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Keyword: automobiles

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  • Why car insurance rates are so high: ou’re paying a lot more for car insurance than you were in 2020. Here’s why.

    03/22/2024 9:37:19 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 98 replies
    Vox ^ | 03/22/2024 | Marin Cogan
    If you pay for car insurance, you’ve probably noticed that rates are really high lately. You’re not alone. Last week’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report — the government’s method for tracking what people are paying for goods and services and how that’s changing over time — noted that the price of car insurance was up more than 20 percent over the same time last year. What’s particularly painful is that rates were already rising: CPI reports have shown that, overall, car insurance rates are up more than 38 percent since January 2020. What’s going on? The big insurance companies have...
  • Government Bureaucrats Could Use 'Kill Switch' to Stop People From Driving Because... Reasons

    02/17/2024 1:13:50 PM PST · by CFW · 60 replies
    Red State ^ | 2/17/24 | Wes Clark
    A provision in the 2021 "infrastructure" spending package, as it turns out, includes a provision that directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to come up with a way to stop you from driving your car or truck if the government doesn't want you to. The measure is sold as a way to keep people from driving while impaired, but the implications are chilling. "A provision in the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed in 2021 directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to come up with a rule by this year requiring new...
  • N.D. Debates Black Box Privacy Safeguards

    03/25/2005 3:00:39 AM PST · by BigSkyFreeper · 7 replies · 513+ views
    New York Newsday (National News Wire) ^ | March 25, 2005 | JAMES WARDEN
    BISMARCK, N.D. -- Raymon Holmberg didn't know his new sedan came equipped with the long arm of the law. The dealer hadn't bothered to mention the "black box," a computer chip that stores information on speed and seat belt use. "When I bought my car," he said, "I didn't realize I was also buying a highway patrolman to sit in the back seat." Holmberg, a state senator, believes his privacy was violated and is taking aim at black boxes. Lawmakers in 10 other states are also hoping to regulate black boxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
  • China’s GAC Introduces New Car Engine That Runs On Toxic Ammonia

    10/13/2023 9:12:40 AM PDT · by Fai Mao · 33 replies
    Motor Trend ^ | June 26, 2023 | Justin Banner
    While the world is looking to get away from internal combustion engines (ICE) and towards battery electric vehicles (BEV) or fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) for cleaner emissions, China-state owned Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (GAC) appears to want to do it all. During its annual technology showcase, the Chinese partner to Toyota showed off an engine powered by ammonia. While it's not the first ever to use the rather toxic fertilizer as a combustible fuel, it would be the first to use it outside the shipping and trucking industries.
  • Mercedes-Benz Vietnam to introduce all-electric cars in Vietnam

    08/18/2023 12:11:42 AM PDT · by cba123 · 6 replies
    Vietnam Plus ^ | 10/05/2023
    Mercedes-Benz Vietnam (MBV), a subsidiary of the Germany-based Mercedes-Benz Group AG, will introduce three all-electric car models in Vietnam in 2023, said MBV General Director Brad Kelly at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on May 9. — Along with the electric cars, MBV also plans to expand its product list in Vietnam in 2023 by adding new models including domestically-built Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE, and Mercedes-AMG SL.
  • Vietnamese EV maker VinFast to begin trading on the Nasdaq Tuesday after completing SPAC merger

    08/15/2023 12:29:44 AM PDT · by cba123 · 14 replies
    CNBC ^ | Sheila Chiang
    Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast is expected to list on the tech-focused Nasdaq on Tuesday morning in New York, following completion of its merger with the U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition.
  • Elon Musk tears up the decoupling script in China

    06/02/2023 3:22:52 AM PDT · by FarCenter · 13 replies
    As the global economic intelligentsia debates how to “decouple” or “de-risk” from China, Elon Musk clearly didn’t get the memo. The Tesla founder was feted like a returning king in Beijing this week. From the moment his private jet arrived on Tuesday, Musk is reportedly being called “Brother Ma,” putting him in rarified league with Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma. There are many takeaways from Musk’s first China visit in three years. One is that not everyone is decoupling from China, least of all the globe’s most influential electric-vehicle (EV) evangelist and owner of Twitter. Another: the future of EV production...
  • Fixing instead of replacing: Average age of vehicles on US roads hits a record high

