Quirky Fines for Drivers

In the UK don’t honk your car horn if you are sitting still, a driver can be fined for honking his/her car horn when the car is not moving. The cost of the fine is somewhere around $42.00. 

Ford Replacing its MyFord Infotainment System

Ford Motor Company is replacing its failing MyFord infotainment system and introducing a new system the Sync 3, instead of using Microsoft technology the new system uses Blackberry’s in car operating system which Ford is hoping will fix problems and complaints.  Ford will be rolling out the Sync 3 with the 2016 model year and by the end of the 2016 calendar year it will be available throughout the Ford and Lincoln lineups.

Interesting Fact About the Pagani Zonda Instrument Panel

Did you know that the Pagani Zonda has the same instrument panel as the Lancia City Car?  This is a little known fact that the Pagani known for its extravagant interiors got its instrument panel from the Lancia City Car a popular car amongst broke Italian students and senior men.

GM’s Announces the Launch of the Opel in Europe

General Motors announced the launching of its entry level minicar for the German market. The Opel will have a starting price of $12,500 (10,000 Euros) including tax.  The Opel has a spacious interior and can seat up to five people. The Opel is set to be in German showrooms sometime in June 2015.  Chevrolet stated they will stop selling cars in Europe at the end of 2015 to focus on the Opel.  

In the second quarter General Motors lost 305 million dollars which was up from the 114 million dollar loss the year before.  The losses were related to the closure of a Bochum, Germany assembly plant. GM has plans to bring back profitability to its European operations by 2016 by expanding the Opel’s lineup. 

Chevy Big block engine used to test F1 Prototype Gearbox

When McLaren needed an engine with enough torque to test the gearbox for the F1 prototype they chose the Chevrolet 454 big block.  McLaren felt the 454 would have enough torque to replicate the F1’s eventual production unit.

The McLaren F1 set the record for the world’s fastest production car on March 31, 1998

 Fiat Chrysler Pressured to Move on Takata Airbag Recall

Fiat Chrysler was told by U.S regulators to move up its vehicle recall of faulty airbags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a letter the company should start the recall on vehicles equipped with the faulty Takata Corp airbags by December 1, 2014.  Last June Chrysler decided to replace the airbag inflators on 371,000 vehicles equipped with the Takata airbags; however the company was planning to make the notice to consumers on December 19, 2014 that’s when the replacement parts would be available.

According to NHSTA’s deputy administrator David Friedman “the consequences of these inflator failures are serious”.  

The Takata’s faulty airbags are linked to many injuries and at least five deaths. 

At a U.S. Senate hearing on November 20, 2014 in which both Chrysler and Takata came under fire Hiroshi Shimizu apologized for the injuries and deaths related to the companies faulty airbags. After a two year period of making piecemeal repairs on close to 6 million cars left vehicle owners uncertain that their airbags were to still prone to malfunction.

Porsche/Studebaker

Did you know that the first four door Porsche Sedan was not the Panamera? Believe it or not it was actually a Studebaker.  In 1952 Porsche built the Type 542 a prototype sedan for Studebaker, but unfortunately for Studebaker it was deemed too weird for production.