2004 Chevrolet Impala on 2040-cars

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German police Corvette promotes safe aftermarket tuning

The German organization Tune It! Safe! promotes safe, legal vehicle tuning in the country, and it probably doesn't have to worry about anyone breaking the law when this Polizei-themed Chevrolet Corvette is on the scene. The Vette is on display at the Essen Motor Show and is the group's latest police-wrapped tuner car, following models like the Brabus Rocket, Mercedes-Benz CLS, and AC Schnitzer-tuned BMW 123d in years past. Tikt Performance did the tuning this time, and the German company added a full carbon-fiber body kit for the Vette, including a front lip, side sills, rear spoiler, and relatively understated wheel flares. It also installed forged wheels that measure 19-inches in front and 20-inches in back and wrapped them with Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tires. To really let the coupe look the part of a proper Polizei car, the tuners included police lights from Hella and the appropriate blue-and-white wrap. Tikt left the 6.2-liter V8 alone to produce 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet, and the power routes through a seven-speed manual. Even with the stock performance, this police-themed 'Vette would still look fantastic blasting down the Autobahn with the lights flashing. World premiere at the Essen Motor Show: initiative for safe tuning starts the new campaign year with TIKT Performance Corvette A powerful look for a powerful campaign: TUNE IT! SAFE! presents innovative design and maximum precision Innovative design, maximum precision and unique performance – with an enhanced Corvette, TUNE IT! SAFE! shows that attractive, creative tuning in no way has to conflict with legal requirements. In the new campaign year, the seventh generation of a sports car icon stands as a symbol and shining example of safe automobile tuning and 100 per cent driving fun. The campaign car of the initiative for safe tuning, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transport, the Association of Automobile Tuners (VDAT) as well as numerous other organisations and institutions, sees its premiere at the Essen Motor Show (Hall 10, Stand F104). TUNE IT! SAFE! also continues its partnership with premium tyre manufacturer Hankook. Tuning specialist TIKT Performance based in Upper Bavaria is responsible for the innovative conversion of the new TUNE IT! SAFE! police car.

Nissan Leaf hits 3,000 sales in July, Chevy Volt climbs over 2,000

It was a good sales month for both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, with the two 'elder statesman' plug-in vehicles reaching numerical milestones in July. The Leaf sold 3,019 units and the Volt crossed the 2,000 sales level for the first time in 2014, hitting 2,020 sales. With Tesla also announcing it is delivering around 2,500 Model S EVs a month (but that's globally, compared to the US-only numbers for the Volt and Leaf we're talking about here) and Ford's plug-in vehicles selling well, we are certainly in a golden moment for EV sales. The Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. For the Volt, the 2,020 units sold represents a 13 percent increase from July of 2013 even thought year-to-date sales are down 8.7 percent this year compared to last year. Overall, total Chevrolet deliveries for July 2014 were up eight percent compared to 2013, so the Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. On the Leaf front, this is only the second time that the EV has sold more than 3,000 units in a month (the other being in May of this year). The year-over-year increase for the Leaf was 62 percent in July and represents the 17th straight month of record sales, as Nissan is more than happy to report each month. Overall, Leaf sales are up 34.6 percent, year-to-date, and Nissan's director of Leaf sales and infrastructure, Brendan Jones, said in a statement that a free public charging incentive was responsible. "Since we launched the No Charge to Charge promotion in the first 10 markets, we've seen a surge in Leaf sales in those areas. Leaf sales in the northeastern US are also picking up with new tax incentives for Massachusetts and Maryland residents." With No Charge To Charge set to expand to 25 markets over the next year, we expect Leaf sales to continue to grow. We will have our monthly look at all green car sales available soon, so stay tuned. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric PHEV ev sales

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs