WORKERS NEEDED - AutoGraphic's Automotive Report News for the Local automotive Industry in Central...

June 2018 Dixie Automotive Report 1

R

Monthly News for the Local Automotive Industry

D I X I E

VOL 27, NO 3 JuNe 2018

Monthly News for the Local Automotive Industry in Central and Southern Alabama, Georgia and North Florida, including Body Shops, Mechanical Shops and Dealers.

Dated Material

PresortedStandard

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDFranklin, TN

Permit No. 357

www.AutomotiveReport.net

3Once America’s best-selling car, the

Taurus, dies again

8Kyle’s Collision Center

Revved-up cars get students ‘on track’

for STEM careers

DeLorean widow sues for movie

payment

Trump tells world’s top automakers to

build more cars in US

5

10

15

DIX0618

1954 Siata14

DON’TWING IT

From estimate line items to materials invoicing

and shop backlogs, here are industry stats and

trends you can use to make informed decisions

2 Dixie Automotive Report June 2018

LONG-LEWISAlabama’s Oldest Ford Dealer

Hoover, Ala. • 877-234-5664 • 205-989-3000 • [email protected] thru Friday 7 am to 5:30 pm; Saturday 8 am to 2 pm

• 5 Wholesale Reps • 6 Local Delivery Trucks• 3 Out-of-Town Delivery Trucks

• 19,000 Square Feet of Genuine Ford, Motorcraft and Power Stroke Parts

Alabama’s most qualifi ed Ford Power Stroke Parts Department with over 160 years of combined Ford

Parts Experience

DETROIT—A federal grand jury inDetroit has indicted former VolkswagenCEOMartinWinterkornonchargesstem-mingfromthecompany’sdieselemissionscheatingscandalinaplotthatprosecutorsallegereachedthetopoftheworld’slarg-estautomaker. The four-count indictment unsealedThursday charges Winterkorn, 70, withthreecountsofwirefraudandoneofcon-spiringwith other seniorVWexecutives

and employees to violate the CleanAirAct.HewasindictedinMarch. Volkswagen has admitted to program-ming itsdieselengines toactivatepollu-tioncontrolswhenbeingtestedingovern-ment labsand turning themoffwhenontheroad. Winterkornfacesuptofiveyearsinpris-onanda$250,000fineontheconspiracycharge and up to 20 years in prison anda$25,000fineonthewirefraudcharges.He is the ninth person charged by U.S.authoritiesinthecase.Twohavepleaded

Indictment alleges top VW exec knew of emissions cheatingBy Tom Krisher

guiltyandareservingjailtime,whilesixothersremaininGermany. “VolkswagendeceivedAmericanregu-latorsanddefraudedAmericanconsumersfor years,”Matthew Schneider, the U.S.AttorneyfortheEasternDistrictofMichi-gan,saidinastatement.“ThefactthatthiscriminalconductwasallegedlyblessedatVolkswagen’shighestlevelsisappalling.” TheU.S.governmentbelievesWinter-kornis inGermany,soit’sunlikelyhe’llever see a U.S. courtroom or jail. Ger-many’sconstitutionforbidsextraditionofitscitizensotherthantoanotherEuropeanUnionmemberstateortoaninternationalcourt. He still couldbe charged inGermany,however.ProsecutorsinthecityofBraun-schweigsaidinJanuaryof2017thatWin-

terkornwasamong37suspectsbeingin-vestigated in a criminal probe related totheemissionsscandal.Prosecutors’state-mentsaidtheywereinvestigatinghimon

suspicionoffraudandfalseadvertising. WinterkorntestifiedintheGermanpar-liamentthathedidn’tlearnoftheproblemuntilshortlybeforeU.S.investigatorsan-nounceditinSeptemberof2015. TheindictmentallegesthatWinterkornwastoldoftheemissionscheatinginMayof 2014 and again in July of 2015, yet“agreedwithotherseniorVWexecutivestocontinuetoperpetratethefraudandde-ceiveU.S.regulators.” TheplotwasdiscoveredwhentheInter-nationalCouncilonCleanTransportation,whichworkswithgovernmentstocontrolemissions, paid for emissions testing ontwo diesel VWs. The study of on-roadperformancefoundthatoneemittedupto35timestheallowableamountoftoxicni-trogenoxide. According toprosecutors,BerndGott-weis,seniorVWmanagerthenresponsibleforproductsafety,metwithenginedevel-opmentemployeesandlearnedabouttheICCTstudy.OnMay22,2014,hewroteaone-pagememodescribingthetestresultsand warning thatVW could not explainthe increased pollution. The memo wasattached toacovernoteauthoredbyan-otherseniorexecutiveandwasaddressedtoWinterkorn,prosecutorsallege. Gottweisisamongthosepreviouslyin-dicted. EvenaftertheICCTstudy,VWcontin-uedtodenythatitscarswereprogrammedtocheat,theindictmentalleges.(AP)•

VW’s Audi reports new diesel software issue BERLIN — Volkswagen’s Audi unitsays it has discovered new engine soft-ware irregularities in some of its dieselmodelsandhashalteddeliveriesofthosecarstodealers. Germany’s Federal Motor TransportAuthoritysaidthatitwillquestiontheau-tomakerabouttheissue.Audisaiditwasdiscovered“in thecontextof internal in-vestigationsofthedieselissue,”thescan-dal over diesel emissions-cheating thateruptedatVolkswagenin2015. The company says theV6 engines in-volvedareusedinAudi’sA6andA7mod-els of theC7 generation,which are cur-rentlybeingphasedout.Itsaysdeliveriesoftheaffectedcarswerestoppedimmedi-atelyandcustomerswhohaveorderedonewerenotified. Audisayssome60,000carsworldwidearelikelytobeaffected,noneofthemintheUnitedStates.(AP)•

According to prosecutors,Bernd Gottweis, senior VWmanagerthenresponsibleforproduct safety,met with en-gine development employeesand learnedabout the ICCTstudy.


VOL. 27, NO. 3 • June 2018

EditorBarry Forkum

Publisher / Advertising DirectorGarnett Forkum

Art DirectorAllen Forkum

Copy EditorTom Williams

ContributorsJay Hirsch, John Cox

Buster McNutt, Jay Hirsch Steve McLinden, Gary Butler

Advertising SalesTom Williams

615-757-3042 • Fax: [email protected]

Marj PiercePhone: (901) 466-0903 • 1-800-489-6916

Cell: (901) 497-0926 • Fax: (901) 466-9415Email: [email protected]

www.AutomotiveReport.net

Dixie Automotive Report is published every month by AutoGraphic Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any contents, graphic or editorial, without permission is prohibited. Member of Associated Press. DAR accepts no responsibility for opinions of writers or for claims made by advertisers. Views expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publication. DAR is mailed free of charge to inde-pendent repair shops in Georgia, Alabama and Northern Florida. AutoGraphic’s Automotive Report newspapers are also published for the regions in and around Mem-phis, Nashville, Knoxville, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Kentucky, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Direct comments and suggestions to: 1121 Airport Center Drive, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37214.

This publication is free to any automotive repair facility and/or automotive related business. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please send your busi-ness card to AutoGraphic Publishing 1121 Airport Center Drive, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37214 or email Garnett at [email protected].

For accounting questions, contact Barry Forkum via email at [email protected] or call.

PHONE: (615) 391-3666 • FAX: (615) 391-3622Email: [email protected]

R

Monthly News for the Local Automotive Industry

D I X I E

P U B L I S H I N G C O



AutoGraphic Publishing Company

DETROIT — A car that once wasAmerica’stop-sellerisabouttodie—forasecondtime. FordTaurus,mayyou rest in peace atthesalvageyard. Blamethefull-sizesedan’sslowdemiseonthenationalobsessionwithSUVsandFordMotorCo.’sneedtoslashcostsandremakeitselfforaneweraofself-drivingcarsandshuttles. Ford announced the car’s passing lastmonthaspartofmajorrestructuringplanaimed at focusing capital spending onmorepopularSUVsandtechnologyneed-edtomorphFordintoamobilitycompa-ny. The 114-year-old automaker said itwouldstopsellingallcarmodelsinNorthAmericabuttwo:theMustangmusclecarandaversionofthecompactFocuscalledActive.ThatmeansFord’sChicagoplant

will stop making Tauruses next March.NorthAmericanproductionof theFocuscompact car and Fiesta subcompactwillhalt in May, while the midsize Fusionlivesafewmoreyearsbeforeitdeparts. They’llbereplacedbyfivenewSUVs,all todealwithamarket thathasshifteddramatically in five years. In March,trucksandSUVsweretwo-thirdsofU.S.new vehicle sales. They were less thanhalfinMarchof2013. “Wewillfocusonproductsandmarketswhereweknowwecanwin,”newCEOJimHackettsaidinmakingtheannounce-ment. Thatmeans theendof the line for theTaurus,whichwascompletelyremadeasanewcarforathirdtimeinthe2010mod-el year. The timing couldn’t have beenworse.ItcameoutashighgaspricesweresendingfamiliestomoreefficientmidsizesedansliketheToyotaCamryandHondaAccord.ThentheSUVboomhit. “It had everything going against it,”saidKarlBrauer,executivepublisher forKelley Blue BookandAutotrader. The Taurus was built on heavy, olderunderpinnings, limiting Ford’s ability tocreatemoreinteriorspaceormakethecarmore efficient, Brauer said.At the sametime, midsize competitors used newertechnology for better ride and handlingandtoexpandinsidespace. As a result, sales of the latest Tauruspeakedin2013atnearly80,000,fallingtojustover41,000lastyear. The latestTaurus did develop a bit ofa cult following, though, especially the365-horsepower turbocharged perfor-mance version called S.H.O. for “SuperHighOutput.” “It’sreallyasadthingtoseeagoodcarlikethatgo,”musedCoreyAaronofBu-

Once America’s best-selling car, the Taurus, dies againBy Tom Krisher

ford,Georgia,whoownsametallicgray2013S.H.O. thathelovesbecauseitcanout-acceleratemany other cars yet lookslikeasleepyfamilysedan. Aaron, amember of an S.H.O. enthu-siast club, says Ford is short-sighted forgettingridofacarwithaloyalfollowing.BeforetheTaurus,Aaronboughtonlyfor-eign-brandvehicles,whichheconsideredtohavebetterperformanceandquality. “After getting behind thewheel, it to-tallychangedmyperspectiveondomestic

manufacturers,”hesaid. The Taurus debuted in late 1985 at atimewhen Fordwas in financial troubleand needed a big hit. The company hadfound thatAmerican tastes were chang-ingawayfrombig,boxysedans tomorenimbleandefficientEuropeancars. Somorethan1,000Fordstafferscameupwithasleek-looking,roomycarwithasmoothridethatwasefficientandhandledlikeasmallercar.Derisivelycalleda“fly-

Continued on page 13

DEPARTMENTS

RACING NOTES — 12

RECALLS — 13

REARVIEW: 1954 Siata — 14

FEATURE STORY

dON’T WING IT

By John Yoswick — 4

COLUMNS

SPARE PARTS: By Buster McNutt

When the Road is Paved in

Heaven I’ll be There — 6

SHOP PROFILE: By Steve McLinden KYLE’S COLLISION CENTER — 8

CONTENTSNEXT ISSUE ADVERTISER

Does your marketing

MEASURE UP?Consistent, targeted parts advertising can help you not only maintain current market share and current sales lev-els but can help you reach new levels as the economy improves.

