Filed under: Government/Legal, Canada
Following the lead of the United States, Canada has reportedly chosen to employ a fuel economy regulation program for the first time ever, and it’s virtually identical to ours. According to the Times Colonist, the differences between the two countries’ programs are so minute that you could essentially say Canada has copied our new Corporate Average Fuel Economy guidelines that require automakers to achieve a fleet average fuel economy of around 35 mpg by 2016. Prior to this, Canada did issue emissions guidelines, but it apparently didn’t actually require compliance from automakers.
The guidelines for Canada’s new emissions standard require automakers operating in that country achieve a CAFE number of 35.5 mpg by 2016. Starting in 2011, vehicles will also have to meet stringent greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) ratings, and a failure to meet the standards will result in monetary penalties. The GHG requirements will become more stringent as time passes. Sound familiar?
Okay, so Canada’s new requirements are practically identical to our new U.S. regulations, and that’s great because automakers will only have one standard to meet across both countries. Well, almost. It’s not yet known if Quebec and British Columbia will adopt the new Canadian standards or attempt to regulate vehicle emissions on their own. Regardless, the new Canadian emissions standards will for the most part allow automakers to make one vehicle that can be sold in both countries with no emissions related modifications needed. Now, if we could just get a few more countries on-board, those pesky European and Japanese cars we’ve been longing for could make their way Stateside some day. Except for the issue of differing crash standards. Oh, well…
[Source: Times Colonist | Image: TKOwned via CC2.0]
Report: Canada reveals first-ever vehicle emissions standards that looks awfully familiar originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aside from the thrill of the race, motorsports are useful because the race cars they showcase often pass their genes down to the everyday vehicles that we drive. In an effort to perhaps hold its position as a trendsetter, or just to be more green, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) held a meeting to discuss alternative energies that can be utilized in all major categories of racing. The meeting, held at the Automobile Club de Monaco, brought together the heads of four international of motorsport federations, including motorcycles, powerboats, automobiles and aeronautics. FIM chairman Robert Rasor commented on the gathering by stating,
This was an interesting meeting and we expect to work together with the other motorsport federations and join forces to develop a common strategy towards the environment and its protection and promote the use of alternative energies.
Understanding that even motorsports can have an impact on the environment, either directly or indirectly, is a step in the right direction. Working together, the groups will draw from learned expertise and move towards a greener racing environment quickly. Here’s hoping their efforts do more than slowly trickle down into vehicles that we drive day in and day out.
[Source: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme]
International racing organizations meet to discuss environmental responsibility originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, GM, Electric
In an effort to make the government’s fleet of vehicles more green, the Obama administration has reportedly announced plans to add more hybrids this year followed by plug-in hybrids next year. The plan should double the number of hybrids in the government’s fleet, a step towards achieving its goal of reducing fleet petroleum use by 30 percent by 2020.
The new plan involves purchasing 100 plug-in vehicles by the end of next year, and the front-runner is the Chevrolet Volt. According to Ward’s Auto, the White House has announced that the government will purchase the first 100 Chevy Volts to roll off the assembly line later this year. The government is also considering adding the plug-in hybrid electric Dodge Ram to its fleet, though how many units it’s considering has not been released.
Whether or not the Volt and PHEV Ram are being considered because the government just happens to be part owner of their parent companies remains to be seen, but we haven’t heard mention of the excellent Ford Fusion Hybrid.
UPDATE: GM has officially responded to the government suggesting that the first 100 Volts will end up in government fleets by stating,
We are pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the greening of their vehicle fleet. Media speculation has led to reports that the GSA and DOE will be buying the first 100 Chevrolet Volt’s because we will meet this criteria. At this time we have no further details regarding these purchases.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Ward's Auto]
Report: U.S. government to purchase first 100 Chevy Volts and thousands of hybrids *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Government/Legal, Earnings/Financials, Tesla, Electric
Registering for an initial public offering, like Tesla Motors has done, requires that certain documents are filed regarding company actions. Since first filing for its IPO back in January, Tesla has had a few new developments surface that required the company to amend its S-1 filing.
The S-1 filing lays out details about the company’s financial situation, including future plans, current risks and funding status. In the amendment, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 26, two important developments were noted. One, Tesla has begun to draw funds from its $465 million in Department of Energy loan. Two, Tesla has secured all suppliers necessary to continue the Roadster production into the 2012 model year. The suppliers’ agreement will provide Tesla with 700 additional Roadsters to sell during the 2012 year, before the production of the next-gen Roadster gets underway.
A recent Tesla newsletter stated that the company, “negotiated agreements with key suppliers that will increase total Roadster production by 40 percent and extend sales into 2012.” The actual supplier agreement with Lotus, which builds partially assembled vehicles (gliders) for Tesla, is laid out as follows: Lotus will continue to build gliders for Tesla until December of 2011, a change from the previous cut-off of March 2011. Lotus will supply at least 2,400 total gliders to Tesla by December 2011, an increase over the previous 1,700 units committed to by Lotus.
With Roadster production confirmed for 2012 and the Model S on the way soon, Tesla supporters can think about rejoicing, the company might be doing just fine. Hat tip to Dean!
Gallery: Review: 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport
Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Securities and Exchange Commission via Earth2Tech]
Tesla files update with SEC, confirms Roadster production for 2012, draws from DOE loans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Spyker
Interested in a job in the automotive world? Saab has the news that you’ve been waiting for. According to AFP news service, production of Saab vehicles will be boosted to six times the current amount in just two short years. In order to meet that ambitious target, the automaker has announced that it will need the help of 500 more workers.
