What’s “Up” with Volkswagen?

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VW up By the end of 2009 the Volkswagen / Porsche merger will be completed with VW purchasing almost 50% of Porsches shares. Then the real work begins! Integrating Porsche and nine other brands under the VW Group (Also known as “Auto Union”) will not be easy.

Porsche originally hoped to take over the VW Group, but due to German state laws and its own debt, it was forced to turn to VW for help. VW board chairman Martin Winterkorn described the company’s merger, saying; VW and Porsche have excellent know-how at their disposal and can use their resources even more efficiently by combining them for additional growth opportunities. Porsche’s American “cousin” would operate autonomously keeping in mind not to offend concerned Porsche enthusiasts.

Volkswagen is also said to be buying 20% of Suzuki Motor of Japan, giving VW a big step forward in compact car markets in Asia and Suzuki benefits in environmentally friendly vehicle technologies. Neither VW nor Suzuki is commenting on the proposed merger at the moment. It is suspected that they will develop hybrids and electric vehicles together

Volkswagens car industry mergers are aimed at reducing costs and developing new technologies in the face of fragile economic economy, in hopes of becoming the world’s largest car maker, overtaking Toyota, by 2018.

A Little Less Flash at the L.A. Auto Show

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L.A. convention center As the Los Angeles Convention Center prepares for this years L.A. Auto Show spectators will find a little less ‘flash’ in the showroom. Even though Southern California is one of their biggest markets, car makers like Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini will be no-shows. For the consumer looking for the ‘green’ car, there won’t be many of them either.

Due to the worst automobile sales slump in decades, this year, the automakers will be focusing on affordable small cars and minivans. In fact, the main attractions is the redesigned Toyota minivan. Economy cars like the Ford ‘Fiesta’ and Chevrolt ‘Cruze’ will also be debuted in an attempt to win fuel-economy fanatics away from the Asian manufacturers. The car based SUV’s, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Tucson and the Mazda 2 will also join the lineup in an attempt to increase their sales.

For the show goer who still wants to see ‘flash’ there will be several pricey vehicles including the $245,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost, Porsche Boxster Spyder and the $375,000 Lexus LFA super car. There will also be the futuristic concept cars that often look great on auto show display stands but rarely make it to dealer showrooms. And for the green consumer, Toyota will stage the North American debut of its long-awaited Prius plug-in hybrid concept, first unveiled in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Chrysler/Fiat Merger has Chrysler Awaiting New Vehicles based on Partners Technology

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After receiving nearly $13 billion in federal loans and filing for bankruptcy Chrysler is struggling with products that trail the competition in quality, styling and fuel economy. Sales have been down most of the year, while last month was the highest drop of any major car company. Its market share has gone from nearly 11 percent in the months before its May 1 bankruptcy filing to about 8 percent after it.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Fiat and Chrysler will enter an alliance in which Fiat will take an initial 35 percent stake in the troubled Detroit automaker, with an option to raise its ownership stake to 55 percent at a later date. The terms of the deal do not require Fiat to pay any cash to Chrysler. Instead, Fiat will receive equity in Chrysler for investments it will make in revamping a Chrysler plant to produce Fiat models for the US market.

Some of the Fiat models Chrysler would build in the United States, would likely include:
-Fiat Grande Punto and Linea
-A new compact SUV based on the Fiat C-Evo platform
-A four-door sedan possibly replacing the Sebring and Avenger
-Alfa Romeo version of the Grand Cherokee

Management Changes at G.M. Hope to Repay U.S. By End of 2012

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Ed Whitacre has only been chief executive of G.M. for a short time but it is evident that he is serious about the companies mission to build and sell the world’s best cars and trucks. Whitacre says he wants to give people more responsibility as well as hold them accountable. Some of his changes are: Mark Reuss, president of North American operations; Susan E. Docherty, G.M.’s vice president for sales and marketing and Nick Reilly president of GM Europe.

