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Car & Driver / September 2016 Enter the term “2017 Ford F-150” into Google's search engine, and we bet that, by the time you type the second F, the search bar will autocomplete your query to “2017 Ford F-150 Raptor.” Well, if your internet history includes a heavy focus on cars, as ours does, it might. Even if the world’s biggest search engine seems to be eagerly anticipating that high-performance off-road truck as much as we are, there’s a little bit of Raptor to look forward to in the regular 2017 F-150, because the Raptor’s new 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission are headed for the latter’s option sheet. More Gears, Even More Power! On a macro level, the ’17 F-150 is the same as the ’16 model, which means the new EcoBoost powertrain is the headline news for the nameplate. The new EcoBoost V-6 replaces the first-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which has been optional throughout the F-150 lineup since 2011. With “only” 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, the pedestrian-duty F-150’s EcoBoost represents the lower state of tune for this engine. We’re still waiting on final power figures for the Raptor, but it’s guaranteed to have far more than 400 horsepower. Everything’s relative, though, and even the regular-grade 3.5 is certifiably meaty, edging out its predecessor by 10 horsepower and 50 lb-ft of torque. Ford calls this EcoBoost “all new,” and indeed it carries over only the old engine’s bore center dimension, piston displacement, and cylinder liners. The block is new, the turbos are new, the cooling system (which features new flow paths and a higher-volume, higher-rate water pump) is new, and the fuel-delivery system now employs both direct and port injectors for improved emissions and more power. The engine comes paired exclusively with a 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed with General Motors. The unit cleverly packs its six clutches and four planetary gearsets into a package barely larger and heavier than the six-speed it replaces, and its ratios and internals are shared with the General Motors version. The bellhousing is, of course, unique to Ford—no, you can’t bolt the Camaro ZL1’s 10-speed automatic to an EcoBoost, even though their inner bits are identical—as are the transmission software and shift strategy. The 10-speed’s ratio spread, at 7.4, is wider than the six-speed’s, but not by much. First gear is shorter than its six-speed equivalent, and 10th gear is slightly taller than the old automatic’s sixth. The arrangement promises quicker off-the-line acceleration and slightly lower engine revs at highway speeds. As before, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost is the de facto top-dog engine in the F-150 lineup, packing far more peak torque (an additional 83 lb-ft) than the 5.0-liter V-8. Like the V-8, the base 285-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and the mid-level 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 EcoBoost both go unchanged for 2017 and keep the six-speed automatic. Perhaps More Eco, Definitely More Boost We really liked the F-150’s previous combination of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost and the six-speed automatic. The powertrain provides plenty of thrust and is nicely polished, which was enough for us to give it a win in a recent two-truck comparison test with the V-8–powered F-150. That EcoBoost proved quicker than the V-8, more comfortable towing, and smoother in operation—but, crucially, it was more “boost” than “eco.” The other 3.5-liter EcoBoost F-150s we’ve tested failed to post appreciably better fuel-economy numbers than their eight-cylinder counterparts, despite higher EPA figures. Final EPA estimates for the new engine are forthcoming, but as before, they should be higher than the V-8 model’s. Ford can claim up and down that its EcoBoost offers the best of both worlds—fuel economy (eco!) and power (boost!)—but even with the efficiency-boosting measures applied to the new 3.5-liter EcoBoost, we predict the 10-speed automatic will do the heavy lifting when it comes to improving the truck’s EPA ratings. Credit the 10-speed’s smaller steps between gear ratios, which help keep engine speeds low more of the time. Step onto the F-150’s gas pedal lightly, and you can easily accelerate at a normal rate (i.e., not holding up traffic) without the engine breaking 3000 rpm. This is key, because the six-speed’s wider gaps between gear ratios encouraged higher revs from the old EcoBoost to build speed, thus keeping its turbochargers “in the boost” more of the time. The 10-speed, on the other hand, makes it easier to avoid dipping too far into the throttle in normal driving, which should improve the EcoBoost’s real-world fuel economy. Don’t underestimate extra power, though. As one Ford engineer put it, the additional 50 lb-ft of maximum torque is great for foot-to-the-floor drag racing or towing, but it also means there’s more off-peak torque at the lower engine speeds where many drivers spend most of their time. Should you want to poke a stick in the EcoBoost, though, the transmission is game to help provide maximum thrust. Floor the accelerator, and