    05/15/2023 5:42:11 AM PDT · by Oldeconomybuyer · 114 replies
    The Associated Press ^ | May 15, 2023 | By TOM KRISHER
    ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — With new and used cars still painfully expensive, Ryan Holdsworth says he plans to keep his 9-year-old Chevy Cruze for at least four more years. Limiting his car payments and his overall debt is a bigger priority for him than having a new vehicle. A 35-year-old grocery store worker from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Holdsworth would probably be in the market for a vehicle within a few years — if not for the high cost. For now, it’s out of the question. “You’re not going to get one for a price you can afford,” he said....
  • New Tech Transforms Sea Water Into Hydrogen Fuel for Cars

    04/14/2023 9:52:05 AM PDT · by Perseverando · 101 replies
    The Epoch Times ^ | April 14, 2023 | Naveen Athrappully
    A Toyota Project Portal hydrogen fuel cell electric semi-truck is shown during an event in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2018. (Stephen Lam/Reuters) Researchers have come up with a new system that turns seawater into hydrogen fuel—a development that could aid in the proliferation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The new method extracts hydrogen from the ocean by funneling seawater through a double membrane system, using electricity. The design was successful in generating hydrogen gas without the accompaniment of large quantities of harmful byproducts. Vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells are fed with compressed hydrogen gas. The fuel cells do...
  • Why there may be no return to 'normal' for the U.S. used vehicle market

    03/26/2023 8:25:40 AM PDT · by CFW · 62 replies
    CNBC ^ | 3/25/23 | Michael Wayland
    All new vehicles become used cars and trucks once they're sold. It's an obvious statement, but one that needs to be laid out to explain the root cause for ongoing inventory and pricing issues in the U.S. used vehicle market, which has been a barometer for the country's inflation levels. During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, automakers shuttered factories for weeks to stop the spread of Covid-19. It was an unprecedented action that eventually led to additional supply chain problems, such as an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage, causing factories to cease production again for weeks, if...
  • How Ford and VW’s multibillion-dollar self-driving car project failed

    03/22/2023 5:23:03 AM PDT · by Oldeconomybuyer · 60 replies
    CNBC ^ | March 22, 2023 | by Robert Ferris
    In 2017, automakers were scrambling to develop cars that could drive themselves. Ford Motor bet a billion dollars on a startup called Argo AI to catch up to flashy tech companies like Google, Uber and Tesla. Volkswagen, the second-largest automaker in the world, signed on as a backer in 2019, investing $2.6 billion Argo AI at a valuation of more than $7 billion. By 2021, Argo AI was valued at $12.4 billion and counted 2,000 employees, with offices on two continents and self-driving tests underway in seven cities. There were plans to bring a self-driving taxi service to market by...
  • Ford patents car that can repossess itself and drive back to showroom

    03/01/2023 5:47:12 AM PST · by equaviator · 65 replies
    newscientist.com ^ | 28 February 2023 | Matthew Sparkes
    A new patent allows Ford to build cars that take action if the owner falls behind on payments by playing annoying sounds – or even driving themselves back to the seller.Ford has been granted a patent for a system that allows a car to repossess itself if its owner fails to keep up with payments. The firm envisions the car driving itself back to the showroom – or to a scrapyard if the value of the car is low. But a security expert warns that the proposed system could instead be used to steal cars remotely. The patent, which was...
  • Lordstown halts production, shipments of Endurance electric trucks to address quality issues

    02/23/2023 10:16:27 AM PST · by CFW · 16 replies
    CNBC ^ | 2/24/23 | Michael Wayland
    Lordstown Motors said Thursday it will suspend production and deliveries of its all-electric Endurance pickup to address performance and quality issues with certain components. The electric vehicle startup, which partnered with Foxconn for vehicle production at an Ohio plant, said the team is working with suppliers on the root cause analysis of each issue and potential solutions, which “in some cases may include part design modifications, retrofits, and software updates.”
  • Crime Is so Bad in Philly, They're Stealing the Cars of Philadelphia Eagles Players