Mr. Whitacre and his revamped management team must prove that they can spend taxpayers dollars productively on new cars, trucks and crossover vehicles. The bankruptcy process, which forced the government to step in and lend it a total of $50 billion to survive, removed most of G.M.’s crushing debt load and long-term obligations to its retirees. It also allowed G.M. $42.6 billion in cash reserves which will be put towards designing, building and selling the world’s best vehicles. With these ‘hit’ vehicles, G.M. hopes to become profitable, and once stabilized will be back on the public stock offering. Mr. Reuss said going public and repaying the government are “at the very top of our desires of what this company will look like next year.”

One of the vehicles pushed by G.M. is the Volt. It’s development time has been reduced by seven months which could have us seeing it on roads and early as November of 2010. Another model they hope will be a hit is a small, rear-wheel drive luxury car for the Cadillac division which they hope will compete head-on with the German car maker’s 3-series sedan. Mark Reuss hopes the car would prove that a Cadillac can be every bit as exciting as the best that BMW has to offer.

Yes We Can!……Or Can We? One Million Plug-In Hybrids on U.S. Roads by 2015?

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green symbolPresident Obama’s goal of 1 million plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads by 2015 seems like a good idea for the environment, but is it really possible?

With new advances in battery technology, electric cars can go almost 100 miles on a charge. And for those who fear being stranded with a dead battery miles from a plug in, there is a gasoline engine as well. This range should be enough to suit up to 80% of U.S. drivers on the road. With federal government incentives for EV buyers, such as tax credits of up to $7,500 for buyers of the first 200,000 vehicles from each manufacturer, this could be true. According to Jason Wolf, an executive at Better Place, a Palo Alto firm aiming to provide charging services for plug-in drivers. “Over 70% of major manufacturers have some kind of mass plug-in coming in the next two years.”

This however, involves a huge change to the nation’s electric grid infrastructure. People charging cars in their garages may need to upgrade their home circuits, which often requires permits, building inspections and other headaches. Neighborhood upgrades like new transformers would also be needed. These upgrades would be expensive, and in the interest of encouraging electric cars, the utility companies would most likely pay for it through our electric bills. In the end we need to ask ourselves, “Would the emissions released by the utility companies making extra electricity really be less than the emissions from the car itself?”

Child Safety Seats In Your Car

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In a crash, at just 30 miles per hour an unrestrained passenger can be thrown forward with a force of forty to fifty times their body weight. Because of this and seat belt laws, the first thing you do when you get into a car is put on your seat belt. What if the passenger is a child? Of course we would strap them in as well, but many child seats in cars do not pass safety standards. Some common problems found are:

-Child seat not securely fastened in the vehicle
-Tethers not used correctly, or used at all
-Shoulder harness placed in the incorrect slot of the child seat
-Child in the incorrect seat for his/her weight, height and age
-Safety regulations and standards change, so second hand owners are unaware of safety recall notices
-Install labels become faded by the sunlight exposure / installation booklets are lost
-Plastic parts on the seat can become weakened by sunlight exposure
-Food or cleaners spilled or used on parts may weaken parts or cause them to not work properly
-The seat may have even been abused or in an accident already.
-Many seats are just too complicated to use.

For your child’s safety, CLICK HERE for a chart on Correct Usage of Child Seats and keep up to date with recalls that may effect your child’s car seat.

calemonlaw.com – Check vehicles recall and technical service bulletin history, quickly, and completely free!

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California Lemon Lawwww.Lemonlawspecialists.com announces its new web based service to help California residents who purchased vehicles that turned out to be ‘lemons’.

People with these defective cars, trucks, motorcycles,RV’s, and motor homes are protected by the California lemon laws. These laws provide remedies if a consumer has repeated, substantial problems relating to the safety, value, or use of her or his vehicle.

Finding these recalls and technical service bulletins can be difficult. At *calemonlaw.com* we bring all this information and so much more, to you! We have a complete list from every auto manufacturer, updated daily, and 100% free. You can get all the recalls and bulletins for your specific car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or motor home at the click of your mouse.

The ‘Vehicle Recalls’ section is an exhaustive list of over 80,000 recalls from every vehicle manufacturer doing business in the US. The most popular manufacturers are separated into a convenient top box so navigating to the correct vehicle make, model, and year is easy and intuitive.