Procedures You May Be Doing For

Free

Foradvertisinginformation,contactTomWilliamsat

[email protected]

FORDFord Powertrain — 10 Long Lewis Ford — 2

Riverside Ford — 7GM

ChevyPartsDirect.com — 15hONDA

Gwinnett Place Honda — 11hYUNDAi

Palmer’s Airport Hyundai — 16iNFiNiTi

Atlantic Infiniti — 9TOYOTA

Palmer’s Airport Toyota — 16VOLVO

Volvo of Memphis — 7OThER

Jasper Engines — 9



Making decisions about your businesscanbetough,withsomanyfactorsplayingintowhatthebestmovemaybe.Here’salookatsomestatsandtrends,bothwithintheindustryandelsewhereintheeconomy,thatcouldinfluenceyourbusiness.More parts, higher prices, lower margins A presentation at this spring’s Colli-sionIndustryConference(CIC)mayhelpexplain why shops that are seeing theiraveragerepairorderrisemaystillseemar-ginsdeclining. Susanna Gotsch, director of industryanalysis for CCC Information Services,said that parts as a percentage of overallrepair costs have continued to climb. In2003,forexample,partsaccountedfor42percentoftheoverallrepaircostsfor2003vehicles. “By 2016 and 2017, that number [for2016 and 2017 vehicles] had grown tonearly 47 percent,” Gotsch said. “Sounfortunately, the area of the repair billthat potentially has smallermargins thanlabor…continuestogrow.” That’s based in part on the increasedcomplexity of vehicles. Gotsch cited theHondaAccordasanexample. “In1996,thefrontbumperhadabout15individualparts,”shesaid.“By2015,thatparthad23or24individualcomponents,depending on the configuration of thatvehicle.” Thoseadditionalpartsalsoarenotlow-cost rivets or bolts, she pointed out, butrathermore cameras, sensors andwiringharnesses.Average labor hours per claim

The total number of labor hours perclaimhit itsmost recentpeak in2007at23.5hours,accordingtoCCCdata.Itthendroppedalongwiththeeconomy,bottom-ingoutat22.3hoursin2010.About2013itbeganaslowrise,hitting23.1hourslastyear,closetopre-recessionlevels.CCC on labor rates CCCdataalsoindicatesthatthenationalaveragepaintorbodylaborraterose lastyearby$1(anincreaseofabout2percent)to just under $49.Body labor rates haverisenanaverageofonlyabout1.4percentperyearoverthelastfouryears. Frameandmechanical rateshave risenabitmoreoverthefouryears(1.6percentand2.1percent,respectively).Lastyear’snational average frame rate was $56.52and the national averagemechanical ratewas$84.83.Thenationalaveragerateforpaintmaterialshasgrownanaverageof2percent per year over the last four years,includinga2.7percentincreasein2017to$29.09. It’s important to remember thatCCC’sreported data generally includes directrepairclaimsonly.Scanning as an estimate line item CCC says that based solely on auto-maker position statements, 70 percent

of all vehicle damage appraisals in 2017shouldhaveincludedapre-orpost-repairscan.Despitethis,only9percentofCCCestimatesduringtheyearincludedascan(atachargeaveraging$90,eitherasaflat-feeorbasedonlabortime). CCCsaidthiscomparesto4percentof2016estimatesincludingaline-itemforascan(atafeeaveraging$149). It’simportanttokeepinmind,asCCCnoted,“Theabsenceofascanentryintheappraisal does not necessarily mean thatthescanwasnotperformed.”Average age of vehicles Although an older vehicle populationinastatemaybeaboonforthemechani-cal repair industry, thoseare thevehiclesmostlikelytobedeclaredatotallosswhenthey arrive in a body shop.AnAudaEx-plore study found that vehicles 10 yearsold or newer account for more than 85percentofcollision-damagedvehiclesthatarerepairedratherthantotaled,andCCCreports that the average age of vehiclesbeingrepaired in2017heldsteadyat5.9years, having fallen from a peak of 6.2yearsin2013. IHSAutomotivereportsthattheaveragevehicle age in theUnitedStates is about11.6yearsofage.Butonastate-by-state

basis,thataveragerangesfromalowof9.6yearsinMassachusetts to a highof 15.4 years in Mon-tana. Other states withan older vehicle popu-lation include Alabama(13.6 years), Mississippi(13.3years),SouthCaro-lina and Kentucky (12.7

years). Along with Massachusetts, the stateswithvehiclepopulationsaveragingunder10 years or younger areTexas,Vermont,OklahomaandNewHampshire.Percentage of insured drivers Aconsumerismorelikelytogetavehi-clerepairedafteranaccidentifthatvehicle—orthedriverresponsibleforthedamage—isinsured.Sohigherratesofuninsureddrivers inastatecouldmakedoingbusi-nessinthatstatesomewhatlessattractiveforcollisionrepairers. The Insurance Research Council esti-mates that about one-in-eight drivers onthe roads in the United States is unin-sured.Butagain,theratesvarywidelybystate. Only 4.5 percent ofMaine driversareuninsured,according to theCouncil’sreport,comparedtoawhopping26.7per-centinFlorida. Amongthestateswithuninsureddriverrates topping 15 percent are Mississippi(23.7 percent), Tennessee (20 percent),Alabama (18.4 percent), and Arkansas(16.6percent). The states with uninsured rates below9percentincludeWyoming(7.8percent),South Dakota (7.7 percent), Kansas (7.2

Feature Story

By John Yoswick

DON’TWING IT

From estimate line items to materials invoicing

and shop backlogs, here are industry stats and

trends you can use to make informed decisions


DETROIT — For years, Tesla hasboasted that its cars andSUVs are saferthanothervehiclesontheroads,andCEOElonMuskdoubleddownontheclaimsinaseriesoftweetslastmonth. Theelectricvehiclesareunder intensescrutiny from federal investigators, whohavebeenlookingintopost-crashbatteryfiresandtheperformanceofTesla’sAuto-pilotsemi-autonomousdrivingsystem.InMay,theytraveledtoUtahtoopenanoth-erinquiryintoaTeslacrash—theirfourththisyear—inwhichaModelSslammedintoafiretruck thatwasstoppedata redlight. A look at the tweets and Tesla’s pastclaimsaboutthesafetyofitsvehiclesandAutopilot: MUSK (from his tweets last month):“Accordingto(NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration),therewasanauto-motive fatalityevery86Mmiles in2017(40,000 deaths). Tesla was every 320Mmiles. It’s not possible to be zero, butprobability of fatal-ityismuchlowerinaTesla.” THE FACTS:This is based on aTesla analysis ofU.S. fatal crashespermilestraveledin2017. The compa-ny’smathiscorrecton the fatality rateinvolving all of thenation’s 272 mil-lion vehicles, about150,000 of whichare Teslas, accord-ing to sales esti-mates from Ward’sAutomotive. But Tesla won’t say howmanyfatalitiesoccurredinitsvehiclesorhowmanymilestheyweredriven. We don’t know of anyTesla fatalitiesin2017,butthenumberscanvarywidelyfromyeartoyear.Therehavebeenatleastthreealreadythisyearandacheckof2016NHTSA fatal crash data— themost re-cent year available—showsfivedeathsinTeslavehicles. Statistically, experts sayMusk’s tweetanalysis isn’t valid. While Teslas couldhavealowerdeathrate,itmayspeakmoreabout the demographics of Tesla driversthan itdoesabout safetyof thevehicles,saysKenKolosh,managerofstatisticsfortheNationalSafetyCouncil. ExpensiveTeslas tend to be drivenbymiddle-age affluent people who are lesslikelytogetinacrashthanyoungerpeo-ple,Koloshsaid.Also,Tesladriverstendtoliveinurbanareasandtravelonroadswithlowerspeeds,wherefatalityratesarelower,hesaid. Muskalsoiscomparingafleetofolder,less-expensivevehicles tohis newer andmore costly models, Kolosh said. MostTeslasontheroadaresixyearsoldorless.The average vehicle in the U.S. is 11.6yearsold,accordingtoIHSMarkit.Older,

less-expensivevehiclesoftenaren’tmain-tained like newer ones and would havemoremechanicalproblems. ——— MUSK(fromhistweetsinreferencetotheUtahcrash):“What’sactuallyamazingaboutthisaccidentisthataModelShitafire truck at 60mph and the driver onlybroke an ankle.An impact at that speedusuallyresultsinsevereinjuryordeath.” THEFACTS:It’struethatthedriverinthe Utah crash sustained minor injuriesconsidering how fast her carwas travel-ing.Thesame is true fora January free-way crash near Los Angeles in whichthedriverwasnothurt.ButnotallTeslacrashesendthesameway. InMarch, thedriver of aTeslaModelXwaskilledinCaliforniawhenhisSUVhit a barrier while traveling at “freewayspeed.”NHTSAand theNationalTrans-portation Safety Board are investigatingthat case, inwhich theAutopilot systemwasengaged.AutopilotwasalsoengagedintheUtahcrash,accordingtoasummaryofdatafromthecar.

Last month,the NTSB openeda probe into an ac-cident in which aModelScaughtfireaftercrashingintoawallatahighspeedin Florida. Two18-year-olds weretrapped in the ve-hicleanddiedintheflames. The agencyhas said it doesnotexpect Autopilot tobeafocusofthatin-vestigation. ——— TESLA (from

aMarch 30 press release): “Over a yearago, our first iteration ofAutopilot wasfoundby theU.S. government to reducecrashratesbyasmuchas40percent.” THE FACTS:The government says itdidnotassesshoweffectiveAutopilot isat reducing crashes. It didmention a 40percentreductionincrashratesafter“Au-tosteer” was installed in Tesla vehicles,based on data provided by Tesla.Auto-steeristhepartofAutopilotthatkeepsthecarcenteredinalaneandcanchangelanesautomatically.NHTSAsaiditdida“cur-sory”comparisonofcrash ratesbetweenvehicleswith andwithoutAutosteer, butit didn’t consider whether drivers wereactuallyusingAutosteer,whichhastobemanuallyactivated. ——— TESLA: The company has touted onitswebsite and in press releases that theModel S sedan scored the highest nu-mericalratingofanyvehicleinNHTSA’scrashtests,andthattheModelXwasthefirstSUVtogetafive-starratingineverycategory. THEFACTS:It’struethattheModelSandModelXgotfive-star crash-test rat-ings fromNHTSA,and theModelSdid

FACT CHECK: Tesla safety claims aren’t quite rightBy Tom Krisher

The electric vehiclesare under intense scru-tiny from federal inves-tigators, who have beenlooking into post-crashbatteryfiresandtheper-formance of Tesla’s Au-topilot semi-autonomousdrivingsystem.

