Tag Archives: auto

Idaho

Car show & Helicopter forced landing: Chubbuck Days Cotant Park 2016

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13 August 2016 /18:55 UTC-07 Tango 01 (24 Mordad 1395/10 Dhu I-Qa’da 1437/12 Bing-Shen 4714)

The highlight at Cotant Park was when the helicopter ride force landed, twice, and looking very much like it would crash into neighboring Chase Park playground, due to passenger overloading.  However, the main attraction had arrived and most people were thus busy getting baptized by the Chubbuck Fire Department, so they missed the ‘copter excitement.   (I try not to include repeat offenders, I mean cars that were in previous Chubbuck Days), Clicks the pics to make bigger, photos by AAron B. Hutchins:

2015 CHUBBUCK DAYS CAR SHOW

2014 CHUBBUCK DAYS CAR SHOW

The job I had in 2013 caused me to miss Chubbuck Days.

6TH ANNUAL CAR SHOW, 2012 CHUBBUCK DAYS (PART 1)

6TH ANNUAL CAR SHOW, 2012 CHUBBUCK DAYS (PART 2)

11 AUGUST 2012: BUSIEST CHUBBUCK DAYS EVER!

I was out-o-town for 2011 Chubbuck Days.

2010 (when I started taking pics of the cars) CHUBBUCK DAYS CAR SHOW IN IDAHO

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Global Economic War: Russians have the money. Mazda, Renault, Nissan, VW, GM and Fiat make their move

“Russia is Mazda’s second largest market in Europe and sales are rapidly increasing. Mazda sold approximately 28,000 units during the period from January through September 2011, a year on year increase of approximately 77%!”-Mazda Motors statement

Mazda announced they’ve made an U.S.$80 million joint venture deal with Russian car maker Sollers.  By next autumn they will begin production of Mazda cars in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.

Mazda is not the only foreign car maker to make moves on the Russian car market: Renault-Nissan, General Motors, Izuzu, SsangYong, Fiat and Volkswagen have all started production in Russian factories.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? SAAB sold to China, at a loss

SAAB has new Chinese owners.  The car maker was sold at a loss, after it filed for bankruptcy in September.  SAAB hasn’t made any cars in its factory in Sweden, since April!

SAAB was originally offloaded by GM to Dutch company Spyker (now Swedish Automotive).  Chinese distributor Pang Da Automobile Trade, and auto manufacturer Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile will pay about U.S.$142 million for SAAB.

SAAB joins Volvo in becoming a Chinese owned company.  In 2010 Volvo was sold by Ford, also at a loss, to Chinese company called Geely.

SAAB sales in the U.S. suck, in September only 429 cars were sold.  So far for the year 2011 only 4,612 cars have been sold.  In 2003 SAAB sales in the U.S. were ten times that (40,000 cars)!

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Who the Government works for: GM & Chrysler excused from paying vicitms of car defects

“This was not a normal case. The government was deciding who was going to be taken care of and who was not.”-David Skeel, University of Pennsylvania Law School

The recent bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, did not just include money, it included legal liability for defective vehicles that caused injuries and deaths.

The bailout allowed GM and Chrysler to skip paying any court ordered settlements for injuries or deaths that happened before the auto makers went  bankrupt.  GM had 2,500 claims against it when they went bankrupt.  The excused settlements are in the tens of millions of dollars.

In the words of Telly Savalis: “Who loves ya baby?”  It’s not your government that’s for sure.

International

Japan says old people involved in at least half of all deadly car accidents, case against walking

According to the Japanese government, 50.4% of deadly car accidents involve old people.

The data was compiled from 2010 accidents in Japan.  More than half involved people 65 years of age, or older.  Before anyone jumps to conclusions, the data needs to be broken down.  Remember the key word here is “involved”, not “caused”.

The majority of deadly car accidents involving old people, were of old people being hit while walking, not driving (50.1% of the 50.4% total involving old people).  The number of deadly car accidents involving old people driving is 23.9% (of the 50.4%).

So basically its more dangerous for an old person to walk anywhere in Japan, than to drive.

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima, U.S.

GM joins Toyota in reducing U.S. production

General Motors (GM) has announced that due to auto parts shortages, caused by the disasters in Japan, they will have to shut down some production in the United States.

A GM plant in Louisiana is the first to be closed, for a week, as a result.

Toyota had announced that it would slow production in its U.S. factories. Officials say production will not be affected at their engine plants. Instead of closing plants altogether, Toyota has eliminated overtime work.

Ford says so far their U.S. operations are not affected, Honda said the same thing.