to Outpace Asian Rivals
A Ward's analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency data shows Detroit auto makers will invest more in technology to meet the new rules than their Asian rivals. At the same time, government estimates show Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. will be asked to meet a weaker fuel economy bogey than Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
By James M. Amend • June 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
NHTSA Chief Sees Safety as Moral Obligation
THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY Admin.'s new chief outlines an ambitious agenda at the SAE World Congress that likely will include new rules and higher expectations regarding how auto makers respond to alleged safety problems. While NHTSA has been highly critical of Toyota Motor Corp.'s response to complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles, NHTSA Administrator David
By Drew Winter • May 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Cash for Clunkers Impact Underestimated, Researcher Says
The program may still have legs, evidenced by how quickly the government burned through the money allotted to the program.
By James M. Amend • March 9, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Carbon Fiber Cost Benefit
In the mid to late 1980s, I worked on a team that developed an airbag inflator using a carbon-fiber outer shell to replace the then-current steel containment cylinder (see WAW Oct. '09, p.3). The weight savings were greater than 60%, and the device withstood the enormous pressures and temperatures developed within. In addition, the team developed a lightweight non-metallic carbon-fiber and adhesive
Dec. 1, 2009
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