Continued on page 9

BOWLINGGREEN,Ky.—Itwasn’tthe110-octanefuelortheracecarsuspen-sion that captured theattentionof sixth-grader Finn Alcott at Bowling GreenJuniorHighSchool. Sure, having his tympanic mem-brane rattled when the 1980 Corvette’s750-horsepowerengineroaredtolifewascool and all, butAlcottwasmore inter-estedinthesportscar‘ssleeklines. “I’m more into engineering,” Alcottsaid. “I had a collection of HotWheelscars when I was younger, and I alwayslikedthisonecarthatwentfasterthantheothers.Whatitwaswasaerodynamics.” Thatasixth-grader isevenusingsuchscientific terms serves as proof that lastmonth’s On Track event is serving thepurposeenvisionedbytheBowlingGreenAreaChamberofCommerceandWesternKentucky University’s SKyTeach pro-gram. Nodragonlearninghere. As the culmination of the On Trackcurriculumdeveloped by SKyTeach andtaught in Bowling Green and WarrenCounty middle schools, the sports carsrebuiltbyWarrenCountyAreaTechnol-ogy Center and Southcentral KentuckyCommunity and Technical College stu-dentswereondisplayatBGJHS. The1980Corvette rebuiltby theATCstudents who attend local high schoolsandthe1994CamaroworkedonbySKy-CTC automotive technology studentshave made the rounds of local middleschools,andthey’remorethanprops. “You don’t really understand scienceuntilyouunderstandhowitworksintherealworld,”saidRicoTyler,professional-in-residence at WKU’s SKyTeach pro-gram. SKyTeach was created 10 years agoas a way to foster such understandingby helping students pursue careers inmath and science education. Tyler saidhewas approachedbychamberof com-merceEducationandWorkforceDirectorSandraBakernearlytwoyearsagoaboutdeveloping a curriculum that would tieinwiththecarrebuildsbeingdoneattheATCandSKyCTC. “Sandra approached us about doing aset of lessons that incorporate an actualracecar,”Tylersaid.“Wewantedalessonwherethecarwasfundamentallypartofthelessonandwouldletthemunderstandhowmoderncartechnologyworks.” Tyler accomplished that by using adevicecalledanaccelerometerthatcouldbeincorporatedintotwodaysoflessonsaboutphysicsandmotion. “Oneofthestandardswetalkaboutismotion,”saidMeghanBasham,aBGJHSscienceteacher.“Weusedtheaccelerom-

eter,atypeofmotiondetector,andSKy-Teachgaveusthelessonplansforthetwodaysleadinguptothecarscoming.” Thecarswerethestaroftheshow,butthey’reonlypartofabroaderworkforcedevelopment initiative spearheaded byBakeratthechamberofcommerce. “It’sawayofbringingSTEM(Science,Technology,EngineeringandMath)edu-cation into the middle schools,” BakersaidofOnTrack. ThestrategyisresonatingwithstudentslikeBGJHSsixth-graderBreeceBryant. “I’velearnedaboutthetechnologythatgoesintocars,”saidBryant,whosaidtheSTEM emphasis has her considering acareerasanengineer.“Ilookathowthestudentsbuiltthesecars,andit’samazing.Youwouldn’tthinkakidwouldbeabletodoit,buttheycan.” On Track, by affording that opportu-nity to rebuild sports cars, has super-charged the auto technology program attheWarrenCountyATC,accordingtotheschool’sautomotiveinstructor. “I’vebeen teaching21years, and thisisthemostexcitingthingforgettingstu-dentsinterested,”saidMichaelEmberton. On-site at BGJHS, Emberton said hehopessomeofthosesixth-gradersmaybehisstudentsinthefuture. “Several of them were really inter-ested,”hesaid.“Ifwegetthematanearlyage,stufflikethissparksthatinterest.” It did forAlcott,who can seehimselfgraduatingfromthoseHotWheelscarstoworkingontherealthing. “Enginesinterestme,andseeingthesecars inspiresme,”he said. “I’mnot thatfar away from high school.When I getthere, I might want to get involved inthis.” IfBakerhasherway,theOnTrackpro-gramwill be bigger and better by then.Shesaid thevisits to themiddleschoolsreached more than 1,000 students thisyear,more than doubling the total fromlastyear’sinauguralprogram. “Theplanistoexpandthisandofferitthroughoutthe10-countyregion,”Bakersaid.“ThegoalistoexposemoremiddleschoolkidstoSTEMfutures.” The cars themselves may help ensurethatOnTrack continues to grow. In theprogram’sfirstyear,thetwodonatedcarscompetedintheHolleyLSFestatBeechBendRacewayandwere later auctionedattheMecumautoauctionheldinIndia-napolis lastMay,with the $74,000 theybrought being pumped back into OnTrack. Emberton said this year’s cars willbe auctioned aswell, but theymay firstcompeteagainintheSeptemberLSFestbeforegoingtooneofthelaterauctions.(AP)•

Revved-up cars get students ‘on track’ for STEM careersBy Don Sergent

Visit our web-site www.AutomotiveReport.net


Spare Parts

I’m about done with Florida. My laststraw was actually what I hope was mylastsinkhole.Itappearedaboutahalfmilefrommyhouseonthe(waitforit…)dirtroadthatconnectsusriverratstothepavedroad and, eventually, civilization, techni-callyknownasUSRoad129butreferredtobythelocalssimplyas“thehardroad.”The start of asphalt pavement is such anaweinspiringfeatureinthisareathatele-mentary schools schedule field trips fortomorrow’s little leaders and dairy farmworkers togaze inwonderment, thekidssittingonthesideofthehardroadeatingtheirsackluncheswhiletheirteacherreadsfromoneofthemostpopularlocalbooks,Where The Dirt Road Ends. Supposedly the sinkhole happenedbecauseafewweeksearlieratreefarmerdecidedtoclearabout100acresofhispinetrees,andtheonlywaytoget thelogstothemillorPine-Solplant,ortoothpickfac-tory,orwherevertheygo,wasthetakeUS129,andtheonlywaytogettoUS129wasvia,youguessed it,ourdirt road.To saythatloadedloggingtrucksareheavyislikesayingthatthesun,habanerapeppers,andDanica Patrick in her Sports Illustrated bikinishotsareallhot.Itisattheverytopof the “Well, duh!” list.A couple dozenloadedloggingtrucksrollingoverourdirt

roadeachdayislikeacoupledozenNFLlinemendancingtheMacarenaonagiantrice cake balanced on a dozen or so ofthose$7.99plasticfoldingsawhorsesfromHarborFreight.Itwouldbelikemesuck-ing it inandputtingonapairof32-inchwaistLevis(asif…)andstartingthatlongdelayed alternate toe touch exercise rou-tine. Something’sgottagive! We are talkingserious dirt roadruts. Think aboutthe worst potholeyou’ve ever seen,quadruple the size,and when it rainswatch the alliga-tors crawl out. Thecounty sent in a road grader, but it gotstuck up to its axle. The Google Mapsoverheadviewmade the road look likeagolfcourseinHeavenwhenGodwashav-ing a particularly bad day getting to thegreens.Andthenitdidrainfortwostraightdays,andthatwasallittook. Understand that the lime rock undermostofourlandinNorthCentralFloridahastheconsistencyofstorebrandpoweredgrits, and the water resistance of Alka-Seltzer.AndbelowthatwehavetheFlor-idaAquifer, which has been so depletedby the agricultural industry and heathenlawnwaterers(orso“They”say)thatthe

average distance between the surface ofthe actual water and the lime rock ceil-ingwould easily accommodateShaquilleO’Nealonasurfboard,wearingatophat,on top ofwhich isMaryLouRetton, onstilts—notjustalotofstructuralintegritythereeither. Put theseall togetherandyouhave, togiveashoutouttomysoontobepublishednew book, The Perfect Sinkhole. We’vealready sold the movie rights. I thinkGeorge Clooney is playing the sinkhole(Travoltahadaschedulingconflict). Long story short (it’s not like I’m

paid by the word,because I’m not…no, really, I’m not,well, at least nottechnically), theyhad to fill the sink-hole. The otheroptionwas—andIkidyounot—dig-gingupthesinkhole

andthenmovingitsomewhereelsewhereit wouldn’t be a traffic problem. Prettymuch every part of America has accessto a landfill, but here in our county wealso have a Sinkhole Fill,which is actu-ally just a giant sinkhole that we use to“store” smaller sinkholes that the countyhas chosen tomove rather thanfill.Thisactuallymakestwistedsense,becauseyoucan’tjustfillasinkhole.Firstyouhavetohave engineers come in and measure it,determinethecause,seeifithasunearthedany Indianartifacts,orevenworse,nestsforgopherturtles,whichareontheendan-geredlist.Tomovethemyouhavetogeta

permitfromtheDepartmentofAnnoyingand Brain Dead Regulations. It can takeweeksor longer toget towhereyoucanfillasinkhole.But ifyou“relocate” it totheCountySinkholeFill, it isnowjustahole in the ground that you can fillwithjust about anything available, as long asthe top12 inchesare theverysame limerock that caused the problem in the firstplace.Well,thatandtheloggingtrucks. Ittookaweek,buttheydidfillthe(nolonger“sink”)hole.Theyputasteelplateoveritforafewweeks,somotoristswouldfeelmore comfortable driving overwhathad previously been a sinkhole roughlythesizeoftheirdoublewide.Atleastthat’swhat“They”said.I’mprettysuretherealreasonisthatifthepreviouslyfilled“hole”did revert to its“sink”holestatus justasavehiclewaspassingover it, theycouldcleanthe“hole”messupwithacraneandalargemagnetratherthanadozenwork-release prisoners with opioid hangoversandtapedtogethershovels.We’reasmalland relatively “non-affluent” countywithlimitedresources.Mostofourcountyroadcrewisoveratthehighschooldiggingoutthenewtractor-pullfield.We’vebeenrun-nerupintheState(Class8A)forthelastthree years in tractor pull, and the coachsaid that if we just had better facilitieswe could go all theway next year.Whoknows,itcouldmeanacoupleofcollegescholarships. So,meandthemizzesareseriouslycon-sidering moving back to Tennessee. It’sabouta600-miledrive,andaswesayhereinFlorida:Ajourneyofathousandmilesstartswithasinglesinkhole. Orsomethinglikethat.•

By Buster McNutt

When the Road is Paved in Heaven I’ll be There

We’ve been runner up inthe State (Class 8A) for thelastthreeyearsintractorpull,andthecoachsaidthat ifwejust had better facilities wecouldgoallthewaynextyear.Whoknows, it couldmeanacoupleofcollegescholarships.


1-800-637-48072089 Riverside Drive Macon, GA 31204

We proudly serve: Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle •

• Over 200 years combined parts experienceOver $3 million in Ford, Lincoln and Power Stroke partsRanked as one of the Top 25 Ford parts wholesalers in the USAMember of Ford’s Top 50 Premier ClubNo Hassle Parts Return Guarantee

• • • •

CERTIFIED PARTS SPECIALISTS

SE REGIONAL SALES CONSULTANTS 478-957-0573

478-957-1124

478-973-8954

478-319-6071

478-957-0579

Eutis Beecher “Beech”[email protected] [email protected] Tommy Scarboroughtscarbourough@riversidefordnetHank [email protected] [email protected]

478-464-2937

478-464-2955

478-464-2961

478-464-2958

478-464-2946

478-464-2962

Roger [email protected] [email protected] Wesley Burch� eldwburch� [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

478-464-2914

Russell Brown Parts Manager [email protected]

FAX ORDERS TOLL FREE1-877-750-0590

Brittany Barnes Parts Accounting [email protected]

FORDPARTS.COM

Volvo of Memphis

Next Day Delivery available for: AL, FL, GA, & TNYOUR GENUINE VOLVO PARTS SOURCE

Two Time Volvo Excellent

Award Winner!

President’s Club Winner

Call Joe, Butch or Brian!

800-338-54817910 Trinity Rd @ Germantown Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38018Fax: (901)347-4207

JACKSON, Miss. — Toyota MotorCorp. announced that itwill invest$170millionandadd400jobsatitsMississippiassembly plant as it shifts some produc-tionoftheCorollasedanfromCanada. ThecompanysaiditwillretooltheBlueSpringsplantbeginninglaterthisyeartomake its next-generation Corolla sedan.Such changeovers are frequent at autoplants,butthisonewillalsoincreasetheplant’scapacity. Spokeswoman Kathryn Ragsdale saidToyota now can make 170,000 vehiclesyearly at the northeastMississippi plant.Ragsdalecouldn’tsayhowmuchcapacitywould increaseafterproduction linesarereplaced. The spending bringsToyota’s total in-vestment inMississippi to $1.16 billion.AlthoughCorollasalesaredecliningrightnow,Ragsdalesaidthecompanybelievesa2020redesignwillboostsales.Moreim-portantly,thecompanyispullingCorollaproduction from itsCambridge,Ontario,planttobuildmoreRAV4SUVsthere. Toyota had planned to shift CorollaproductiontoMexico,butthendecidedtobuildpickupsthere,leavingBlueSpringsandanewplantthatToyotaandMazdaarejointlybuildinginHuntsville,Alabama,asthesitesforNorthAmericanCorollapro-duction.