Spyker Cars, the new owners of Saab, announced the need for more workers in Paris last Wednesday. Spyker chief executive Victor Muller also laid out some future financial plans for the Saab brand. Muller said that Saab would receive $1 billion in support and plans for expanding the sales volume will result in overall profit by 2012.
Last year, Saab produced just 20,000 vehicles, though it produced over 90,000 in 2008 before it looked like (then) parent General Motors was fixin’ to close up its Swedish shop.. By 2012, the company aims to produce 120,000 vehicles. Spyker anticipates that Saab will sell around 50,000 vehicles this year and slowly increase production until the 2012 target is met. Meeting the goals apparently requires a workforce of 4,000 people, which in turn requires 500 new workers, a sizable hiring uncommon in recent automotive history.
[Source: AFP via Google News]
Saab’s hiring! 500 workers reportedly needed to boost production originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Technology, Design/Style
Most everyone is familiar with the Ward’s Auto 10 Best Engines award where BMW, Audi and Ford took several honors for 2010, but a less prominent, though perhaps more eye-catching, award given by the magazine is the Ward’s Interior of the Year awards.
The award recipients are chosen through a process that examines all new vehicles for the given model year. For 2010, Ward’s had 40 vehicles, considered finalists meeting the requirements. Vehicles are placed in several different classes and judged based upon interior ergonomics, quality and feel of materials, comfort, fit and finish and overall value.
The winners in each class will be announced in mid-April, but you can continue after the jump to view the list of competitors in each class. It could be argued that many of the vehicles are deserving, but only one per class will be selected. The Buick Regal interior pictured above caught our eye, but tell us your own in the comments below.
[Source: Ward's Auto - Sub. Req.]
Continue reading Ward’s Auto selects 40 finalists for Interior of the Year award
Ward’s Auto selects 40 finalists for Interior of the Year award originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler, Earnings/Financials
Company representatives for Chrysler have been in contact with at least 50 dealerships regarding reinstatement into the the automaker’s dealer network. According to a leader who represents the 400-plus dealerships seeking arbitration, the dealers contacted will receive intent letters to begin the lengthy reinstatement process.
Two weeks ago, Chrysler signaled that it had no intention to reinstate any dealers, who were seeking arbitration, back into the network. Now Chrysler has released a statement confirming that they have been in contact with the dealers and will issues letters of intent for reinstatement.
According to Tamara Darvis, a co-leader of the Committee to Restore Dealer Rights, more than a dozen dealers contacted her regarding discussions with Chrysler representatives and the promise of letters of intent to begin the reinstatement process. The letters are expected to be mailed immediately.
Right now, it’s unclear if any additional dealerships have been contacted regarding reinstatement, but it’s believed that up to 30 more dealerships could be included. According to several reports, the arbitration process is long and costly to the automaker, but reinstatement of dealerships seeking arbitration may actually be more economically feasible for Chrysler and could become a solution for more and more dealerships seeking arbitration.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Report: Chrysler to reinstate at least 50 dealerships, maybe more originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Ford
When a corporation as large as Ford decides to do something as simple as shutting down its computers at night, the savings can be astronomical. In the case of Ford, powering down computers can save the company $1.2 million each year.
The new program, called PC Power Management, utilizes energy saving settings provided by Microsoft Windows. The energy settings will be used on company laptops and desktops to reduce energy waste. A managed shutdown will occur each night and during the weekend period. Additionally, computers will be awake to receive updates during pre-selected non-business hours, freeing up time previously used for updates throughout the working day.
According to Ford, an estimated 60 percent of the company’s computer remained on after business hours resulting in wasted energy. The new managed shutdown will eliminate waste to the tune of over a million dollars in savings for the company and reduce its carbon footprint by an estimated 16,000-25,000 metric tons per year. Hit the jump for the full details on the program.
Continue reading Ford to save $1.2M/year just by turning off its computers at night
Ford to save $1.2M/year just by turning off its computers at night originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Minivan/Van, Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet, GM, GMC
General Motors issued a recall and stop sale on heavy-duty vans including the 2010 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana due to a problem with the alternator that could potentially lead to a fire. GM advises owners to stop driving the vehicles immediately. adding that vehicles should be parked away from buildings and vehicles, and owners should promptly disconnect both battery cables. Vehicles should not be used until GM has come up with a fix for the problem.
Many of the recalled vans are owned by company fleets. The recall includes all 2500, 3500, and 4500 models built in February and March of this year. Light duty vans are excluded from the recall because they utilize a different alternator. Some of the affected vehicles are utilized for retail operations and as rentals. With the stop sale order, the vans cannot be sold to customers and can not be rented from car rental agencies. Full details in the press release after the jump.
GM recalls 5,000 vans with serious fire risk, tells owners to park outside, away from everything originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Rumormill
According to one of China’s largest auto-related websites, BYD is interested is acquiring the Maybach brand from Mercedes-Benz within the next few years. The site, auto.sina.com is reporting that an undisclosed official from BYD confirmed the companies interest in Maybach. The source stated that BYD would “launch the acquisition” when Mercedes finalizes its decision to end the Maybach nameplate.
Mercedes and BYD have already joined together in an effort to market electric vehicles in China, so the companies have a working relationship, but whether or not this relationship translates into the acquisition of Maybach is unknown. It seems unlikely that Mercedes would hand over the Maybach nameplate to another company, but it just might happen. BYD’s expansion efforts have been strong and luxury cars such as the Zeppelin, pictured above, tend to sell well in foreign markets so it could be a fit for BYD. For now, we will just have to wait it out and see what develops.
Gallery: Maybach Zeppelin
[Source: auto.sina via The Tycho]
Rumormill: BYD interested in buying Maybach from Mercedes?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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