the transmission clicks off clean, firm shifts about 400 rpm shy of the indicated redline. We’re told that torque falls off precipitously between about 5300 rpm and the 5750-rpm fuel cutoff, so Ford programmed the transmission to short-shift and keep the engine on boil. As for the engine itself, it feels pretty much exactly like the outgoing 3.5-liter EcoBoost, with more punch. You Can’t Have Too Many Gears Clever software tuning keeps the transmission’s multitude of gears from feeling busy or shift crazed. In part-throttle acceleration, the computer skips gears, typically starting in first before jumping to third, then fifth, and then going quickly gear to gear (sixth, seventh, eighth, etc.) as the driver eases off the gas pedal upon reaching the desired road speed. The same thinking applies to downshifts, with the transmission taking greater leaps—say, from 10th to eighth to fifth to third to first—rather than shuffling through every gear as the vehicle slows to a stop. This alleviates the juddering sensation common in other mega-gear-plus transmissions that try to keep pace with the driver’s braking when downshifting sequentially through lower gears. There are really only two scenarios during which the 10-speed will shift sequentially, and they couldn’t be more different. The first is during wide-open-throttle events, from a standstill to top speed, where the transmission winds out each gear all the way. The second is, essentially, the EPA’s fuel-economy test cycle. To replicate this kind of throttle input in the real world, you’d need to place an eggshell between your foot and the gas pedal—and then attempt to accelerate the F-150 without breaking that shell. We only explored the full-throttle method. For the ever-critical towing aspect of trucking, the 10-speed doesn’t disappoint. We drove a 2017 F-150—with a big dual-axle trailer that Ford claimed amounted to 9900 pounds of ballast—back to back with a 2016 model with the same load. Although we can’t speak to the V-6’s power advantage over its predecessor, the 10-speed holds a clear edge. Its extra ratios afford more options when downshifting, such as when descending a steep grade, and the shifts are even rev matched in Tow/Haul mode for maximum smoothness. The six-speed, by comparison, is slower to shift and feels lumpier when selecting a lower gear; it can also be caught out trying to choose among gears. The only wrinkle in the 10-speed’s suit is occasional part-throttle hesitation when shifting out of third gear, when it seemed like it was searching for the next gear but taking its time doing so. Ford says the transmission’s programming is nearly final, and that this issue is on the chopping block. We’ll have to wait for a full test to see how effective the combination of the new V-6 and the 10-speed is at quickening the F-150 and improving its fuel economy, but our first impressions are positive. The Raptor’s take on this powertrain will be hotter, for sure, but the everyday version will serve far more buyers as a $2095 option on the base, regular-cab 2017 F-150 XL (with the longer eight-foot bed)—and costing between $1300 and $2095 on more expensive trim levels; it is standard on the F-150 Limited. Already, the 2.7-liter and 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines power nearly 65 percent of all new F-150s, with the V-8 and the base non-turbo V-6 duking it out for the scraps. This new version—and its 10-speed automatic—should continue to tip the F-150’s sales mix in favor of EcoBoost. Photo gallery - http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/2017-ford-f-150-3-5l-v-6-ecoboost-10-speed-first-drive-review

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T&E: VW sells least polluting Euro 6 diesels in Europe; no brand meets Euro 6 in real-world driving; loopholes & defeat strategies Green Car Congress / September 26, 2016 A new study by Transport & Environment (T&E) shows that Volkswagen is currently selling the least polluting (Euro 6) diesel vehicles. However, the report “Dieselgate: Who? What? How?” also found that no brand in Europe complies with the latest Euro 6 air pollution limits for diesel cars and vans in real-world driving. For the in-house analysis, T&E analyzed emissions test data from around 230 diesel car models. Data were taken from the investigations conducted by the British, French and German governments, as well as a large public database. The carmakers’ ranking was built with on-road performance figures mostly measured in real world driving. Among the real-world findings per car brand: Fiat and Suzuki diesel cars on average exceed the NOx limit by 15 times; Renault-Nissan vehicles by more than 14 times; General Motors’ brands Opel/Vauxhall by 10 times; and Volkswagen by 2 times. T&E’s calculations also suggest that today 29 million diesel cars and vans that T&E classifies as “dirty”—3x the Euro 5 NOx limit—are driving on Europe’s roads. The largest number of such diesels is found on French roads (5.5 million), followed by Germany (5.3 million), the UK (4.3 million), Italy (3.1 million), Spain (1.9 million) and Belgium (1.4 million). For Euro 5 vehicles, the five worst performing companies were (in order of the highest emissions): Renault (including