Free Republic

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A perfect economic storm of inflation, soaring gas prices and the unintended consequences of the federal pandemic relief programs is closing in on many car owners. “We’re talking, on average, 15,000 repos a day nationwide,” said Mark Zane, owner of a repossession company and president of the Nevada Association of Licensed Repossessors. Zane says repossessions were all but non-existent during the pandemic because banks were working with car owners to defer payments or help them get caught up. Those days are ending, however, and banks are taking the necessary steps to start the repossession process on...

Dicastal North America makes wheels for Ford, GM, Stellantis and others The FBI raided western Michigan wheel manufacturing outfit Dicastal North America on Monday. The Chinese-owned manufacturer is a major supplier of automotive wheels and has been operating in Greenville, Mich., since 2015, the local Daily News newspaper reported. The FBI has not released any information about the raid apart from acknowledging that it was executing a warrant at the company's Michigan location. According to the Detroit Free Press, agents sent employees home and seized office

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Thursday to come up with new measures to support the domestic car industry, which has seen sales crater since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine. Amid a crunch on demand from Russian buyers and severe logistics problems as a result of Western sanctions slapped on Moscow, car sales slumped a record 83.5% in May, according to figures from the Association of European Businesses (AEB). "I would like to ask the government to tell us in detail what swift measures it is taking to support the auto industry and stabilise the internal market,"...

Last Friday the Biden administration raised the mandatory amount of biofuel, specifically ethanol, that must be blended within the U.S. gasoline supply. The previous amount of 10% (summer blend) was raised to a year-round 15% (waiver) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is likely to lead to two sets of bigger issues, less food and higher gas prices. ♦ First issue. – The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a government mandate, passed in 2005 and expanded in 2007, that requires growing volumes of biofuels to be blended into U.S. transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel every year. Approximately 40...

New Mexicans will see thousands more electric vehicles available to buy in 2025 when a rule approved by two environmental boards takes effect. Dubbed the clean-car rule, it will require that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids make up at least 7 percent of automakers’ new sales within New Mexico — adding up to an estimated 3,800 vehicles. The rule aligns with California's current standards and is part of the larger effort to cut climate-warming greenhouse gases as well as ground-level ozone and particulates that can cause respiratory problems. It will undergo a two-year waiting period to allow manufacturers, car dealers...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday raided several automotive companies and associations in several countries on suspicion of breaching the bloc's cartel rules. The European Commission also sent companies requests for information, it said without disclosing company names. "The inspections and requests for information concern possible collusion in relation to the collection, treatment and recovery of end-of-life cars and vans which are considered waste," the EU competition enforcer said in a statement. German carmaker BMW said it has received a request for information and would respond. Ford said in a statement that it had been served with a...

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148.

Every few years, someone pushing a startup to investors comes up with an acronym or buzzword which rapidly becomes the new hotness in those circles. One of the most pernicious is “as a Service,” which takes regular things and finds a way to charge you a regular fee to use them.Automotive companies just absolutely loved the sound of this, and the industry is rapidly moving to implement subscription services across the board. Even if there’s hardware in your car for a given feature, you might find you now need to pay a monthly fee to use it. Let’s explore how...

Remember when BMW wanted to charge drivers to use Apple CarPlay? How about the subscription required for the Mercedes EQS's rear-wheel steering functionality in Europe? It turns out that luxury marques aren't the only ones looking to cash in on that sweet, sweet software as a service cash: Toyota has been testing the waters by making the remote start functionality on your proximity key fob part of a larger connected services subscription.Yes, it appears the pay-to-play ethos that's spreading around the industry has reached the world's largest automaker. A Toyota spokesperson confirmed to The Drive that if a 2018 or...

PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of empty, parked cars go up in flames in France each New Year’s Eve, set afire by young revelers, a much lamented tradition that appeared in decline this year, which saw only 874 vehicles burned. The number of cars burned overnight has declined compared to New Year’s Eve 2019 when 1,316 vehicles went up in flames, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Saturday on Twitter. Fewer arson attacks occurred because of massive police presence on cities’ streets this New Year’s Eve, enforcing law and order and restrictions on public gatherings and wearing face masks as infections driven...