“Theworldislookingforwardtotheseadditional Corollas,” Gov, Phil Bryanttoldacrowdat theplant.“They’relook-ingforwardtothis2020platform,andwewanttomakesurewe’reprovidingeveryautotheyneed.” Bryant, a Republican, also said hehopedMississippiwouldbeabletoattractmore automotive suppliers to serveBlueSpringsandtheHuntsvilleplant. The factory, which has 2,000 workersnow,beganproductionin2011.Partoftheinvestmentinvolvesoverhaulingit toac-commodateToyota’sNewGlobalArchi-tecture,anengineeringsystemthatallowsToyotatosharecertainpartsandcompo-nentsamongseveralvehiclesandquicklyshiftassemblylinestomakemorepopularvehicles. “TheToyotaNewGlobalArchitectureallows us to completely change howwedesign and produce vehicles,” said SeanSuggs,presidentofToyotaMotorManu-facturingMississippi. Suggs said the 400 new assemblyworkers are being hired by contract la-bor agencyResourceMFG over the nextyear.They’llmakeabout$31,000yearlytostart,Ragsdalesaid.Shesaidthataftertwoyearsormore,thoseworkersarelike-lytobeofferedachancetobecomedirectToyota employees.Toyota’s 1,500 directemployees havewages between $36,600and$53,600.

Toyota to spend $170M to expand Miss. plant, hire 400By Jeff Amy

StateofficialssaytheJapaneseautomak-erwill get incentives including propertytaxbreaksandrebatesonworkerincometaxes.However,thoseworkerincometaxrebates are only available for workersmaking above $41,000 a year, meaningsomeemployeescouldmaketoolittleforToyota toqualify, at least forpartof the10-yearwindow.Understatelaw,Toyotagetsatwo-thirdsbreakonitspropertytax-esfor10yearsonnewinvestments.Suchabreakwill probablybeworthmillions.

StateandlocalgovernmentshavealreadygivenToyotamore than $325million ingrantsandtaxbreaks. Also,Toyotaunveiled thedesign fora$10millionvisitorandtrainingcenterthatitannouncedlastyear.Toyotahassaiditwill invest $10 billion in United Statesfacilitiesinthefiveyearsendingin2022andsaidthatitisnow$4.3billionintothatcommitment.(AP)•


ALEXANDRIA,La.—It’sdifficult tomissthesprawlingKyle’sCollisionCenter“campus”intheheartofAlexandria’’scen-tral business district. The 35,000-square-foot body shop occupies a square cityblock and then some, in a succession ofinterlinkedbuildingsandparkinglots. Thanks to its longevity, a highly-visi-ble location and strong service ethic, the28-year-old shop at 1423 Lee Street ispracticallyahouseholdnameinthistownof about 50,000 people, about 125milesnorthwestofBatonRouge. Oneof the shop’smottos: “Weanswerto thecustomer,not their insurancecom-panies.” ThoughownerRichardKyle,58,isalsoaninvestorwhostaysbusywithcommer-cial real estate deals and other ventures,includingarecentsaleofhisTowerTow-ing company, he still keeps daily officehours. “Ihavealovefortheindustry,”hesaid.“It’s something I still enjoy and havealwaysenjoyed.” As collision centers go, Kyle’s in oneof thebiggest independents in theSouth,employing 30workers. It has three paintbooths, five prep stations, three framemachines,afour-wheelalignmentsystem,aChiefGenesisLasermeasuringsystem,and just about any tool needed for top-qualityvehiclerepairthesedays. “Wehavethelatestandmostadvancedequipmentthisindustryhastooffer,”saidKyle. The owner adds that he is “proudofourtechnicianswhohaveachievedthehighest certifications in our industry thattheycanachieveandaresecondtonone.” Repairworkershave industrycertifica-tionsfromI-CAR,ASEandASA,andtheyregularlybrushuponthelatestinchang-ingtechniquesandtechnology,Kylesaid.Ateachstepoftherepairprocess,theshophas quality-control checkpoints to makesurerepairsaredonesafelyandtothecus-tomer’ssatisfaction,saidtheowner. Kyle’s serves as a direct-repair (DRP)shopforfourmajorinsurersandisaStateFarm vehicle-inspection center as well.Theshopoffersawrittenlifetimewarrantyonbodyworkandafive-yearwrittenwar-rantyonpaint.Italsohasacommitmenttoenvironmentalconsciousness,usingwater-based acrylic polyurethane enamel PPGpaintsthatareasenvironmentally-friendlyastheyarelong-lasting,Kylesaid.

“Iwas alwaysmechanical andgoodatfixingthings,”Kylesaid. When he finished high school, KyleenrolledinNashvilleAutoDieselCollegebeforereturningtoAlexandriain1984andopeningthefirstversionofhisshopdown-town. Kyle had kindwords forMitchell andother key staffers, including sales man-agerDinaRogers,a10-yearshopveteranwhoattendedLouisianaTechnicalCollegeandwho theowner saidhasa stabilizingforce at shop, andmechanic JamesStan-ford,anothertalentedpersonintheKyle’sempire,with12yearsexperience.

“Jamesisa tremendousasset;arealclass-Aguyandanexpertmechanic,”Kylesaid. Kyleseemstobehighlyregardedbystaff,evenformershop workers. On Glassdoor,a website where employeesandformeremployeesanony-mously review companiesthey’ve worked for, one ex-employee wrote: “RichardKyle is a great guy to workfor.Hehasbuiltafamily-likeenvironmentthathasmademefeelathome....Theperksandbonuseswereawesome.Rich-ardisaverygenerousman.” Kyleisevenmentionedin the bookA Jar of Clay in His Hands by family friendAlice C. Stinebaugh, wholaudedKyle’shiringofacloserelative of her’s, despite thefact that relative did not readwell,asabig-heartedmove.

Customers give the shop high marksforrepairs.Kyle’s“isincredible,”wroteaGooglereviewer.“Theplace ishuge,butevery single person I came across madecustomerservicekey.Theservicewasfastandperformedwithoutflaw. Inan indus-trywhereunfairquotesandpoorcustomerservice [can] run rampant, this businessstandsoutinthebestway.” Kyle’shasmanagedtoavoidtheworstof the large Louisiana storms over theyears,althoughonChristmasDay2012,ararewintertornadotoreofftheroofofthebodyshop,whilemostlysparingtheinte-riorandvehiclesstoredthere. Besides widespread recognition from

By Steve McLinden

At left, owner Richard Kyle works at his desk.

Kyle’s shop manager Gary Mitchell (below left).

Veteran body technician Jerry Aude (below right) .

The shop can repair heavy trucks andvarious other vehicles, plus it performsdetailingandcollision-relatedmechanicalrepairs, but it does very little custom-carwork.Kyle’sworkswithHertzandEnter-prise to have rental cars availablewhereandwhencustomersneedthem. Kyle’sisbigonretainingkeypeopleandthoroughly training new ones. Newbiestypicallytrainatseveraldifferentpositionsintheirdisciplineforaperiodofsixweekstotwomonthsbeforetheyareassignedafixedpost,saidtheowner. “Wetrytohirefortheperson,fortheirworkskillsandphoneskills,forhowpre-sentable they are and for how well wethinktheygetalongwithcustomers,”Kyle

said.“Ingeneral,welookforfineandloyalpeoplewhogetalongwitheverybodyelsehere;we’relikefamily.” ShopmanagerGaryMitchell,a20-yearveteranofKyle’s,added:“Wefindpeoplewhocare.” MitchelljoinedKyle’sin1998asabodymanandservedinvariousrolesaroundtheshopbefore takingoverasshopmanagernearlythreeyearsago. Kylegotintothetradeallthewaybackinjuniorhigh.Acollision-repairmanwhowas married to a friend of his motherofferedtoletKyleworkforhimatasmallshopduringthesummer,enablinghimtolearn the trade from the inside at a veryyoungage.

Shop Profile



GM 3.6L GDIEngines

JASPER® Has Increased Production on this GM V6 and has Great Availability

Scan our QR code above to learn more.

Full warranty disclosure available at www.jasperengines.com or upon request.

• 100% torque-plate honing, utilizing a torque plate and ARP2000® bolts, provides cylinder wall geometry that matches the cylinder head as a complete running assembly, for improved ring sealing.

• JASPER engineered pistons have a wider graphite coated skirt than OE to help prevent dry startup and piston scuffing.

• An improved piston skirt profile provides greater stability in the cylinder bore for less wear and better ring sealing.

• JASPER’s piston has a 40% wider piston pin surface area than the original design to improve durability and promote scuff resistance.

• 100% installation of a set screw on the reluctor wheel to prevent it from spinning on the crankshaft, eliminating timing and runability issues, or even crankshaft damage.

• Chrome nitrided steel top rings are installed for improved durability, heat resistance and reduced cylinder wall wear.

Proudly remanufactured in the U.S.A.

3 Years/100,000 Miles

Atlantic Infi niti

Jacksonville, FL • bob.arena@atlanticinfi niti.com • Fax 904-641-6158

Shipping via DSG or UPS

Call: Terry, Tim, Mitch & Robert

888-642-0200904-642-0200

Call: Terry, Tim, Mitch & Robert

G E N U I N E I N F I N I T I P A R T S

have thehighestnumericalscoreofanyvehicle. But in more demanding testsby the Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety, theModelS failed toget the in-dustrygroup’scoveted“TopSafetyPick”or“TopSafetyPickPlus”ratings. Thereasons: theModelSgotan“Ac-ceptable”ratinginafront-endsmalloff-setcrashtestthatmimicswhenthefrontdriver-side corner of a vehicle collideswith a tree or another vehicle. Its head-lights also were rated “Poor.” Vehicleshavetogetthehighestratingof“Good”infivecrashteststobetopsafetypicks.Fourteenlargecarsfromothermanufac-

turers received Top Safety Pick or TopSafetyPickPlusratings.IIHShasnotyetdone crash tests on Tesla’s Model X orModel3. TheModelSalsohadalowrateofmed-icalinsuranceclaimsforinjuries,tyingforseventh in IIHS’s most recent rankings.Theinstitutegaveitascoreof46,whichis54percentbetterthantheaveragescoreof100.TheToyotaCamry,thetop-sellingcarinAmerica,scored112.ButtheModelS had higher collision claim frequenciesandwasmoreexpensive tofix thangas-poweredlargeluxurycars.(AP)•

... Tesla safety claimsContinued from page 5

Hot Rod Power Tour starts in Kentucky The24th annualHOTRODPowerTour rolls through theSoutheast starting June9th. It’smore than just a traveling car show–it’s the largest hot rod road trip in theworld.Classiccarsandhotrodstravelcitytocity,over1,300miles,enjoyingthepeo-pleandstopsalongtheway.Thehighlyanticipatedseven-day,seven-cityjourneyisexpectedtobringtogethermorethan6,000vehiclesand100,000-plusspectators,June9-15,2018.Thoseinterestedinjoiningtheexcitementcanregisternowathotrod.com/events/power-tour. HOTRODPowerTourwelcomesallmakesandmodelsofhotrods,streetrods,cus-tomtrucks,musclecars,andperformancemachinesofeveryvintageandnameplate.Formany,HOTRODPowerTour is theultimatevacationwith friends and family.Thosewhotravelfromstart tofinishareconsideredthe“LongHaulers,”a title theyproudly boast.The2018HOTRODPowerTour anticipatesmore than2,500 long-haulvehiclesandover4,000“LongHaulers”ontour. ThetourbeginsatBeechBendRacewayParkinBowlingGreen,Ky.,onSaturday,June9.Thenextstop isChattanoogaTenn.June10th,Hoover AlabamaJune11th,HamptonGeorgia June 12th,DarlingtonSouthCarolina June 13th,RaleighNorthCarolinaJune14thandConcordNorthCarolinaJune15th.•


ALLAN VIGIL FORD LINCOLN Morrow, GA800-324-3814 • [email protected]

LONG-LEWIS FORD LINCOLN Hoover, AL 877-234-5664 • [email protected]

RIVERSIDE FORD LINCOLN Macon, GA800-637-4807 • [email protected]

TALLAHASSEE FORD LINCOLN Tallahassee, FL800-342-1128 • [email protected]

RemanufacturedDiesel Engines

Choose The RemanufacturedDiesel Engine That Can’t Be Beat:- OEM Perfect Fit Every Time- No-Risk Core Return- Bore Spray Technology - Same or Next Day Delivery- Competitive Prices- Nationwide Warranty Coverage*

* See Service Advisor for warranty details.