Dacia); Land Rover; Hyundai; Opel/Vauxhall (including Chevrolet); and Nissan. The ICCT authors observed that Volkswagen’s performance on the Euro 6 side was not a result of the VW Group “learning its lesson” from the Dieselgate scandal; the group brought its Euro 6 cars to market ahead of the scandal was exposed. VW Group’s Dieselgate engines were mostly of the previous Euro 5 generation. Loopholes. T&E charges that diesel cars are failing to operate their exhaust after-treatment systems for most of the time the car is driving, “almost certainly illegally misusing” a loophole in the rules governing the use of Defeat Devices. Over the last 12 months investigations in Europe (notably the testing programmes in Germany, France and the UK) have shown that the scandal engulfing VW represents the tip of an iceberg. Most carmakers systematically manipulate cars to pass emissions tests through highly questionable and probably illegal means. This results in performance that achieves regulatory limits in a lab but exceeds these by 10 times and more when the emissions are measured on the road. Such behaviour that has been going on for at least six years and probably longer. Regulatory limits for NOx emissions are also breached by a significant margin when tested in conditions even slightly divergent from those prescribed in the EU test protocol (NEDC). The principal reason for such gross exceedances is that carmakers routinely switch-off technologies that clean up the exhaust when the car is driven on the road, and only operate these fully during the narrow conditions of the tests. This is partially to improve official fuel economy figures but is also due to questions about the durability of the emissions treatment systems carmakers have used—specifically exhaust gas recirculation systems that pump hot exhaust gases with a lower oxygen content back into the cylinders to lower production of NOx. Investigations have revealed that national testing authorities have failed to scrutinize the way in which these exhaust after-treatment systems operate (despite a legal requirement for them to do so) and for a decade have turned a blind eye on this unprecedented maltreatment of emissions regulations. —“Dieselgate: Who? What? How?” In addition to automakers’ exploitation of regulatory loopholes, T&E further charged, the laboratory test procedure used to measure the pollutant and CO2 emissions in Europe today is “totally unrealistic and undemanding and in no way representative of real-world driving conditions”. Defeat strategies. Through its analysis, T&E identified three general types of technical defeat strategies which significantly raise emissions on the road. These include the use of: 1. Thermal window defeat device. Almost all models identified show the presence of a “thermal window” defeat device. These switch off or lower the effectiveness of the exhaust treatment systems at temperatures below those typically used during laboratory tests (23 - 29 °C). Manufacturers claim such behavior is needed to protect the engine but the temperatures at which the exhaust treatment effectiveness is lowered is much higher than necessary in many models. 2. Hot restart defeat device. A high number of the high-emitting models on the road show much higher emissions after a hot engine restart than when the engine is cold. Manufacturers say that high emissions are generated by hotter engine temperatures and pressures experienced at warm restarts; however, T&E noted, emissions generated are both a function of the combustion and effectiveness of the after-treatment that should be much better when hot, as found in data obtained by the ICCT from the EPA. High warm start emissions are highly suspicious and possibly suggest that during a cold start a different and more effective engine and exhaust calibration is being used (as the EU test mandates cold starts), T&E said. 3. Cycle detection defeat device. The German type approval authority (KBA) found evidence earlier this year that the exhaust treatment system in some Fiat models would switch itself off after 22 minutes; emissions tests normally run for around 20 minutes. Despite the Italian Transport Ministry (that approved these cars) denying the accusation, KBA are currently asking the European Commission to investigate Fiat 500X models for the presence of this defeat device. The European Commission is far from blameless. It took too long to develop new real world tests that should have identified and resolved some of the issues much earlier. It acceded to the demands from the Member States to weaken new NOx limits for cars and delay their introduction. It designed the type approval regulation in a way that meant no effective checks and balances were built into the system. However, the Commission has acted promptly to reform the system of type approval with good (but not sufficient) proposals to strengthen the rules. It has also made clear its intention to bring infringement proceedings against member states that fail to enforce the law on defeat devices – it now must do this and coordinate an EU-wide recall of vehicles abusing emissions regulations that will ensure air pollution limits are met earlier throughout Europe and fewer people die prematurely. .

