Autos
Honda Unveils Acura NSX Supercar Which Will Be Built in Ohio
By Eugene McCormick. Published on 01/09/2012 - 5:33pm
On Monday, Honda revealed the new Acura NSX supercar at the North American international Auto Show. The mid-engine supercar will also be built and developed in the state of Ohio.
Rather than a large V-8 or V-10, the Acura NSX will be built so light and agile that a V-6 engine will provide the vehicle with more than enough power, and as an added bonus will a hybrid fuel system that have a fuel economy that matches the likes of Ferrari.
The car won't hit the market for about three years, but will feature a number of technological advances, including multiple electric motors that have been configured to enhance the performance of the all-wheel drive system. They will be independently controlled by the vehicle's computer, and will be able to send more power to the outside wheels during tight turns, which will make the car even more nimble. Honda refers to this as the Sport Hybrid (SH-AWD) All Wheel Drive system.
There hasn't yet been any announcement made about the pricing. The original NSX, however, cost $90,000 when it was produced from 1990 to 2005, so that gives a general idea of where pricing may fall.
Honda has long built Civic and other models in Marysville, Ohio.
Airbag Issues Force Honda to Recall 304,00 Vehicles
By Julie Kent. Published on 12/02/2011 - 1:21pm
Honda Motor Co. has issued a recall for 304,000 vehicles around the world due to airbags that may inflate with too much pressure in a crash, sending metal and plastic pieces flying, causing injuries and death.
According to Honda, there have been 20 accidents thus far related to the problem, including two deaths in the United States in 2009. Honda announced the recall, which affects the Accord, Civic, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and other models, early on Friday.
The recall covers 273,000 vehicles in the U.S., about 27,000 in Canada, 2,000 in Japan, and another 2,000 in other countries. Just 359 vehicles in Europe were affected.
This latest recall is an expansion of recalls for the same issue in 2008, which was again carried out in 2009 and 2010. The recall now covers 2 million vehicles worldwide, according to the Japanese automaker.
Chrysler & UAW Agree on New Contract
By Leader Staff. Published on 10/12/2011 - 9:02am
Following Ford and General Motors ratifying new contracts, the last Detroit automaker, Chrysler, has reached a deal with the United Auto Workers union. On early Wednesday, Chrysler Group LLC. and the UAW agreed to a new four-year contract that would create 2,100 new jobs.
Under the agreement, Chrysler will also invest $4.5 billion in its plants, which covers 26,000 workers in the United States. No other details of the agreement have yet been made available, and workers must still ratify the agreement.
This is the first contract since Chrysler was bailed about by the government and its bankruptcy two years ago. It's also the first contract since its management was taken over by the Italian automaker Fiat.
In a statement, UAW Vice President General Holifield said in a statement:
"This agreement is the latest in a remarkable turnaround for Chrysler."
According to a person briefed on the contract, the deal is not quite as generous as the agreements the UAW has with GM and Ford.
Saab Nears Collapse as Court Denies Request for Bankruptcy Protection
By Julie Kent. Published on 09/09/2011 - 12:58pm
Automaker Saab has is moving close to financial collapse after a Swedish court rejected its request for bankruptcy protection on Thursday.
The ruling by the Vanersborg District Court means that Saab, which has been struggling financially since General Motors sold it Spyker Cars in the Netherlands in 2010, is just days away from facing bankruptcy action by trade unions.
Spyker Cars has changed its name to Swedish Automobile since acquiring Saab, and says that it will appeal the court's decision before the September 29 deadline.
The Swedish automaker has struggled to pay staff and suppliers, and production at its Trollhattan plant has been suspended for much of the year.
It is not clear whether the court will reconsider or grant Saab's request. Unions representing Saab's 3,700 employees said that they will take bankruptcy action within days on behalf of their members who are still waiting to receive their August salaries.
In Sweden, bankruptcy protection is similar to Chapter 11 in the U.S., which allows a company to reorganize, giving it time to improve finances and avoid liquidation. During that period the Swedish government also pays employees salaries. If a company is declared bankrupt, the Swedish government salary guarantee also kicks in.
Honda Recalls 1.5 Million Cars in US
By Julie Kent. Published on 08/05/2011 - 8:44am
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. announced on Friday that it will recall 1.5 million cars and small SUVs in the United States to repair software that controls the automatic transmission.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that another 760,000 Honda models were recalled in China, and that 2.49 million were recalled worldwide. Honda Canada accounts for 135,142 vehicles.
Without updating the software, the automatic transmission in the affected vehicles could be damaged if the driver quickly shifted between gears. This could cause the engine to stall or make it difficult to put the car into park.
Vehicles affected by the recall include four-cylinder Accord cars from model years 2005 to 2010, and the CR-V crossover for model years 2007 to 2010, as well as the small SUV Element for model years 2005 to 2008.
