Autos
*Electronic stability control will be standard on all 2009 Volkswagen models in the U.S. Stability control is standard this year on all VWs except the Rabbit and the base Jetta S.
*Hummer cemented its reputation with the take-no-prisoners H1, a civilian version of the HUMVEE military workhorse. Succeeding models have been smaller and somewhat gentler, and that should continue if the HX concept is an indicator. The HX is a preview of the H4, which will fit below the mid-size H3. Mindful of changing consumer tastes, general manager Martin Walsh says Hummer will look for ways to save weight and use smaller engines and diesels to improve fuel economy, but adds “I don’t see a soft-roader in our future.”
Recall
*Strike Force is recalling some 64,000 portable air compressors because the motor can overheat and cause the protective cover to catch fire. Also, this cover might not prevent electrical shocks if the compressors are touched. The company has received four reports of fires, but no reports of injuries. They were sold at Advance Auto Parts stores between October 2006 and December 2007. For details, visit www.advanceauto parts.com or www.cpsc.gov.
Probe
*The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether 20,000 2008 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters with 2-liter, turbo engines have enough brake power assist. The agency has received 40 complaints that drivers need to mash the brakes to stop the vehicle but no accidents or injuries have been reported.
Air
*Cockpit voice recorders must capture two hours of audio, instead of the 15 to 30 minutes compiled now, to help find the causes of accidents, the Federal Aviation Administration says. New for the so-called black boxes, which will phase in through 2017, also require backup power sources to allow continued recording for 9 to 11 minutes if all aircraft sources are lost.
FYI
*Buick is offering duffers a chance to have top golfer Tiger Woods serve as their caddy for nine holes. Golfers in the Tee-Off with Tiger contest will record their scorecard predictions for each of 18 holes Woods plays in four rounds at tournaments through Sept. 28. The winner will have Woods as caddy Oct. 20 at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. Visit www.teeoffwithtiger.com.
*BMW will spend $750 million to expand its South Carolina plant as the dollar weakens against the euro. The expansion will add 500 jobs at the Spartanburg factory, which will build three models and boost capacity by 50 percent to 240,000 vehicles a year by 2012.
*A Honda subsidiary is building a plant in Japan to produce mini-vehicles, the Japanese automaker says, as soaring gas prices boost demand for the cheap, fuel-efficient cars. Engine production is set to start in 2009 and auto production a year later with annual capacity for 240,000 Life and Zest models.
People
*General Motors has named Frederick “Fritz” Henderson president and chief operating officer. Henderson, 49, had been vice chairman and chief financial officer since 2006. GM has not had a COO since 2000. Ray Young, 46, was named CFO. He had been group vice president of finance.
*Richard “Dick” Burke, who founded Trek Bicycles in 1976, has died in a Milwaukee hospital from complications following heart surgery. He was 73.
*Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose cable TV show “American Hot Rod” introduced the nation to the West Coast guru, has died of undisclosed causes. He was 63. Coddington, who started building cars when he was 13 and once operated a gas station in Utah, set a standard for workmanship and creativity with “Cadzilla,” a custom job based on a 1950s Cadillac built for rocker Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
———–
Quick Trips are compiled from the notebook of Rick Popely and from Tribune news services.