Volkswagen, Bosch oppose request for diesel documents Reuters / September 26, 2016 Volkswagen and auto supplier Robert Bosch have asked a U.S. federal judge to reject requests from European investors and vehicle owners to access more than 20 million pages of records turned over in VW's "Dieselgate" scandal. VW, which admitted in 2015 to programming its diesel engines to deceive U.S. emissions testers, faces more than 1,200 lawsuits, consolidated before a judge in San Francisco. The automaker has agreed to pay up to $16.5 billion to resolve claims from some owners, dealers and government regulators. Volkswagen said in a court filing on Friday it has turned over more than 20 million pages to the Justice Department, which is conducting a criminal investigation, and has made the records available to others pursuing claims. VW expects to turn over additional documents, the company said. The company urged a judge to deny in full the "blatantly overbroad requests." The company also said German authorities have rejected document requests because it would "potentially undermine their official investigations." Bosch filed a separate request with the court on Friday asking it to reject the same request, saying it was improperly filed in California. Bosch said it has produced nearly 2 million pages of documents "encompassing documents that contain sensitive information, including competitively sensitive business documents and information that is protected under foreign data privacy laws." The European groups seeking documents include Altroconsumo, an Italian consumer association that has sued VW in Italy; the Wolverhampton City Council, a local government seeking records on behalf of a municipal pension fund in the United Kingdom; and the Dutch Settlement Foundations, groups representing owners and investors that have not yet filed suit in the Netherlands. Lawyers for owners suing Bosch said this month the supplier concealed the use of Volkswagen secret "defeat device" software that it helped design, and demanded in 2008 that the German automaker provide legal protection in its use. Bosch has denied the claims. VW has admitted that it installed improper software that deactivated pollution controls on more than 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide and has agreed to compensate and offer buybacks to owners of 475,000 2.0-liter diesel cars. This month, a U.S. Volkswagen engineer pleaded guilty to helping the company evade U.S. emission standards, and his lawyer said he would cooperate with federal authorities in their criminal probe.

VW’s Winterkorn More Closely Involved With Cheating Bloomberg / September 25, 2016 Volkswagen’s former CEO, Martin Winterkorn, approved a plan to disclose only partial information on the carmaker’s software rigging to U.S. authorities seven weeks before the scandal broke last year, Bild newspaper reported, citing newly uncovered documents. On July 28, 2015, Winterkorn signed off on talking points prepared ahead of an informal meeting with regulators in the U.S., at which VW officials would “partially” disclose details about diesel software that cheated on emissions. At the meeting, which took place on Aug. 5, VW employees acknowledged that emissions didn’t meet U.S. standards and that engineers were working to repair it. Seven weeks later, U.S. authorities revealed that VW had flouted environmental regulations, plunging the carmaker into the worst crisis in its history. Winterkorn, who stepped down soon after the revelations, is the subject of a probe seeking to find out whether management was too slow to tell investors about the potential cost of the diesel-emissions scandal. VW has said Winterkorn was present at a meeting in July 2015 in which the diesel situation was a topic on the “periphery” of the gathering. Bild also reported that several VW engineers who were offered suspended sentences and fines in exchange for confessions declined the overture. German supplier Robert Bosch, which provided VW with software, has also suspended several employees as a result of the investigations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winterkorn Behind Dieselgate Coverup, New Docs Suggest Forbes / September 25, 2016 Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn was well aware of the dieselgate scandal, long before it was made public, documents cited by Germany’s BILD Zeitung suggest. The material also appears to prove that Winterkorn initiated an attempted cover-up. BILD has an internal Volkswagen memo with the date of July 30 2015. Titled “Approval diesel U.S.A.” the message announced that two Volkswagen staffers would meet “deputy executive officer Dr. Ayala for an unofficial information exchange.” At the meeting with CARB’s Alberto Ayala, the “issues” with Volkswagen’s diesel engines should only be “partially disclosed,” the memorandum says. This “approach has been confirmed by Prof. Winterkorn on July 28, 2015” the paper says. A day before the memo was written, “the issue” was the topic at Volkswagen’s “Schadenstisch” (literally “damage table”) a regular crisis and damage control meeting by experts from various departments of Volkswagen. “Are we talking about CO2?” Winterkorn is quoted to have asked at the meeting. “No, it’s nitrous oxide,” he was told. Says BILD: “Latest on that day, Winterkorn supposedly knew all. This was seven weeks before U.S. environmental agencies went public with dieselgate, which