Ford to Make More F-150s at Brook Park Plant
By Julie Kent. Published on 06/28/2011 - 8:32am
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) is experiencing an increase in demand for its smaller, more fuel-efficient pickup trucks, and as such, the Brook Park facility in Ohio has revised its plans and will take just one shutdown week this summer instead of two.
Orders for the V-6 engines have grown faster than those for the V-8 engines, and Ford says that the popularity of the fuel-efficient engines has exceeded expectations.
Currently, there are two daily shifts running in order to meet demand. Could a third shift be implemented in the near future? Plant officials won't say, but it is not out of the realm of possibility as a third shift was recently added to the Ford plant in Lima, Ohio.
Award Winning Kia Advert Sparks Debate Due to Sexual Undertones
By Julie Kent. Published on 06/24/2011 - 4:17pm
*Click to view larger version*
The advertisement depicted above won car manufacturer Kia a silver award at the Cannes Lions Festival. At the same time, it has drawn quite a bit of criticism for allegedly promoting pedophilia.
One side of the ad depicts a teacher staying after school with an innocent looking young girl who offers him an apple, the other side shows a much more sultry, sexy girl with an interested male teacher who takes a bite of the "juicy" apple and engages in a suggestion flirtation. In small writing at the bottom of the page is the tagline "A different temperature on each side."
The ad is supposed to promote Kia's dual climate control, but many see the scenario as promoting pedophilia and the seduction of young girls by older male teachers. The promotion of dual climate control, they argue, is merely an afterthought.
The advertisement clearly delivers in the area of sparking interest and discussion, but does this ad cross the line? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
General Motors Adding 4,000 Jobs and Investing $2 Billion in US Plants
By Eugene McCormick. Published on 05/10/2011 - 12:50pm
General Motors announced that the company will add 4,000 jobs in eight states at an event in Toledo earlier today. The Toledo Powertrain facility will add 400 of those positions. The company said they will invest $2 Billion to seventeen of their factories.
"We are doing this because we are confident about demand for our vehicles and the economy," GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said in a press release issued by the company heralding the news. "This new investment is on top of $3.4 billion and more than 9,000 jobs that GM has added or saved since mid-2009."
The UAW was all smiles as well saying:
"The UAW's goal has been to return all laid-off workers to active status and see the company begin hiring again," said Joe Ashton, UAW vice president – GM Department. "These announcements will create and retain thousands of jobs and bring General Motors back to full employment of our hourly workforce."
General Motors Recalls All Chevy Cruze Vehicles to Inspect Transmission & Steering
By Julie Kent. Published on 05/05/2011 - 12:32pm
General Motors Corp. announced that it is recalling all 154,122 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles, stating that mistakes on the assembly line may cause safety problems. The Cruz is manufactured right here in Ohio at the Lordstown GM plant.
GM recalled the Cruze on Wednesday for a transmission problem which allows it to slip out of gear while driving or parked. GM also expanded a smaller recall over steering problems with the Cruze.
2,100 Cruzes were recalled last month after a steering wheel fell off one car. GM then went over its warranty records to see if there were any other steering problems. They didn't find any matches, but found some similar issues. Specifically, they found several instances in which the car's automatic transmission slipped out of gear.
GM said that no owners have reported accidents or injured from either defect. In both cases, the cause of the problem is the same - workers did not correctly install critical parts on the car.
Cruze owners are advised to call their dealers to immediately schedule an inspection of their cars. Dealers will check to make sure that the transmissiong and steering connections are good, and may need to tighten a few bolts on some cars.
Workers at GM Plant in Lordstown Sue Automaker & Union
By Julie Kent. Published on 05/02/2011 - 11:10am
Twenty-eight employees at General Motors' plant in Lordstown, Ohio, are suing the company and the United Auto Workers union, claiming that GM unfairly denied them full pay and benefits and that the union has not fought for them.
The employees say that the were improperly classified as temporary employees since being hired in October 2006. They were terminated in April 2007 and brought back six months. For a brief period of time they were paid the same wage as permanent employees, but in June 2008, they say that they were reclassified as temporary workers. This move cut their pay by more than 40 percent. The lawsuit also said that the UAQ and UAW Local 1112 refused to press their complaints.
Ken Myers, an attorney representing the workers, said that they are seeking back pay between $3 and $4 million. Myers commented:
"The company never should've laid them off, and when they brought them back, they should have kept them at the higher pay rate," He added that "the union should have filed grievances for them."
Ben Strickland, shop chairman for UAQ Local 1112, which represents employees at the Lordstown factory, responded to the lawsuit:
"We've definitely done our job. Nobody was misrepresented."

