There is another recall for vehicles on the horizon. This time it involved Nissan X-Trails and Qashqai units which reportedly have defective steering system. Approximately 18,146 Nissan X-Trails and 33,667 Nissan Qashqai units will be recalled by Dongfeng Motor Co. Ltd. for defective steering nuts which may lead to loss of directional control. Dongfeng will install fasteners on the recalled cars to remedy the said steering system defects. This new recall comes after Nissan had already recalled Muranos and 143,000 vehicles made up of the Cube, Rogue and Infiniti. Nissan better improve their quality control section unless they want to see this as a dent to their brand image in the auto industry.

(Source) Press

Tags: auto industry, brand image, Cars, dongfeng motor, fasteners, horizon, industry source, infiniti nissan, motor co, muranos, nissan qashqai, nuts, quality control

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For the 8th year in a row, Ford Motors has kept in step with the consistent Japanese car manufacturers as far as brand quality is concerned. While many would think that Ford would have dropped due to the impending crisis and of course the celebrated “Bailout” issue, Ford is still up there with its Ford and Mercury brands.

Ford is in a statistical tie with Japanese car brands based on a study by J.D. Power and Associates. Overall the Ford brand improved by 10 points since last year’s study.

“It is gratifying to see our commitment to quality paying off,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. “Ford has demonstrated consistent and continuous quality improvement. We’re now tied with the best of the Japanese automakers and we won’t be satisfied until Ford is the industry’s global quality leader.”

Among the cars that have contributed to Ford’s success included the Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge and Mercury Sable. But as far as Ford is concerned, that achievement is nothing. The goal, like any other car company to date, is to be the global leader in the car industry.

(Source) Press

Tags: bailout, brand quality, car brands, car industry, ford f 150, ford group, ford motors, impending crisis, industry source, j d power and associates, japanese automakers, japanese car, mercury sable, quality ford

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Toyota launches its first internal combustion hybrid lift truck, GENEO-HYBRID, an 8,000 lb. counterbalanced lift truck that combines a 2.5-liter diesel engine, electric motor and nickel-metal hydride battery to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 50%. This new offering from Toyota Industrial Corporation will make its debut in the Japanese market this December.

As businesses look to reduce fuel costs and decrease CO2 emissions, Toyota Hybrid technology offers a practical, proven solution by capitalizing on the advantages of existing fuel sources and infrastructure. The new GENEO-HYBRID lift truck will cut CO2 emissions and fuel consumption in half while delivering the operational performance of an equivalent conventional diesel-powered lift truck. The result is a lift truck that provides both improved environmental performance and economic benefits for customers due to lower fuel costs.

“Toyota has been a leader in hybrid development for years with the very popular Prius vehicle,” said Brett Wood, president of TMHU. “We are excited to see hybrid technology entering the mainstream of material handling. This is a huge step forward for our industry.”

(Source) Press

Tags: co2 emissions, diesel engine, economic benefits, environmental performance, fuel consumption, fuel costs, fuel sources, hybrid development, hybrid technology, industry source, internal combustion, japanese market, nickel metal hydride, nickel metal hydride battery, Prius, toyota industrial

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Electric Vehicles International (EVI) is headed back to California and will be demonstrating its “Road Ready” commercial vehicle at Faster Freight – Cleaner Air (FFCA California), which is being held this week at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. Having recently completed its launch into the U.S., EVI offers the first pure electric and hybrid electric Class 3-6 commercial trucks available in the U.S., which are in full compliance with stringent federal and state regulatory requirements for their respective weight classes.

The recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes a number of financial incentives for EVs that can range from $7,500 to $15,000 per vehicle. In addition, a number of other incentives and subsidies are available in California including the following:

• As funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), up to $1.62 million will have been dispensed by March 31, 2009 for vehicle incentive rebates in the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program;
• The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) offers an EV discount of $0.025/kWh for charging, and provides EV-infrastructure services to help customers determine applications for EVs in fleet operations, EV maintenance services and training.

In addition to being a sponsor at this year’s FFCA California, EVI is exhibiting and offering demos at Booth #123. On Tuesday, March 24 at 1:30pm PT, EVI will hold a press conference in Conference Room 102BC, which will be followed by a special “Ride and Drive” for members of the media. The 3-day conference and expo is being held at the Long Beach Convention Center adjacent to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to showcase innovative programs, policies and technologies around the world to improve efficiency and reduce air quality impacts of the goods movement industry.

(Source) Press

Tags: air quality impacts, alternative fuel, california air resources, california air resources board, california center, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, financial incentives, fleet operations, fuel vehicle, incentives and subsidies, industry source, long beach convention center, reinvestment act, vehicle incentive program

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To help increase the level of safety of drivers from car crashes, the new Opel Insignia will be armed with BETAMATE crash durable adhesives to offer a broader range of properties that help achieve safety, weight-savings and production benefits.

Dow Automotive, as a supplier of crash durable adhesives that fulfil OEM requirements for both safety and weight-savings, continues to broaden the application base of this technology.

Highlights of the BETAMATE include:

• Improved crash performance and safety classification
• Extended durability of body-in-white
• Better overall stiffness and improved handling performance
• Further down-gauging the body-in-white for weight reduction

With this application, Dow Automotive again demonstrates the value of bonding as joining technology in automotive construction and the recognition this high performance technology continues to achieve in the industry.

(Source) Press

Tags: adhesives, crash performance, high performance technology, industry source, insignias, opel insignia, safety classification, weight reduction

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