Soon, Brits will own nothing and will be happier for it…UK Government Transport Minister Trudy Harrison recently spoke at a mobility conference, addressing the future of personal mobility. In her comments, she said it was necessary to ditch the "20th-century thinking centred around private vehicle ownership and towards greater flexibility, with personal choice and low carbon shared transport." That’s right, she said the quiet part loud and showed the hand of a growing number of government officials.Harrison went on to praise not only public transportation but also bike share services, e-scooters, and ride sharing platforms. All of these are supposed...

I am not sure who told Chevrolet that what we really needed this Christmas was to ugly cry over an ad they produced for the holidays, but whoever it was needs to go sit in the corner and think about what they’ve done. You may have seen the shortened version of this ad, titled “Holiday Ride,” on TV. But you don’t get the full emotional impact without seeing the extended four-minute version, which is a tear-jerker and hit me harder than listening to my child ask me why Mufasa wasn’t waking up.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major step to fight climate change, the Biden administration is raising vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, reversing a Trump-era rollback that loosened fuel efficiency standards. A final rule issued Monday would raise mileage standards starting in the 2023 model year, reaching a projected industry-wide target of 40 miles per gallon by 2026. The new standard is 25% higher than a rule finalized by the Trump administration last year and 5% higher than a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency in August. “We are setting robust and rigorous standards that...

Elon Musk has told Tesla employees that the automaker is aiming to release its previously announced $25,000 electric car in 2023. The CEO hinted that it might not even be equipped with a steering wheel. At Tesla Battery Day last year, CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla will be making a $25,000 electric car. The CEO commented in the announcement: Tesla will make a compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that is also fully autonomous. He made it clear that this new price point is achieved through Tesla’s new battery cell and battery manufacturing effort, which could reduce battery costs by over...

The use of Germany’s buses, trains and trams has plummeted during the COVID pandemic, with many opting to go by car instead — and according to a new study, the trend shows no sign of reversing any time soon. The previously unpublished study, which was carried out by Berlin’s Social Science Research Center (WZB) and the social research institute Infas, shows that people are continuing to choose car travel over trains and buses in spite of the easing of many COVID restrictions and a return to public life. In Spring 2021, almost half of all public transport users were instead...

Automobile enthusiasts and collectors crowded the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links on Sunday for Monterey Car Week's premier event, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. After a day of perusing and judging it was announced that a 1938 Mercedes Benz 540k took home the "Best of Show" trophy. In 2019, the last time the event was held, a 1931 Bentley 8 litre Gurney Nutting Sport Tourer took the trophy home. The announcement of the Best of Show marks the curtain call for a memorable week of roaring exotics and classic rides on the Monterey Peninsula.

DETROIT — President Joe Biden wants to erase Donald Trump’s rollback of automobile pollution and fuel economy standards. He proposed new rules Thursday and unveiled a nonbinding deal with most automakers to have electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-electric vehicles make up half of their U.S. sales by 2030. The moves are part of Biden’s plan to fight climate change by persuading people to swap their gas-powered vehicles for those that run on electricity. WHAT WILL THE NEW STANDARDS DO? They basically return pollution and gas mileage requirements close to those adopted when Barack Obama was president. WILL THEY HELP WITH...

Note: This video is from 2011. The car was sold years ago._________________________Description from the dealer...“Don’t be fooled by the large-by-huge chrome wheels it’s wearing today, this particular ‘57 Golden Rocket 88 is an authentic J2 car, and is extensively and thoroughly restored to original condition from top to bottom. Our documents suggest that this is one of only four Golden Rocket 88 2-door sedans in existence with the J2 engine.The two-tone bodywork on this car is spectacularly done and looks especially striking in black and white with a red stripe in the chrome trim that separates the two halves. Bodywork...

B of A: “Transitory” Inflation And Supply Chain Imbalances Are Hitting Autos Hardest The auto industry is already stuck between a rock and a hard place, as dealers struggle to get production up to speed despite an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage that has hamstrung production for some of the world’s biggest manufacturers. At the same time, the U.S. is letting the inflation genie quietly begin to slip out of the bottle. As rising prices take hold amidst supply chain imbalances, focus has turned to automobiles. With new car inventory crunched due to production constraints, used car prices have skyrocketed, as...

Masterful job by Scotty Kilmer explaining why electric cars are: not green, high pollution, create lots of CO2, cost of battery, and why the current infrastructure cannot support an increase of electric car use