INDYCAR Adds Polycarbonate “AEROSCREEN” to Vehicles
Serious safety added to the open-wheeled racers
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
Safety Advocate Clarence Ditlow Dies
Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of Center for Auto Safety, died Thursday at the age of 72 following a year-long bout with cancer.
Bridgestone Debuts Firestone Tire Brand in India
Bridgestone Corp. launched its Firestone tire American brand in India today with a line of replacement tires for car and SUVs.
Bridgestone Divests Venezuelan Tire Operations
Bridgestone Corp. has agreed to divest its tiremaking operations in Venezuela to the Corimon Group, a Caracas-based paints and resins conglomerate.
Bridgestone Will Acquire Pep Boys for $863 Million
Aftermarket parts chain Pep Boys has agreed to be acquired by Bridgestone Americas Inc. for $863 million after the Tokyo-based tiremaker sweetened its bid late last week to match a rival bid from investor Carl Icahn.
Bridgestone to Buy Pep Boys Aftermarket Retailer
Bridgestone Americas Inc. has agreed to buy aftermarket parts retailer Pep Boys for $835 million.
Study: Recalls Don’t Hurt Used-Car Value
High-profile recalls such as this year's callback of 2.6 million General Motors Co. cars for faulty ignition switches don't hurt depreciation rates for the affected vehicles, says Black Book, a provider of used-car pricing trends and risk analysis data.
Designing & Engineering Safety for Racing
Think of it as “safety fast.”
Christopher A. Sawyer
Contributing Editor
Study: Recalls Don’t Hurt Used-Car Value
High-profile recalls such as this year's callback of 2.6 million General Motors Co. cars for faulty ignition switches don't hurt depreciation rates for the affected vehicles, says Black Book, a provider of used-car pricing trends and risk analysis data.
GM Hires a Crisis Communications Advisor
General Motors Co. has retained Jeff Eller former director of media affairs for the White House during the Clinton administration to help manage its response to the company's delayed recall of some 2.6 million defective ignition switches linked to 13 deaths.
William Clay Ford Dies
William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford and father of Ford Motor Co.
William Clay Ford Dies at Age 88
William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford and father of Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr., died on Sunday at age 88.
Bridgestone to Hike Tire Prices in North America
Japan's Bridgestone Corp. says it will increase its tire prices in North America by as much as 8% on April 1, citing "unprecedented" increases in raw material, energy and transportation costs.
VIEWPOINT | TRENDS IN RUN-FLAT TIRE DEVELOPMENT
Tires that can safely keep rolling after they have lost their air have been available for more than 20 years.
Firestone: In the Car Business 112 Years
While it may be a bit of a stretch, Firestone (part of Bridgestone Americas) is running an advertising campaign that has an interesting thesis: although it is not a car company per se, given its 112 years in producing automotive tires, and its 86 years in service, during which it has serviced 11,000 makes and models and over 500-million vehicles in total, it sort of is a car company.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
Franchitti Coasts to 2nd Indy 500 Win
Dario Franchitti dominated most of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 on his way to notching his second victory at the legendary Brickyard.
Toyota Fills Out North American Quality Panel
Toyota Motor Corp. has named six members to its new quality advisory panel in North America.
NHTSA Defect Chief to Retire
Kathleen DeMeter is retiring at the end of the month as director of the U.S.
NHTSA’s Defect Investigation Chief to Retire
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Kathleen DeMeter, who has been director of its Office of Defects Investigation since 1995, will retire at the end of April.
Federal Judges May Consolidate Toyota Cases As Class Action
Attorneys have filed 89 lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. on behalf of owners who say the resale value of their vehicles dropped as a result of the company's recent recalls, reports the Associated Press.
Ford: Explorer, Flex & Volumes
The headline to a piece in last Friday's Detroit Free Press by Brent Snavely pretty much answers itself: “Is car-based Explorer the same rugged SUV?” The issue, of course, is the forthcoming Ford Explorer, the vehicle that really transformed the SUV marketplace in the late '90s and early '00s before falling off of a sales cliff as a result of factors including the Firestone tire problems as well as a growing consumer taste for CUVs—car-based crossover utility vehicles—and a growing indifference toward SUVs—truck-based sport utility vehicles.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
Toyota Names Ex-DOT Chief to Head Safety Panel
Toyota Motor Corp. says former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater will lead a new North American Quality Advisory Panel to advise the company's officials on safety and quality issues.
Toyota, Conspiracies, Six-Sigma, & Auto Engineers
As is well known but never documented, a water-powered carburetor was invented in the early 20th century.
Toyota Girds for Congressional Grilling
President Akio Toyoda arrived in Washington, D.C., over the weekend to begin preparing for Congressional hearings about Toyota Motor Corp.'s safety recalls, The Wall Street Journal says.
Toyota’s President Will Skip Congressional Hearings
President Akio Toyoda says he will not attend upcoming hearings in the U.S.
Racing Toward Relevance
At the prodding of the FIA, automakers are finally opening their eyes to the true costs of Formula One, and its need for relevance in terms of fuel efficiency and safety.
