This Weeks OEM Headlines
Ford’s Chariot expands to Austin – Ford’s recently acquired Chariot on-demand shuttle service will begin service next week in Austin, Texas, the second city it will serve after San Francisco, where it was founded. Unlike Uber and Lyft, ride-hailing services that rely primarily on drivers who drive their own vehicles as independent contractors, Chariot is a more local service that uses Ford Transit vans driven by people employed by Chariot, or now Ford. The service in San Francisco moves riders in about 100 Transit vans along 28 routes.
Nation’s Fuel Economy Average Continues to Decline – Fuel economy is dropping as American buyers continue to buy in accordance with their purchasing preferences: trucks and sport-utes, according to information collected monthly by the University of Michigan.
Feds seek to eliminate traffic deaths in 30 years – The U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Safety Council announced plans on Wednesday to eliminate traffic fatalities within the next 30 years.
U.S. opens safety probes into 642,000 SUVs, cars – U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they are opening two new preliminary investigations into 642,000 Ford sport utility vehicles and cars over door latch warning light and steering issues. Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, said last month it was reducing its adjusted full-year pre-tax profit forecast to $10.2 billion from at least $10.8 billion it predicted in July because of a $640 million charge for an expanded side-door latch recall.