WASHINGTON — President DonaldTrump told leaders of the world’s topautomakersthathewantstoseemorecarsbuiltintheUnitedStatesashisadminis-trationweighsplans to reducegasmile-age and pollution requirements enactedduringtheObamaadministration. Trump said in ameeting in theRoos-evelt Room of theWhiteHouse that heintended to discuss environmental con-trols, fuel efficiency standards and the

“manufacturingofmillionsofmorecarswithin the United States, for Michigan,for Ohio, for Pennsylvania” and stateslikeSouthCarolinaandNorthCarolina. As the auto executives introducedthemselves, the president joked to Ser-gioMarchionne, the chairman and chiefexecutive of Fiat Chrysler, that “rightnowhe’smy favoriteman in the room”becausehe’smovingaplantfromMexicotoMichigan. Trumpwon thepresidency in2016 inpartbyhisstrengthintheindustrialMid-

Trump tells world’s top automak-ers to build more cars in USBy Tom Krisher & Ken Thomas

weststatesofMichiganandOhio,whichemploy thousands of people in the automanufacturingindustryanditssuppliers.Themeeting came as the administrationhas been holding extensive negotiationswithMexicoandCanadaonarewriteofthe North American Free Trade Agree-ment,whichtheautoindustryiswatchingwarily. Askedifthedealmightadverselyaffectthe industry, Trump said, “NAFTA hasbeenaterribledeal,we’rerenegotiatingitnow,we’llseewhathappens.” “MexicoandCanada, look, theydon’tliketolosethegoldengoose.ButI’mrep-resentingtheUnitedStates.I’mnotrepre-sentingMexicoandI’mnotrepresentingCanada,” he said. “We’ll see if we canmakeitreasonable.”

The auto industry wants to relax thefueleconomystandards,butnotsomuchthattheyprovokealegalfightwithCali-fornia,whichhaspowertoimposeitsownstricter tailpipe pollution limits. Such afightcouldbringtwomileagestandardsintheU.S.,forcingautomakerstoengineerandproducetwoversionsofeachoftheirvehiclemodels,drivingupcosts. Aheadofthemeeting,theWhiteHousesaidTrumpwoulddiscusswiththeCEOstheimpactoftherulemakingontheautoindustry and their efforts to negotiate a`NationalProgram’withthestateofCali-fornia. The meeting included Environ-mental ProtectionAgencyAdministratorScott Pruitt, Transportation SecretaryElaineChaoandotherofficials. In testimony before a congressionalcommittee,Mitch Bainwol, CEO of theAlliance of Automobile Manufactur-ers, said the trade group has urged theTrump administration to find a solutionthatincreasesmileagerequirementsfrom2022 to 2025 and includesCalifornia inordertokeeponenationalstandard. “The resulting regulatory nightmarewould ultimately harm consumers byincreasing vehicle costs and restrictingconsumerchoice,”Bainwolsaid. If California splits from the federalrule,itlikelywouldbejoinedby12statesthat follow its standards. Together theymake up about 40 percent ofU.S. new-vehiclesales. The EPA under Trump has proposedfreezing thestandardsat2020 levels forthe next five years, according to a draftof the proposal obtained by Sen. TomCarper, D-Del. Under the proposal, thefleetofnewvehicleswouldhavetoaver-age roughly30milespergallon in real-worlddriving,and thatwouldn’tchangethroughatleast2025. The EPA under Obama proposedstandards that gradually would becometougher during that period, rising to 36mpg in 2025, 10 mpg higher than thecurrentrequirement.Californiaandauto-makersagreedtotherulesin2012,settingasinglenationalfueleconomystandard. Any big change by Trump certainlywouldbringlawsuitsfromenvironmentalgroupsaswellasCalifornia.Leaksaboutthe Trump EPA plan already have pro-vokedasuitfromCaliforniaand16otherstates. Automakers have been lobbying theTrump administration to revisit therequirements,sayingthey’llhavetroublereachingthembecausepeoplearebuyingbiggervehiclesduetolowgasprices. Whenthesinglenationalstandardwasadoptedsixyearsago,cars,whichgetbet-termileagethantrucksandSUVs,madeup just under half of U.S. new vehiclesales. By the end of last year, however,trucksandSUVswereclosetotwo-thirdsofallsales. Someenvironmentalgroupsopposeanyreductioninthestandards,sayingthattheonesdevelopedin2012allowforchangesinconsumerbuyinghabits.Reducingthestandards, they say, will increase pollu-tionandraisegasolinepricesatthepump. Environmental groups also say theindustrymarketedtrucksandSUVstothepublic because they bring higher profitsthancars.(AP)•


... Don’t Wing Itpercent) andNebraska (6.8percent) andNorthCarolina(6.5percent).Number of registered vehicles Themore vehicles there are in a state—particularlyindenser,urbanlocationswhere those vehicles are more likely to“meetup”withoneanother—thebetterthat state likely is forcollision repairers.Butrankingstatespurelyonvehiclecountdoesn’t takeintoaccountthewidevaria-tionsinstatepopulationsaswell. Itmay bemore useful to compare theregistered vehicle count in each state tothenumberofcollisionrepairemployeesineachstate.Howmanypeoplearework-ingintheindustryisoneindicationofthatstate’s“repaircapacity.”Astatewithlotsofrepaircapacity—manypeopletryingtoearnalivingthroughcollisionrepair—but lowvehicle count could indicate thestate has a glut of repairers.Conversely,stateswithahighernumberofvehiclesforeachcollisionrepairemployeearethoseinwhichshopsmaywellbedoingbetter. Using data from the U.S. CensusBureau,Alabamawouldappeartobethestateinwhichshopsmaymostbebenefit-tingfromthisratio.Thereare1,823reg-isteredvehiclesforeverycollisionrepairemployee inAlabama.At the other endof the spectrum, there are only 583 reg-isteredvehiclesforeverycollisionrepairemployeeinRhodeIsland. Other states with seemingly a lot ofcompetition for collision repair work(based on employee-to-vehicle ratios)include Illinois,CaliforniaandMissouri,allofwhichhaveunder1,000 registeredvehiclespercollisionrepairemployee. Usingthismeasurement,shopsmaybefaringbetterinKentucky,Florida,Idaho,ArkansasandWyoming,whichareamongthestates(alongwithAlabama)withmorethan 1,639 registered vehicles per colli-sionrepairemployee.Winners and losers among insurance companies Data from theNationalAssociation ofInsurance Commissioners (NAIC) showthatAllstateInsurancein2017onceagainlostmarket share toGeico and Progres-sive, officially falling to fourth placeamong the largest personal auto insurersintheUnitedStatesintermsofdirectpre-miumswritten.

Allstatedroppedfromitslong-heldNo.2spotbackin2013whenGeicosurpassedAllstate. Now Progressive has overtakenAllstate to become the third-largest per-sonalautoinsurerinthecountry. Allstate,whichhasbeencedinganaver-ageof0.19percentofmarketsharetoitscompetitors every year for the past 10years,lostanother0.43percentin2017. TheonlyotherchangeinrankingamongtheTop10 in2017wasTravelers,whichclimbed aboveAmerican Family to taketheNo.9spot. Geicoonceagainin2017grewmarketsharefasterthananyoftheother10larg-estinsurers.Thecompany’spersonalautobusinesshasoutpacedallothersover thepast decade, averaging more than half apoint ofmarket share growth every yearsince2007. Combined,theTop10insurerscollected72.3percentofthe$230.6billioninannualpersonalautoinsurancepremiumspaidin2017, according to the NAIC numbers.Thatisupfrom65.6percentadecadeago. StateFarmremainsthelargestpersonalauto insurerbya largemargin,with18.1percentmarketshare.Thatis5.3percent-agepointsmorethanNo.2Geico.EvenifGeico’sgrowth rateover thepastdecadecontinues,itwill takenearly10yearsforGeicotochallengeStateFarmforthetopspot. There also were winners and losersin 2017 among someof the insurers justoutside theTop10.Hartfordstruggled in2017, dropping from the No. 14 spot toNo. 18. Conversely,Auto-Owners saw anearly19percent increaseintotalpremi-ums,helpingthecompanyjumpfromNo.18 to No. 16, passing bothMetLife andHartford.Consumers continue to spend more on auto insurance The latest figures released by theNational Association of Insurance Com-missioners show that consumer spendingonpersonalautoinsurancerose2.7percentto $889 in 2015, slightly slower growththan the previous two years (each at 3.2percent)butstill the third-highestgrowthrateintheprior10years.Theincreasewasmore thanfour times the rateof inflationforthatyear,andwasthesixthconsecutiveyearofgrowth(afterfivepriorconsecutiveyearsofdecline).

Continued from page 4

It’simportanttonotethatthe2.7percentincreasewas therise inaverageexpendi-ture, not average premium. That meanssomeof the increase couldbe causedbyconsumers buying more coverage thantheydidpreviously,aswouldlikelybethecaseinayearwithstronggrowthinnew-carsales(buyersareoftenrequiredbytheirlendinginstitutiontocarrycollisioncover-age). Comparing average expenditures bystate can be misleading because somestatesmandatethatdriverscarrymorecov-eragethanothers.Butthehighestaverageexpendituresin2015wereinNewJersey($1,266), New York ($1,235), Louisiana($1,232),Michigan($1,231)andtheDis-trictofColumbia($1,190). The lowest average expenditures werein North Dakota ($638), Maine ($618),South Dakota ($616), Iowa ($599) andIdaho($574). Looking over a 10-year period, thestateswithmorethana10percentincreaseover that time include Mississippi (10.9percent),Florida(11.4percent),Tennessee(11.9 percent), SouthCarolina (13.2 per-cent),Georgia (14.2percent) andLouisi-ana(14.3percent).Materials invoicing systems seeing increased use Althoughthemajorityofshopsarestillusinga simplecalculationofdollars-per-refinish-hour to bill for refinishmaterialsonestimates,a“WhoPaysforWhat?”sur-vey (www.CrashNetwork.com/collision-advice)earlierthisyearfoundthattheper-centageofshopsusingmaterialsinvoicingsystems to calculate these charges hasincreased. Ofthe708shopsthatrespondedtothequestion,23percentareusingsomekindofinvoicingsystemtocalculatetheirmate-rialscharges;thatisupfromtheprevioustwoyearswhenabout19percentofshops

saidtheywereusinganinvoicingsystem. The survey, conducted in January byCollision Advice and CRASH Network,alsoshowedthatamongthoseshopsusinginvoicing systems, well over 50 percentof them are being paid based on thoseinvoices “always” or “most of the time”bysevenoftheeightmajorinsurersinthesurvey.Shop backlogs The “Who Pays forWhat?” survey inJanuaryalsofoundthetypicalbacklogofscheduledworkinshopsacrossthecoun-try increased by three days compared tothe fourth quarter of 2017. Shops acrossthe country on average in January werescheduling twoweeks into the future, upfrom 1.7 weeks at the beginning of thefourthquarteroflastyear. Ofthenearly700shopsacrossthecoun-try that responded to the question, 36.7percent said they were scheduling worktwoormoreweeksintothefuture;thatwasupfrom29.3percentinOctober. The majority of shops (63.3 percent)saidtheywereschedulingrepairslessthantwo weeks out, but that is less than the70.7percentwhohadlessthanatwo-weekbackloglastOctober.Atthesametime,8.7percentoffacilitiesnationallysaidtheyareschedulingoutfourweeksormore. Backlogsincreasedinnearlyeverypartof the country, with only the Southeastregion of the United States reporting nochange(stillaveraging1.6weeksofback-log).•

John Yoswick, a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988, is also the editor of the weekly CRASH Network bulletin (www.CrashNetwork.com). He can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Wholesale Parts Hours: Mon.- Fri. 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Fax: 678-957-5156

• Free Overnight Delivery • • Dedicated Wholesale Team •

Over $1,000,000 of Genuine Honda Parts

GENUINE HONDA PARTS

Wholesale Direct 800-277-8836

GWINNETT PLACE HONDAYOUR WHOLESALE PARTS SUPERSTORE

WHOLESALE PARTS DEPT. HOURS:Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM

3325 Satellite Blvd. • Duluth, GA 30096

DIRECT PARTS

678-957-5151TOLL FREE

800-277-8836

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT #1111ANAHEIM, CA

LARGEST INVENTORY OF HONDA PARTS IN THE UNITED STATES!

