FocusDriven has been created as a result of US DOT's 2009 meeting on distracted driving. A National Safety Council study revealed 26% of crashes occur during cellphone use with 1.4M of those being talking and 200K being texting. Over 120 studies suggest hands-free talking doesn't eliminate the distraction.
With the economy sputtering back to life, General Motors is betting that truck buyers will return to the market. As the country slid into recession, truck buyers, many in the construction and building industries, left the market. Spikes in gasoline prices drove recreational truck buyers to small cars and crossovers. To meet the predicted re-emergence of truck demand, GM has decided to proceed with its delayed full size pickup update.
Alternative energy dealership network EVCARCO has made an agreement with Verdek-EV, a distributor of Coulomb Technologies Networked Charging Stations. This gives EVCARCO the ability to address two of the biggest concerns buyers have with electric vehicles - their range and the infrastructure required to charge the cars.
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide has built a Clandestine Electric Reconnaissance Vehicle displayed by the U.S. Army at the Detroit auto show. It's an all-wheel drive diesel hybrid electric vehicle. The unit can maintain speeds of 80 miles per hour and climb 60% grades while reducing fuel consumption by up to 25% compared with conventional vehicles of comparable size.
There was an extra perk for remarketers who sold their consignments in the final month of 2009 instead of holding out for a seasonal price upswing at the start of the New Year. According to ADESA's Tom Kontos, this was in large part thanks to a seasonally unexpected gain in December's wholesale prices.