BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Toyota Shareholders Encounter the Black Swan]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/02/04/toyota-shareholders-encounter-the-black-swan/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/02/04/toyota-shareholders-encounter-the-black-swan/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/02/04/toyota-shareholders-encounter-the-black-swan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

All swans were thought to be white until someone happened to come across a black one. All Toyota's were thought to be well made until someone discovered, oh, say, maybe two million cars that might not be -- part of a cautionary vehicle recall.

If you are a shareholder of Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) which past GM as the largest automobile manufacturer last year -- oddly, the same year it reported its first losses (along with everyone else) -- then you now have a first hand experience of the inherent problems or uselessness in trying to predict where trouble may arise.

Continue reading Toyota Shareholders Encounter the Black Swan

Toyota Shareholders Encounter the Black Swan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car recallCar safetyCarRecallCarSafetyfeaturedGMGRMsheldon liberSheldonLiberTMtoyotatoyota recallsToyotaRecallsThu, 04 Feb 2010 15:20:00 EST<![CDATA['Disastrous' infant car seats: Consumer Reports urges Evenflo to recall one model]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/05/disastrous-infant-car-seats-consumer-reports-urges-evenflo-to/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/05/disastrous-infant-car-seats-consumer-reports-urges-evenflo-to/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/05/disastrous-infant-car-seats-consumer-reports-urges-evenflo-to/#commentskids in the carIf you've had a baby in the U.S., you've probably done the obligatory walk to the car with a nurse, who inspects your vehicle to make sure you have, indeed, installed an infant car seat.

Consumer Reports came out with a (for parents) terrifying and (for the Evenflo Company, Inc.) damaging study today that detailed crash results from 12 widely-available infant car seats. To put it mildly? I never want to put a baby in a car again. Next time the nurse walks me out, it will be to the bus stop. Something I didn't know: infant car seats are only meant to withstand a crash at 30 mph. When Consumer Reports tested car seats at 35 or 38 mph, most seats failed, disengaging from their bases or (in four cases) flying out of them. Many seats would have "inflicted grave injuries" according to the Consumer Reports.

Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE:NWL)'s Graco Products unit has reason to crow, however; its SnugRide with EPS car seat was one of the two that passed the tests; both it and the other acceptable seat, the Baby Trend, Inc. Flex-Loc, retail for around $90.

I'm certainly glad to know that my children, having always been buckled into Graco SnugRides while in the car, were reasonably safe. But I have to ask myself: is the lack of safety of the inexpensive versions an even deadlier stake driven between the poor and the middle-class?

Continue reading 'Disastrous' infant car seats: Consumer Reports urges Evenflo to recall one model

'Disastrous' infant car seats: Consumer Reports urges Evenflo to recall one model originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>babybaby safetyBabySafetycarcar safetycar seatcar seatscarsCarSafetyCarSeatCarSeatsconsumerconsumer reportsConsumerReportscpccevenfloevenflo car seatsevenflo discoveryEvenfloCarSeatsEvenfloDiscoverygracograco car seatsgraco snugrideGracoCarSeatsGracoSnugrideinfantinfant car seatinfant car seatsInfantCarSeatInfantCarSeatsinfantssafesafetyFri, 05 Jan 2007 16:42:00 EST<![CDATA[U.S. cars strike out on safety]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/22/u-s-cars-strike-out-on-safety/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/22/u-s-cars-strike-out-on-safety/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/22/u-s-cars-strike-out-on-safety/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In yet another sign of why inventories are so high for U.S. car manufacturers, the Institute for Highway Safety said that a number of foreign cars made its list of 2007 model "safest cars." No domestic models made the list. The reason appears to be that so few American cars have electronic stability control which senses when a car is in trouble and applies the necessary braking.

Cars from Audi, Saab, Subaru, Mercedes, Honda, Volvo, and Acura made the list. Especially embarrassing for U.S. companies is the fact that Hyundai, the Korean manufacturer with only a sliver of the American market, had two vehicles that received accolades.

All Detroit needs is another well-publicized reason for people to buy competing products. Without a willingness to be first to market with better safety technology, they got one.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

U.S. cars strike out on safety originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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