P R O U D M E M B E R O F

LARGEST INVENTORY OF HONDA PARTS IN THE UNITED STATES!

NEWEXPANDEDTERRITORY!

FREEFREIGHTON EVERY ORDER!

ASK ABOUT OUR HONDA COLLISION IMPACT KIT( U P T O $ 1 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 I N S A V I N G S )

3325 Satellite Blvd. • Duluth, GA 30096

word-of-mouth trade, Kyle’s does TVadvertising,somefeaturingrealcustomertestimonials, plus sponsors the weatheron one local TV station. The shop wasrecently named by Alexandria’s news-paper,The Town Talk,asthecity’s“BestAutoBodyShopin2017”—justoneofnumerousawardsthatKyle’shasamassed

overtheyears.•

Editor’s Note: As of Friday, May 18th Kyle’s Colli-sion Center was sold to Gerber of the Boyd group, Richard Kyle will stay on as Manager for two years.

... Kyle’sContinued from page 8


CHARLOTTE,N.C.—LeahPritchettandCourtneyForcelefttheNHRASouth-ernNationalsinAtlantawithwinnertro-phies and far less attention than DanicaPatrickreceivedforsimplyturninglapsatIndianapolisMotorSpeedway. May was, the month of “Danica Ma-nia,”andthebuilduptoherretirementaf-terherfinalIndianapolis500.Shewillbefetedforhercontributionstomotorsportsandastheonlywomantoleadlapsinboththe Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. Thedriver little girls have adored for almosttwodecades. Atthedragraces,though,Patrick’sac-complishmentsarepedestrian. ForceandPritchettsharedthewinners’stage at the Southern Nationals and be-camethesecondpairofwomentosweepthenitroclassesinNHRAhistory.Pritch-ettandAlexisDeJo-riadiditlastyear. NHRA has fe-malecompetitorsinall four of its divi-sions, and Force’swin, her second ofthe season, put heron top the FunnyCar standings. Herwin came 10 yearsafter elder sisterAshleyForceHoodbecame the firstfemale Funny Carwinner at the sameAtlantaDragway. “All day long Ithought getting awin here would beso cool, especiallybecause Ashleyis here with us,”Courtney Force said after her victory.“Shedoesn’tcometoatonofraces,soIamgladshecanbeheretocelebratewithmeandmyteam.IgrewupwatchingAsh-ley...shehasbeenamentorandIhaveal-wayslookeduptoher.” Pritchett’ssixthcareerTopFuelvictorywasherfirstoftheseason,andfirstsinceAugust. “It’sbeenawhile,butIthinkadroughtis all relative. This team knows whatit’s like towin andwe still have that inour hearts and that’swhatwe grasp to,”Pritchettsaid. Patrick insisted she headed into herMay 27 career finale determined to wintheIndy500.It’saloftygoalconsideringshe has just one career IndyCar victoryand nevermade it to thewinner’s circleinNASCAR,but it’s themindsetaracermusthaveeverytimetheygetinthecar. ThedifferencebetweenPatrickandthewomenofNHRAisthatonthedragway,thewomenhaveaprovenrecordofwin-ning.Dragracingisperhapsthemostdi-verse racing series in theworld and hasalways welcomed women. Many maledrivershaveencouragedtoday’stopstarstoneverfeellimitedbytheirgenderandto

believenodivisionwasoutofreach. ShirleyMuldowneyshatteredthedrag-racinggenderbarrierinthelate1960s,andlaterbecamethefirstwomantoreceiveanNHRA license todriveaTopFueldrag-ster.ShewonTopFuelchampionshipsin1977,1980,and1982,becomingthefirsttowinmultipletitles. That opened the starting gate for gen-erationsofyounggirlstofollowdownthedragstrip,andtheydid. Lori Johns (Top Fuel), Shelly Payne(Top Fuel),Angelle Sampey (Pro StockMotorcycle), Karen Stoffer (Pro StockMotorcycle),MelanieTroxel (TopFuel),Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car), EricaEnders-Stevens (Pro Stock), CourtneyForce(FunnyCar),DeJoria(FunnyCar),Pritchett (Top Fuel) and Brittany Force(Top Fuel) have won multiple NHRAevents. Sampey dominated Pro Stock Motor-

cycle in the early2000s, winningthree consecutiveseries champion-ships. Enders-Stevens notchedback-to-back titles(2014-15) in ProStock, and BrittanyForce became thefirst woman sinceMuldowney to wintheTopFuelcham-pionshiplastyear. So how is itthatNHRA has be-come the landingspotforfemalerac-ers, while almostevery other seriesintheUnitedStatesstrugglestodevelopand move women

upthroughtheranks? Well, the cars don’t recognize gender.PatrickreturnedtoIndianapolisafternear-ly seven years away, and although she’sfitterandstrongerthanshe’severbeeninher life, she initially struggled with theweightofthesteeringasshetriedtoadjusttothecar. In NHRA, the 33-foot-long Top Fueldragstersweigh 2,330 pounds, includingthe driver.Womenwho are slighter thantheir male counterparts can move spe-cialtyweightsaroundthecarandusuallyplacethemoverthebackwheelsforbettertractiononslicktracks.ThereisaclutchinTopFuelorFunnyCar,butnotransmis-sion,perse.Driversdon’tshift. Engineering advances have made itsimple, if not easy: Drivers release thehandbrake,hit the throttleand thensteerdown the track. Reactionary time andhand-eye-coordinationarevital,butit’saracingseriesthatembraces,celebratesandhelpsitswomensucceed. It’saformulaeveryseriesshouldbefol-lowing.Untiltheydo,theNHRAiswherelittlegirlscanfindtheirheroes.(AP)•

Column: Girls Rule! NHRA celebrates female racersBy Jenna Fryer

The difference be-tween Patrick and thewomenofNHRAisthaton the dragway, thewomen have a prov-en record of winning.Dragracing isperhapsthemostdiverseracingseries intheworldandhas always welcomedwomen.

ALBANY, N.Y. —Another Mother’sDay at hand, another moment in timetingedwithsadnessforstockcarracing’sfirstfamily. It’s been 18 years since Kyle Petty’sson,Adam,waskilledduringpracticeforaNASCARraceatNewHampshireInter-nationalSpeedway.Just19,AdamdiedonMay12,2000,onlyweeksafterrunninginhisonlyCuprace,adebutthathadmadethe Petty family the first four-generationfamilyinNASCAR. Adam Petty’s fatal crash came fiveweeks after his great grandfather, LeePetty,died,soit’sunderstandablethatthistimeofyearisjustdifferentforthefamily. “It’sasad time,”KylePettysaidafterthefirstlegofhisannualmotorcyclerideforcharity.“Ilostmymomfouryearsago.AdampassedawayonMother’sDay.It’snotagoodweekend.Itcanbehard,butit’swhatyoumakeofit,howyoucomebackfromit.” The Petty family has come back fromAdam’stragedyinabigway.Adevoteeofmotorcycles,KylePettystartedacharityridein1995thatoriginallywastargetedtobenefitchildren’shospitals,butthefamilytookitagiantstepfurther. Four years after Adam Petty’s fatalcrash,theyopenedVictoryJunctionGangCamp—onFather’sDay2004.Thesum-mer camp, for children with life-threat-eningillnesses, isawaytohonorAdam,who rodewith his father on a couple ofthe charity rides before his death. Sinceitsinception,theannualridehasattractedmore than 8,175 riders and loggedmorethan11.9millionmileswhileraising$18million. “It’s always a tough time of year, but

this iswhatwedo,andwehaveacampbecause of Adam,” Kyle said. “That’swhatthisrideisallabout.” The trekbegan inMaineand includedastopatNHIS—andsomelapsaroundthemile-longoval—before thepackofbikerscrossedintoNewYorkstate. “Togoback toNewHampshire, it’s alittlebitterthatyouhavetogobacktotheracetrack,”saidKyle,whounderstandablydidn’t takeany laps. “But it’s sweet thatyou’regoingbackforagoodreason.” ForKyle,nowa televisioncommenta-toronautoracingbroadcasts,theridealsoservesasasortofcatharsis. “It’sincredible.Yousawallthemotor-cycles,”hesaid.“That’sincrediblygrati-fying.” The annual trek normally starts some-whereontheWestCoast,butthisyear,forjustthefourthtime,itwentnorthtosouththroughninestatesandlastedoneweek.ItstartedinMaineandendsinGreensboro,NorthCarolina. Amongthemorethan200riderstakingpartwereformerNASCARdriversHarryGant, Donnie Allison, Hershel McGriffand Ricky Craven; current NASCARdriver David Ragan; and Heisman Tro-phyWinnersHerschelWalkerandGeorgeRogers. Petty’s 80-year-old father, Rich-ard, joined the rideafter theCup raceatDover,Delaware. ThetripalsoincludedavisittoWood-stock and victory laps at Pocono Race-way.RidersgottoursoftheMartinGui-tar Factory; a Harley-Davidson factory;Manheim in Pennsylvania, home of theworld’slargestautoauction;andthePettyMuseuminNorthCarolina. “It’sawesome!”saidDonnieLamm,ofNewbern,NorthCarolina,ontherideforthefirsttime.“Iloveit.”(AP)•

Kyle Petty leads family’s annual charity rideBy John Kekis

Racing Notes

Indy 500 winner earns more than 2.5 million INDIANAPOLIS—WillPowerearned$2,525,454forwinningthe102ndrunningoftheIndianapolis500. Theoverallpurseforthe33driversintheannualclassicracewas$13,063,073. Power took the leadwith four laps togowhenOriolServia and JackHarveyhadtopitforfuel.The37-year-oldAustralianheldoffpolewinnerEdCarpenteroverthefinalfewlapsforthevictory. Carpenterearned$911,504forhisrunner-upfinish.Third-placefinisherScottDixonearned$587,129. DanicaPatrick earned$208,305 in the final race of her career. She finished 30thaftercrashingout. Defending racewinnerTakumaSato alsowas knockedout.He finished32ndbutpocketed$300,305.(AP)•