The Technical Service Bulletins (or TSB) section is just as easy to use. Once you have found your vehicle’s make, model, and year, you are only a click away from finding all the Recalls and Technical Service Bulletins relevant to you.

This searchable, sortable, up to date, and complete recall database allows you to subscribe to the latest Recalls and Technical Service Bulletins. Add the feed to your email, blog, Yahoo, or Google home page, and even to your computer desktop!

If you think you have a ‘lemon’, stop throwing your money away on costly repeat auto repairs. Contact The California Lemon Law Specialists, to arrange a free consultation and get rid of your CA lemon today!

Recent TSB’s Help Consumers Care For Their Vehicles

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T.S.B’s (Technical Service Bulletins) are not recalls. They let automakers and consumers know about recurring problems experienced with various automobile models. Manufacturers do not offer payment assistance for these repairs beyond normal warranty coverage. Below is a list of some recent T.S.B’s

T.S.B. SB0151-09 issued on Oct. 14
2006-9 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 models may have a clicking noise from the rear, which requires the rear coil spring assembly to be replaced.

T.S.B. WVL-22 issued on Oct. 13
2005-8 Subaru Foresters and 2005-7 Imprezas may experience a momentary lack of fuel during cornering when the gas tank is below 1.5 gallons. The fuel pump could momentarily draw air, causing the engine to misfire resulting in damage to the catalytic converter. Removal of the one-way valve situated at the base of a small sub chamber in the tank should remedy the problem.

T.S.B. J06 issued on Oct. 12
2009 Dodge Ram 1500s’ a leaky windshield washer fluid reservoir sensor has the potential to leak fluid through to the wiring harness to the temperature sensor. This could damage the temperature sensor, preventing the fluid-level warning lamp from lighting. Replacing both sensors and the harness will stop the leak.

T.S.B. 09-19-15 issued on Oct. 5
2006-10 Focus and Escape models may have defective ignition locks that fail to turn to the start position. The problem is blamed on a bad steering column lock module which causes the keys to bind, but can be repaired by replacing the module.

T.S.B. 09-19-14 issued on Oct. 5
2010 Ford Transit Connects may have a brake knock in the rear. Ford dealers have been instructed to engage the parking brake three notches, and drive forward and then reverse for about 800 feet. If this “voodoo” doesn’t work, you can try swapping or replacing the left and right rear drums.

T.S.B. 09-18-2 issued on Sept. 21
2008-10 Ford Focus models may have problems with the front stabilizer bar, the upper front strut bearing or the lower control arm that may cause popping or clicking noises on turns or bumps. Replacing the affected parts, or tightening them to the factory-specified torque setting, should solve this problem.

T.S.B. SB0342-09 issued on Sept. 21
2006-9 Toyota 4Runners during stop and go driving or heavy acceleration, a smell of sulfur may be noticed. The replacement of the converter will eliminate the smell.

T.S.B. SB0338-09 issued on Sept. 16
2007-10 Toyota Tundras may emit a grinding noise from the front end when in 4 wheel drive. A new differential support should remedy the problem.

T.S.B. 09-023A issued on Sept. 10
2003-5 Q45s and 2004 M45s could have an electrical malfunction that deactivates one or both front side air bags and turn on the warning light. The system should be inspected, and if need be, repaired by adding a coating of epoxy to the wiring connectors and rerouting them slightly.

T.S.B. 0600309 issued on Sept. 4
2008-9 Mazda Tribute crossovers may have a popping or clunking sound from the steering column when turning. Replacing the steering shaft and the coupling joint will remedy the noise.

T.S.B. 0904509 issued on Aug. 17
2007-10 Mazda CX-7 may have a rattling sound from the bumper at highway speeds. Adding washers and new fasteners between the bumper cover and the body will quiet the noise.

T.S.B. 09-02-35-005 issued on Aug. 10
In some 2008-9 Cadillac CTS; 2005-9 Chevrolet Cobalt; 2006-9 Chevrolet HHR,2006-9 Pontiac Solstice; 2007-9 Chevy Equinox and 2007-9 Pontiac G5’s the key is difficult to remove from the ignition. Replacing the ignition lock cylinder will fix the problem.