– Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. says it’s not surprised the results of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that about a third of the light trucks and a quarter of the cars on the road have at least one substantially underinflated tire. Goodyear says in its study of 250 vehicles randomly sampled in a parking lot, 28 percent had one or more underinflated tires. Running a tire 20 percent underinflated, or 4 to 5 psi low, reduces fuel economy by 10 percent and tread life by 15 percent, Goodyear says. The NHTSA study measured 11,530 tires at gas stations in February. Researchers found that 27 percent of cars and 32 percent of vans, pickups and sport-utility vehicles had at least one underinflated tire, and 8 percent of light trucks and 3 percent of cars had four underinflated tires.
– Ever wonder what an automaker means by owner loyalty? Don Esmond, vice president and general manager of Toyota, provided an example: Of the 400,000 Camrys Toyota sells each year, about 100,000 are from folks who trade in their old Camry. Esmond also said for calendar 2001, Toyota expects to outsell the Dodge brand for the first time, leaving only Chevrolet and Ford ahead of it in nameplate sales. Esmond deflects questions as to whether Toyota has set its sights on passing Chevy or Ford, saying only, “We plan to grow our business.”
– Toyota says it is on track to meet its target of cutting parts-procurement costs by about 30 percent in three years to save an estimated $8.3 billion. Toyota is examining 173 categories of parts and components, such as air conditioners, tires and steering systems, to look for ways to cut costs by simplifying designs or sharing components among different models.
– DaimlerChrysler will pay a $153,000 fine for safety violations at the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, after a machine repairman died there last year. Lazaro Fuentes Sr., 50, died in May 2000 when a conveyor line suddenly started, pulling him into the system, as he made repairs on a nearby robot. Federal inspectors said faulty wiring and poor implementation of machinery shutdown procedures contributed to the accident.
– While ruling that the use of red-light cameras is constitutional, a San Diego judge has questioned whether the images captured on film should be admissible as evidence in court. San Diego pays Lockheed Martin IMS, which administers the cameras, up to $70 for each fine collected. Other cities also pay the company portions of fines resulting from camera enforcement. San Diego Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn ruled that Lockheed could not objectively evaluate evidence gained by cameras with a financial stake in the outcome of those cases.