Kyle Busch wins Coca-Cola 600 CHARLOTTE—KyleBusch haswon theCoca-Cola 600, becoming the onlyactivedrivertowinaCupSeriespointsraceateveryracetrackontheNASCARcir-cuit. Buschwonthefirstthreestagesandled377of400lapsoverallatCharlotteMotorSpeedway. Busch, the pole sitter andCupSeries points leader, ended years of frustration atthetrackinpoints-payingevents.Buschhadwonacombined15XfinityandTrucksSeriesracesandthe2017All-Starraceat thetrackbeforehisbreakthroughwininaCuppointsrace. ItwasBusch’sfourthvictoryoftheseasonforJoeGibbsRacing. The33-year-oldBuschhaswon188racesacrossNASCAR’stopthreeseries. MartinTruex Jr.was second, followed byDennyHamlin,BradKeselowski andJimmieJohnson.(AP)•


ing potato” by a competitor, theTauruswassofuturisticthatitbecamethetem-plateforallmodernsedans. By the 1990s, the cars were every-where.TheTaurusbecamethebest-sell-ingcarinAmericain1992withsalesofnearly410,000,justasJapaneseimportswerestartingtotakehold.Itkeptthetopspot for five yearsuntil being sup-plantedbytheToy-otaCamryin1997. Sales remainedstronguntiltheTau-rus got amakeoverin 1996. Althoughthesecondgenerationsoldwell,itnevermatchedtheoriginalcar’snumbers. Inthelate1990s,Fordbeganfocusingmore on higher-profit trucks and SUVsandlettheTauruslanguish.Thelastonerolledoff theassembly line in2006.Bythen, Ford had sold over 7 million ofthem,manygoingtorentalcarcompaniestowardtheend. Shortlyafterproductionstopped,Fordagain was caught off-guard by spikinggaspricesandhadlittletoofferconsum-

ers.Itgotintofinancialtroubleagainbe-foreanewCEOcamein.HerealizedthevalueoftheTaurusbrand,resurrectedthename and relabeled what was then theFiveHundredsedan. Don’t be surprised if theTaurus namerises from the ashes again because it is

we l l - r ecogn izedby consumers, saidRobert Passikoff,president of BrandKeys Inc., a NewYork customer re-searchfirm.Itcouldeven be repurposedon a new SUV, butthat vehicle willhave to fill unmetneeds for consum-

ers,Passikoffsaid. “It’salwayseasiertocreateanewprod-uctwithanoldnamethanitistocreateanewproductwithanewname,”he said.“The foundation for history, the founda-tionforengagementisalreadythere.” Fordwon’tgiveuprightstotheTaurusname,whichitstillusesinChinaonadif-ferent car, spokeswoman Jennifer Flakesaid. Asked if the name will reappear, shesaid,“Youneverknow.”(AP)•

... Taurus, dies againContinued from page 3

CHRYSLERFCAisrecalling239,9042004–2007JeepLibertyvehicles.Therearsuspensioncontrolarmcouldfractureduetocorrosion.Dealerswillreplacetherearcontrolarmsontheaffectedvehicles. ChryslerFCAisrecalling48,990Cherokeevehiclesequippedwiththe2.4-literengine.Oncertainofthesevehicles,thefuelfromthefueltubecouldleakintotheenginecompartment,creatingthepossibilityofafire.Dealerswillreplacethetube.

GENERALMOTORSisrecalling8,7382018BuickRegalvehiclestocorrectapotentialproblemwiththerearoutboardseatbelts.Duringmanufacturetheymayhavebeenimproperlyroutedaroundthebolsterbracket.Dealerswillinspecteachbeltandcorrectasneeded. GMisrecalling207,4832014–2017ChevroletExpressandGMCSavanavanstoreplacethedriver’ssidewindowswitch,whichcouldbecomecontaminatedwithwaterandcorrode.

HYUNDAIMotorAmericaisrecalling580,0582011–2013Sonataand2011–2012SonataHybridvehicles.ThisrecalladdsvehiclestoaFebruary2018recallof154,753Sonatavehiclesandcorrectsconditionsinwhichthefrontairbagsandsideairbagsmaynotdeployduetoashortcircuitintheairbag-controlunit.AsofApril2018,aremedyforthisconditionhasnotyetbeendeveloped.Ownerswillbenotified.

KIAMotorsAmericaisrecalling27,0292017KiaNirovehiclesand10,156Hyun-daiIonigvehiclesequippedwithahydraulicclutchactuator,whichcouldleakfluidintothecaparea,resultinginashortandpossiblyafire.Dealerswillinspectthecapsforleakingoilandreplacetheassemblyifneeded.

MERCEDES-BENZUSAisrecalling8,725MLandGLvehiclesequippedwiththeActiveCurveSystem(ACS).If theoil level in theACSreservoirsbecomeslow,theoilcouldfoamandleakoutthroughtheventholes.Dealerswilladdoilifneededandreplacetheventcap.

VOLKSWAGENisrecalling7,049Tiguan,long-wheelbasevehiclestoinspecttherearshocksforproperweldingofthelowerloopshockbracket.Theseshockscouldbreak.Dealerswillinspectandreplacetheshocksasneeded.•

Recalls

Compiled from AP, manufacturer, EPA and NHTSA news releases.

Afederalsafetyagencyisinvestigatinga severecrashandfire involvingaTelsaelectric car that killed two teenagers inFlorida. The National Transportation SafetyBoardsaidafour-personteamwillfocuson the emergency response to the post-crashfireinthebatteryofaTeslaModelSinFortLauderdale.Theagencydoesnotexpect Tesla’s semi-autonomousAutopi-lotsystemtobeapartoftheinvestigation. It’s the second time in the past twomonths that the agency has investigatedaTeslafire.Aprobe isunderway intoafireinaTeslaModelXSUVthatcrashedon a freewaynearMountainView,Cali-fornia,onMarch23.Lithium-ionbatterieslikethoseusedbyTeslacancatchfireandburnrapidlyinacrash,althoughTeslahasmaintained itsvehiclescatchfirefar lessoftenthanthosepoweredbygasoline. PolicesaytheTeslainFortLauderdalewiththreeteenagersinsidecrashedintoawallandcaughtfire. Two 18-year-olds were trapped anddied when the car became engulfed inflames, police told WPLG-TV. Anotherteenwasthrownfromthecarandwastak-en toahospitalwherehisconditionwasunknown. One witness said the Tesla was beingdriven fast and spun out of control. Hesaidhe tried tohelpbut thefirewas toointensetogettheteenagersoutofthecar. ChrisO’Neil,spokesmanfortheNTSB,said that investigators don’t know what

causedthebatteryfire.Hesaidtheagencyisinvestigatingbecausetherewasapost-crashfireinvolvinganelectricvehicle. “The goal of these investigations is tounderstand the impactof theseemergingtransportationtechnologieswhentheyarepartof a transportationaccident,”NTSBChairmanRobertSumwaltsaidinastate-ment. Earlierlastmonth,TeslaandtheNTSBgotintoanopenfeudoverTesla’sreleaseof information from the probe into theMountainViewcrash. Theagencysaid itbootedTeslaoutofa group investigating the crash after thecompanyprematurelymadeinvestigationdetailspublic. Tesla,however,disputedtheclaim.Thecompany based in PaloAlto, California,said it withdrew from the investigationagreement after being told it would bekickedoutifitmadeadditionalstatementsbeforetheNTSBfinisheditsprobeinthenext12to24months. O’Neil said that despite the previousdispute, Tesla would be invited to be apartytotheinvestigationoftheFortLau-derdalecrash. Messages were left seeking commentfromTesla. The NTSB normally makes recom-mendationstootherfederalagenciessuchas the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, which has authority toimposeregulationsandseekrecalls.(AP)•

Feds probe Tesla crash and fire in which 2 teens diedBy Tom Krisher

Don’t be surprised if theTaurus name rises from theashesagainbecauseitiswell-recognized by consumers,said Robert Passikoff, presi-dent of Brand Keys Inc., aNewYorkcustomerresearchfirm.

Audi recalls 390K vehicles; pump overheats DETROIT—Audiisrecallingabout391,000carsandSUVsintheU.S.andCanadabecausetheelectriccoolantpumpscanoverheatandpossiblycauseafire. Therecallcoversthe2013to2016A4,the2013to2017A5,the2012to2015A6,andtheQ5SUVfrom2013to2017.Allhave2-Literturbochargedengines. TheVolkswagen luxury brand says in government documents that the pumps canbecomeblockedwithcoolingsystemdebris,ormoistureinthepumpcancauseanelec-tricalshort.Noreportsoffiresarelisted. Dealerswill replace the pumps at no cost to owners.Audi says redesigned partswon’tbe readyuntilNovember,butdealerswill installanewversionof thecurrentpumpuntiltheredesignedonesareavailable.(AP)•

DOT urges drivers, take care of faulty air bags NEWYORK—TheU.S.DepartmentofTransportationisagainurgingownersofvehicleswithdefectiveTakataairbagstoseekrepairsimmediately. TheagencysingledoutFordRangersandMazdaB-Seriestrucksfrom2006,whichareundera“donotdrive”warning.Theagencysaid recently that it is“deeplycon-cerned”thattheyarenotbeingreturnedforrepairsquicklyenough. Chemicalsused to inflate the air bags candeteriorate in someconditions, causingthemtoexplodewithtoomuchforceandblowapartametalcanisterthatcanleadtohurlingshrapnel. Atleast22deathsandmorethan180injurieshavebeenlinkedtothedefect.Some50millionTakataairbaginflatorshavebeenrecalledintheUnitedStatesandmillionsmoreglobally.Lawsuitsarependingagainstthecompany.(AP)•

Feds widen probes of Ford, and VW DETROIT—TheU.S.government’shighwaysafetyagencyisexpandingthreein-vestigationsforbrakeandairbagtroublesthatcouldaffectmorethan2.3millionve-hiclesfromFord,VolkswagenandNissan. The expansions by the National HighwayTraffic SafetyAdministration were an-nouncedlastmonthontheagency’swebsiteafterinvestigatorsfoundmoreconsumercomplaintsabouttheproblems. TheFordprobenowcoversapotentialbrakeproblemonjustover1millionFusion,MercuryMilanandLincolnMKZcarsfromthe2006-2012modelyears. Investigators,meanwhile,arelookingintowhetheraVWairbagrecallworkedoneightmodelsfrom2010-2014.Theprobenowcovers1.2millionvehicles.(AP)•


SIATA stands for Societa ItalianoAuto Transforzioni Accessori, whichin English means Car TransformationAccessories Company. Founded in1926byGiorgioAmbrosini,Siatamadeperformanceparts tomodify and tunecars.AfterWWIIthecompanystartedtomake itsown sports carsunder theSIATAname. In1953Siataintroducedthe208asaroadsterandacoupe.TheCSsignifiescoupe.ThecoupewasalsoracedontheEuropean circuit. The 208 was madefrom1953to1955.SoldintheU.S.,thepricewas somewherebetween$8,000and$10,000.Thispricelimitedsalestoahandful in theU.S., asonecouldbuyaPorsche, Jaguaror aFerrari forlessmoney. In 1959, the ’54 208 CS seen herewas relegated to a used car lot onQueens Boulevard in Queens, N.Y.JuliusEisenstark,adentistbytradeandcar nut at heart, saw the Siata on theused car lot.Twoweeks prior to this,Julius had test driven for two days, a1956MercedesGullwingfromanotherusedcardealer.Hedidnotlikedrivingthe Gullwing. It was difficult gettinginandout,andJuliuswasnot thrilledwith the car and theused-carpriceof$5,000-plusdollars. ThesightoftheSiataexcitedJuliuseventhoughhedidnotknowwhathewaslookingat,andthepricewasa“rea-sonable”$1,900.JuliuswenthomeandaskedhissonWalter(thecurrentownerwho inherited his father’s DNA cargene)ifhehadeverheardofa“Siata”?

