Autos
*Battery powered NASCAR Power Wheels from Fisher-Price go on sale in July, versions of the ones driven by Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for little racing wannabes. With a weight limit of 65 pounds, the replicas can travel from 2.5 to 5 m.p.h. on a 12 volt-battery. They are priced at $209.99 and available at Toys “R” Us.
Safety
*American Bikers Aiming Toward Education again is seeking to overturn the Michigan law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. The group wants to let riders who pay a $100 annual state fee opt out of wearing a helmet. Eligible cyclists would have to be at least 21, have two years of experience and complete safety training. They also would have to carry at least $20,000 in personal injury health insurance. Riding helmetless without a permit would result in a $500 fine. Only Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire have no helmet laws.
Water
*Five locks on the upper Mississippi River and two on the Illinois River would double in size under a bill passed by the U.S. Senate. The $14 billion Water Resource Development Act includes nearly $2 billion for seven new locks — at Canton, Mo.; Quincy, Ill.; Saverton, Mo.; Clarksville, Mo.; and Winfield, Mo., on the Mississippi; and at Peoria and Versailles on the Illinois River. It now heads to conference with a similar version from the House.
FYI
*Toyota says its Scion brand, designed to attract young buyers, is making a profit three years after its U.S. debut. A profit for Scion, which this year will contribute less than 2 percent of Toyota’s global sales, is a bonus for Japan’s biggest automaker. The brand’s main purpose is to find ways of attracting young consumers who have ignored Toyota and aren’t reached by traditional television and print advertising.
*In a request dating to 2000, Audi AG has won Europe-wide trademark protection for the name Alltrek in a dispute with Trek Bicycle Corp. The European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg says Audi’s use of the term in connection with automobiles wasn’t likely to cause confusion with the U.S. company’s bicycles.
People
*Toyota has named Kenji Fukuta, a 20-year company veteran and former plant general manager in Japan, president of Toyota Manufacturing Texas Inc. Fukuta is in charge of Toyota’s San Antonio plant, a 2.2 million-square-foot facility that opened in November and produces Tundra full-size pickups. He replaces Hidehiko “T.J.” Tajima, who led Toyota’s Texas operations during construction of the plant and production of the first Tundras.
*GM has named Jim Bunnell, 51, chief of its Buick-Pontiac-GMC division, replacing John Larson, 44, who is leaving after failing to stem the decline in the brands’ U.S. sales. . Steve Hill, 46, GM’s executive director for retail planning and customer relationship management, replaces Bunnell.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebooks of Jim Mateja and Rick Popely, and from Tribune news services.
