Automotive Mechanic Shop

Ford And Volvo Support Move To Ban ICE Car Sales In Europe By 2035

By Michael J. Moody 52 mins ago

Ford and Volvo were the only two automakers to sign a recently published letter by a group of 28 cross-industry companies in support of new rules being considered that would see the European Union legislate that all new vehicles sold there are zero emissions by 2035.

The letter, which was sent to Members of the European Parliament and EU governments, also demands that the organization establish mandatory charging infrastructure targets for zero-emission vehicles, reports CleanTehcnica.

“At Ford in Europe, we believe that freedom of movement goes hand-in-hand with caring for our planet and each other,” said Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe. “EU policymakers must also establish mandatory national targets for a seamless electric charging infrastructure that lives up to the growing demand for electric vehicles.”

Read Also: European Union Could Ban All New Combustion Engine Cars From 2035

The rules would have the broader goal of helping Europe

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Plug-In Car Sales Up 37% In Q1 2022, Two Teslas At The Top

By Michael J. Moody 57 mins ago

The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) reports that during the first quarter of 2022, the overall light-vehicle registrations in California amounted to 425,216 (down by 13.8% year-over-year).

The report begins with a list of issues: “Inflation has surged, interest rates are moving higher, gas prices have increased, and there’s a war in Europe”, but at the same time it notes that not the lack of demand, but rather limited production holds the market down.

The most important thing for us is that the plug-in electric car sales remain strong with several monumental achievements.

Plug-in car registrations during the period increased by about 37% year-over-year to 73,138 (estimated), which translates into a record of 17.2% of the total market (compared to 10.8% a year ago and 12.8% average in 2021).

Another thing is that for the first time all-electric vehicles significantly outperformed conventional hybrids. A total of 62,082 BEV

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Watch Gordon Murry Automotive Pummel Its T50 Supercar During Airbag Testing

By Michael J. Moody 2 hours ago


The Gordon Murray Automotive T50 hypercar is closer to production than ever before. However, before customer cars can be delivered safety concerns must be addressed and the way that gets done is wild. This T50 gets jumped, bumped, and broken in the process.

Dario Franchitti takes us through the testing that, in this case, is focused on calibrating the airbag systems in the car. Many will remember how sensitive some sports cars’ airbags have been in the past. One infamous video shows a Camaro’s side airbags deployed when the driver goes over a rumble strip, a common occurrence, on a racetrack.

That’s one reason that this sort of testing is so important and it demonstrates why so many of the tests shown in this video focus on impacts on the suspension and underbody of the car. The T50 jets over potholes, washboard roads, and more during the data gathering. There’s

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Used Car Prices Coming Down Slowly

By Michael J. Moody 2 hours ago
The price of the average used car sold in America has declined for three straight months. It’s probably now safe to say that the peak of the price spike that made news throughout 2021 came in December.

In March, the average used car sold for $27,246 – down $362 from February and down nearly $1,000 from December’s peak.

IRS Backlog May Be Slowing Sales

The drop is remarkable considering that prices usually bounce higher in spring as tax returns begin hitting Americans’ bank accounts.

The IRS is behind its usual pace in issuing tax returns this year, which may be delaying the normal spring bounce. Prices may start increasing again as the normal spring sales surge occurs in slow motion this year.

“Prices remain high, up 28% from a year ago,” noted Charlie Chesbrough, Cox Automotive senior economist. “The anniversary of the chip shortage – when prices started to skyrocket

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