WalterwenttothebookshelfandtookdownabookonEuropeancars.ThereinthebookwasapictureofaSiata.Heshowedittohisfather,whoexclaimed,“Thatisthecar!”WhenJuliusfirstlaideyesupontheSiataitwasloveatfirstsight. Juliuswent back toQueens thenextdayandboughtthecar.ThiswasSeptember 1959 and the beginning oflife-longfamilyaffair. The Siata had 19,000 miles on it,and those were “hard miles,” as itwasdrivenonracetracksinNewYork,

ConnecticutandPennsylvania.Sometimebetween 1954 and 1959 when the Siatawas on the used car lot, oneof the car’spreviousowners had the car repainted inadarkred.Itwasoriginallyblue,asseenhere. Afterowningthecarashorttime,Juliusdetermined the car needed a mechanicalrebuildofboththetransmissionandthe“8V-engine”—a two-literFiatV-8which iscalledan“8V.”Juliusdidtheworkhim-self. “Workingonanengineisapieceof cake compared to the restrictedareaofamouth,andwithnocom-plainingbyaperson,”hesaid. In1966 theengineagainneededsomework “Italians aregreat designers,”hesaid,“but‘durable’doesnotseemtobe in theItalian languageforauto-mobile engines”—which did notbotherJuliius,for“loveisblind.” In the early 1960s Julius madesomerefinements to thecar,whichitwastotallylacking.Aheatingandventilation system were installed,alongwithadefroster for thewin-dowandalargerradiatortopreventpotential overheating. The interiorwastrimmedouttobemoreaccom-modatingforJuliusandhiswifefortheweekenddrivestheywouldtakeinthecar. Sometime in the 1970s the car wassandeddownand resprayed, again in thesamedarkred.As thecarhobbygrewinthelate1970s,JuliuswouldtaketheSiata

to localcareventsandnevergot tiredofanswering, “Sea Otter—never heard ofit who made it?” In the late 1980s that$1,900, used-car-lot special that a youngteenWaltershowedhisfatherapictureofwasnowinWalter’scare. WhenFiatproducedtheirfirst8V-enginetheyweremorethanhappytosellittoany-onewhowantedit,soastoensurethepro-ductionoftheenginewouldbeprofitable.Siata thought the size and power outputwouldbeaperfectmatchforitsnew208Cand208CS.The8V-enginewasa70

By Jay Hirsch

degree OHV aluminum alloy 121.9 cid/two-literV-8with8.5:1compressionput-tingout125HPwith two2-bbl.carbure-torsmated to a five-speedmanual trans-mission.TheSiataweighs2,200pounds,is160inchesinlength,withaheightof48inches,andatopspeedof119mph,ridingon6x16tires. InU.S.adsforthe1953Siata,thecopysaid, “Chrysler V-8 and Cadillac V-8enginesalsoavailableonspecialorder.”Itisnotknownifanywereeverordered.

Duetothe1973oilcrisis,salesofsportscarsinItalytumbled.Siataceasedproduc-ingcarsin1975. Themechanicsofthecararewhatkept

Julius and Wal-ter’s ongoinginterest in thecar, aside fromits beauty—the aluminumengine, thefully-indepen-dent suspen-sion, the all-aluminum bodyand the sensa-tion of drivingthe car. Thecar is a 1954,but the driv-ing experienceis years aheadof its time. Thecar likes to bedriven and notslowly or tim-

idly.An aggressive attitude in driving isappreciatedbythecar.Thecarisfirmandresponsiveand,foritstime,quick. Walterhasdisplayed the car atnumer-ous car events. On that long list are theGreenwich Concours and the 2018 Con-coursatAmeliaIsland,Fla.Whichbringsustohowandwhythecarisnowblue. InSeptember2017thecarwasatAuto-motive Restorations Inc. in Stratford,Conn.,inpreparationfortheMarch2018AmeliaIslandConcours.Thecarwasouton a test run to see how the engine per-

formedandiftherewasanysuspen-sionworkneeded.Whilestoppedforatrafficlightanotherdriverwhowastextingnever lookedupandplowedinto the rear passenger side of theSiata, pushing the car into the carstoppedinfrontofit.Therewerenoskidmarks.Thedriverneversloweddown or applied the brakes. Therewereseveraleyewitnessestoaccountfor this. Thepoliceconfiscatedthecell phone of the driver, and it wasconfirmedshewastexting.

There was no question that theSiata was going to be rebuilt. Thequestionwashowlongwouldittakeandhowwoulditlook. ARI (Automotive RestorationsInc.) is one of the premier automo-tive, repair, maintenance and resto-ration shops anywhere in theworld.IftherewasaTop5list,ARIwouldbeNo.1orNo.2.ARIdoesallworkin-house, from metal fabrication offendersandchassistooriginalfactoryspecs, to theirown in-house interiorandupholsteryfacility. In the process of dismantling theSiata,ontheinterioroftherearwin-dowtherecouldbeseentheoriginalblue paint the car first graced theworld with. Walter decided the carshouldbebroughtbacktoitsoriginalglory.Awoodbuckwasmadeintheformofthebodyandallnewalumi-numwashandshapedandformedforeachbodypanel just as itwasdonewhenthecarwasmadein1954, Theengineand transmissionweredisassembled and rebuilt, and theinteriorwasrestoredto“asoriginal.”Allofthiswaswiththeintentforthecar tobeatAmelia Island inMarch2018.Thereweredayswheneightorninepeoplewereworkingonall thevariouscomponentsofthecar. After five months of 60-hour-weeks the end result was a first-in-classawardforWalterandhisSiataand theentirecrewatARI the2018AmeliaIslandConcours.•

1954 Siata

Rearview


ChevyDirectParts.comOEM GM Replacement Parts & Accessories

Replacement Parts

Exterior Accessories

Interior Accessories

Payments Accepted

Paypal Visa Mastercard American Express Discover NO COD’s Shipping Costs May Vary

.

.

.

.

.

.

SAME

DAY

SHIPPING COMPETITIVE PRICING!

Contact Info: Business Hours: Email:678-999-6806 Mon-Fri

7:30am - 5:30pm [email protected]

DeLorean widow sues for movie payments NEWARK,N.J.—ThewidowofmaverickautomakerJohnDeLoreanhasallegedinalawsuitthataTexascompanyillegallyreceivedmoneyfromthe“BacktotheFuture”moviesthatusedhisiconiccar. Thesleek,angularcarwithgull-wingdoorsknownsimplyas“theDeLorean,”wasfeaturedinthe1985moviestarringMichaelJ.Foxanda1989sequel,aboutakidwhotravelsbackintimetoengineerhisparents’meeting. ThelawsuitfiledinfederalcourtinNewarkincludesacontractwithUniversalfrom1989thatgaveDeLorean5percentofnetreceiptsforanymerchandisingthatfeaturedthecarandlogo“asakeycomponent.” Accordingtothesuit,theTexascompany,calledDeLoreanMotorCompany,repre-sentedtoUniversalthatithadtherighttothemoneyandhasalreadyreceived“asub-stantialpayment”fromUniversal. TheTexascompanyisn’taffiliatedwiththeoneDeLoreanstarted. SallyDeLorean,who lives inNew Jersey, settled a lawsuit in 2015 allowing thecompany touse theDeLoreannameand trademarks.That agreementdidn’t transfercontractualrightstothecompany,thecurrentlawsuitcontends. Attorneyshavenotreturnedmessagesasofpresstime. JohnZ.DeLoreanwasanautomotiveinnovatorwhobeganhiscareeratGeneralMo-torsCo.andiscreditedbysomewithcreatingAmerica’sfirst“muscle”car,thePontiacGTO,inthemid-1960s.HeleftGMintheearly1970stolaunchhisowncompanythateventuallyproducedtheDMC12. Onlyabout9,000ofthecarswereproducedbeforethecompanywentbankruptintheearly1980s,butthecar’slookandcultfollowinghelpedlanditaroleinthe“BacktotheFuture”series.Thecarwaschosenbecauseitwouldplausiblylooklikeaspacecrafttopeopleinthe1950sflashbackscenes,accordingtotheInternetMovieDatabase. DeLoreandiedin2005,afteryearsofcourtbattlesthatincludedahighlypublicizeddrugtrialintheearly1980sinwhichhewasacquittedofconspiringtosell$24millionofcocaine. Hisformerestate in theRollingHillsabout50miles(80kilometers)westofNewYorkwas converted into a golf course by then-developerDonaldTrump in 2004.(AP)•

FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswa-gen’snewCEO,HerbertDiess,hasvowedto build a more ethical culture after thecompany’s diesel emissions scandal andoutlinedanewstructureaimedatstream-lining decision-making at the sprawlingcompany. Diesssaidatarecentshareholdermeet-ing that company’s six divisions wouldmaketheirowndecisionsandwithoutal-waysgettingapprovalfromthetop. He said that while cases of unethicalconductcanhappenanywhere,“wedefi-nitely had too many of them.” He saidachievingastrongerethicsculturewasacorebusinessgoal,“justasarevehiclede-velopmentandmarketing.” Diess was addressing his first share-holdermeetingsincetakingoverasCEOfromMatthiasMueller onApril 12. Hepraised Mueller’s contributions to mov-ingthecompanypastthescandalandsaidhetookoverwiththecompanyin“robustcondition.” Despite heavy outlays for fines andpenalties,thecompanyhas24billioneu-rosinnetcashandachievedrecordsalesof10.74millionvehicleslastyear.“Twoyearsago,noonewouldhavebelievedit,perhapsevenwewouldnothave,”Diesssaid. The U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency found in 2015 that Volkswagenmanipulatedsoftwaresothatdieselemis-sions controls worked only when carswereon teststands.Otherwise theycon-tinued to emit harmful nitrogenoxide inexcessof legal limits.Thecompanyalsowaswidely criticized for conducting ex-periments in which monkeys were ex-posed todiesel fumes inanunsuccessfulattempt to prove the diesel technologywassafe. Board Chairman Hans Dieter Poetschcondemned the monkey experiments inhisspeech.Hesaidtheywereunderinves-tigationand“innowaycomprehensible.” He told the shareholder meeting thatthe company still faces several legal is-suesfromthedieselscandalandthat thecompany“cannotdrawthelineunderit”yet.Those include a shareholder lawsuitbefore a court in the German town ofBraunschweig thatallegescompanyoffi-cialsweretooslowindisclosingthescan-dal, depriving investors of informationtheyneededtomakedecisionsabouttheirholdings. Prosecutors are also conducting crimi-nal investigations. In theU.S.,Volkswa-genpleadedguilty to criminalviolationsand two executives have been sentencedtoprisonthere. OtherexecutivesfacecriminalchargesintheU.S.butcannotbeextraditedunderGermanlaw.(AP)•

VW’s new CEO promises a more ethical cultureBy AP wire service

Visit our web-site www.AutomotiveReport.net


Call Us Today For Genuine Hyundai Parts!888-300-6635 • 251-338-1501

• Alabama, Mississippi and North Florida’sNewest Hyundai Wholesale Parts Center

• Experienced, Courteous Personnel• Competitive Pricing • Next Day Delivery Palmer’s Airport Hyundai • 7680 Airport Blvd. • Mobile, AL 36608 • Fax: 251-639-9803

HOURS: Mon. thru Fri 7 to 6; Sat. 8 to 4

Palmer’sA I R P O R THYUNDAI

Happy 4th of July!Proud of American Exceptualism

Happy 4th of July!

470 Schillinger Rd, S. Mobile, AL

Hours: M - F 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.& Sat. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.(For Mon Shipping)

Fax 633-7943 Toll Free Fax 800-475-9091

Celebrating16 Years of businessbased on customer service!

• We have a huge inventory of Genuine Toyota Collision Parts

• Personal delivery by Palmer people in Palmer trucks

• We ship Next-Day & Deliver Same-Day

• We have a no-hassle return policy

Toll Free: 800-874-2777

Direct: 251-639-9970

Toll Free: 800-874-2777 Direct: 251-639-9970

470 Schillinger Rd, S. • Mobile, AL • Fax 633-7943 • Toll Free Fax 800-475-9091Hours: M - F 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. & Sat. 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. (For Mon Delivery)

A Merry Christmas to All!A special thanks to our many loyal

customers and our wishes for a

Happy New Year!

WHOLESALE ONLY DIRECT LINE

470 Schillinger Rd, S. • Mobile, AL • Hours: M - F 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ; Sat. 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. (For Mon Delivery) ; Fax 633-7943 • Toll Free Fax 800-475-9091

WHY AREN’T YOU OUR CUSTOMER?

• HONESTY • INTEGRITY • FAST, PERSONAL DELIVERY • BEST AVAILABLE DISCOUNTS• COURTEOUS, TRAINED PROFESSIONAL, WHO APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS • ONLY ONE QUESTION,

800-874-2777

WORKERS NEEDED - AutoGraphic's Automotive Report News for the Local automotive Industry in Central...

Documents

Transcript of WORKERS NEEDED - AutoGraphic's Automotive Report News for the Local automotive Industry in Central...