    01/25/2023 12:28:07 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 39 replies
    Washington Examiner ^ | January 25, 2023 | Christopher Tremoglie
    Philadelphia is experiencing a crime wave like no other in its over 300-year history. Theft, muggings, assaults, carjackings, and homicides are all plaguing the city's communities. And, while these stories continue to humiliate Philadelphia, Democratic government officials continue to sit idly by, silently giving their consent to the policies that have turned the city's jails into doors. But now, the criminals may have committed the ultimate sin - stealing a car from a player on its beloved football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. PHILADELPHIA PROSECUTOR SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE Maybe this will finally cause Democrats to start taking crime seriously...
  • Increasing fine for left lane slowpokes gets quick traction

    01/18/2023 11:52:57 AM PST · by Oldeconomybuyer · 104 replies
    The Associated Press ^ | January 18, 2023
    <p>COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill allowing police to charge a bigger fine for people driving slow in the left lane of interstates and other multilane highways is one of the first to be taken up at the South Carolina Statehouse in 2023.</p>
  • Laid-off autoworkers encouraged to join Europe’s booming bicycle industry

    12/17/2022 9:44:26 PM PST · by Olog-hai · 43 replies
    EurActiv ^ | 12-16-2022 | Sean Goulding Carroll
    As the automotive sector braces for job losses in the wake of increased competition and the end of the combustion engine, bicycle manufacturers are encouraging redundant workers to enter the growing cycling industry. Europe’s auto industry faces an uncertain future as competition from Chinese carmakers intensifies, and factories jettison decades of internal combustion engine knowledge to focus on zero-emission vehicles. Some 3.4 million people are employed across the EU by the car industry, both directly and indirectly. Internal combustion engines require hundreds of components, involving a broad supply chain of companies. But according to CLEPA, a Brussels-based body representing automotive...
  • I'm now convinced that there is a massive wave of car repossessions coming in 2023.

    12/16/2022 12:31:24 PM PST · by Drew68 · 64 replies
    CarDealershipGuy (Twitter) ^ | CarDealershipGuy (Twitter)
    This morning I discovered something *extremely* alarming happening in the car market, specifically in auto lending. I'm now convinced that there is a massive wave of car repossessions coming in 2023. Here's what I discovered (and what no one knows): Background: Over the past 2 years, many people took out exorbitant loans on cars. Car values were inflated (and frankly, still are to some extent). But many people simply had no choice and bought an overpriced a car. Well... Car valuations are now plummeting. Some cars have declined in value as much as 30% y/y. And these same people that...
  • Obama's Sneaky, Deadly, Costly Car Tax

    08/29/2012 4:12:23 AM PDT · by Kaslin · 53 replies
    Townhall.com ^ | August 29, 2012 | Michelle Malkin
    While all eyes were on the Republican National Convention in Tampa and Hurricane Isaac on the Gulf Coast, the White House was quietly jacking up the price of automobiles and putting future drivers at risk. Yes, the same cast of fable-tellers who falsely accused GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney of murdering a steelworker's cancer-stricken wife is now directly imposing a draconian environmental regulation that will cost untold American lives. On Tuesday, the administration announced that it had finalized "historic" new fuel efficiency standards. (Everything's "historic" with these narcissists, isn't it?) President Obama took a break from his historic fundraising drives...
  • Biden drives his 1967 Corvette for upcoming episode of 'Jay Leno's Garage'

    08/29/2022 9:47:40 AM PDT · by Recovering_Democrat · 41 replies
    .... Biden drove his classic 1967 C2 Corvette Stingray and talked cars with Jay Leno on Friday as the two filmed a segment for the comedian’s CNBC show. “It was really good. It was even more fun driving my old Corvette,” Biden told reporters after taping the clip for “Jay Leno’s Garage” at the James J. Rowley Training Center, a Secret Service facility, in Beltsville, Md.
  • California set to BAN the sale of all new gasoline cars

    08/25/2022 7:58:48 PM PDT · by Roman_War_Criminal · 44 replies
    End Times Headlines ^ | 8/24/22 | ETH
    California on Thursday is expected to put into effect its sweeping plan to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a groundbreaking move that could have major effects on the effort to fight climate change and accelerate a global transition toward electric vehicles. “This is huge,” said Margo Oge, an electric vehicles expert who headed the Environmental Protection Agency’s transportation emissions program under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. “California will now be the only government in the world that mandates zero-emission vehicles. It is unique.” The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board,...