led to the unprecedented crash of Volkswagen shares.” The last sentence hints on the direction the leak might be taking. In recent days, German courts have been flooded with lawsuits by investors who claim they lost billions when the company’s shares crashed. To beat a one year statute of limitations, “fax machines overheated” at German courts a week ago, Bloomberg said. One German law firm delivered more than 5,000 complaints by truck. The claimants allege that Volkswagen violated the “ad-hoc” rule requiring the speedy release of findings that might impact the value of a company’s shares. Lawsuits disclosed so far seek nearly $12 billion in damages. For Volkswagen, these lawsuits carry a much higher threat potential than violations of Europe’s famously lax emission laws. According to BILD, public prosecutors in Germany offer Volkswagen engineers settlements in the range of 100,000 to 150,000 Euro ($112,000 to $168,000). Engineers are said to shun the deal, because it would mean that “they would lose coverage by Volkswagen’s legal protection insurance, and they would have to pay for their own lawyers.” On July 8, 2015, CARB informed both the EPA and VW that it found glaring discrepancies between real world emissions and when Volkswagen diesel cars were on the “rolling road” in a testing lab. ”VW offered up excuses for the inconsistency in tailpipe NOx levels, but the EPA wasn’t buying it,” writes Mashable. One year ago, on September 18, EPA went public.

Bloopers and zingers: a history of US presidential debates France 24 / September 26, 2016 Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are expected to set a new audience record when they go face to face on Monday in the first of three presidential debates. But will their encounter prove as consequential, or controversial, as past debates? The unexpectedly tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between the two candidates – neither of whom is particularly popular – has generated wide interest in the 90-minute televised debate at New York's Hofstra University, which comes six weeks before the November 8 election. Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, will seek to buttress her credentials as a steady and competent hand, while catching out her inexperienced and notoriously hot-headed rival. Meanwhile, Trump will be expected to add a little policy depth to the jibes and putdowns that saw him dominate the Republican primary season. Throughout the bout, both camps will be spinning furiously on social media in a bid to shape perceptions of the debate, mindful that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube can turn a below-par performance – like Barack Obama’s versus Mitt Romney in 2012 – into a terrible one. Lincoln’s rhetoric Social media is in the process of altering the nature of presidential debates – a cherished political tradition that, in American political folklore, goes at least as far back as the epic 1858 duels between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Their seven marathon contests – featuring hour-long addresses, 90-minute rebuttals and 30-minute counter-responses – are still seen as the quintessential political debates and bywords for substantive discourse (though the pair was actually vying for a Senate seat, and not the White House). In one of several flourishes, Lincoln claimed his opponent's plans for greater state sovereignty on the matter of slavery were "as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death". . . Look like Kennedy A century after the Lincoln-Douglas bouts, and half a century before the rise of social media, television rewrote the rulebook and instituted the norms that still govern debates: look good, relaxed and solid, and avoid slip-ups. John F. Kennedy famously embraced the new medium in 1960, stealing the show in the very first televised debate, against Republican favourite Richard Nixon. The youthful, little known senator from Massachusetts looked far smoother and more telegenic than his rival, who was nursing a knee injury and refused to wear make-up. Radio listeners thought Nixon had won the debate, but the 60 million TV viewers thought otherwise and Kennedy went on to win the election by a whisker. . . Ford’s blooper If Kennedy proved the impact of a good debate performance, then Gerald Ford showed the consequences of a slip-up in a 1976 face-off with Democratic rival Jimmy Carter. The Republican incumbent’s otherwise strong debating had helped him narrow a 20-point gap to just 6 points, but then he stumbled on a gaffe that may have ended his chances of a comeback. Discussing the Soviet Union's actions in Europe, Ford bizarrely declared that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe". Taken aback, the moderator interjected and asked for clarification. But Ford refused to admit his error and back down, suggesting that countries like Poland and Romania had autonomy from the Soviet Union. The gaffe was ultimately dubbed, "the blooper heard 'round the world". . . Reagan’s quip Age and physical fitness have been prominent themes in this year’s campaign, with both the Republican and Democratic candidates ranking among the oldest in history, and Clinton struggling to shake off questions about her health. But as a 73-year-old Ronald Reagan showed in 1984, the age issue can be brushed aside with a little witticism. When the topic cropped up in a debate with Democrat opponent Walter Mondale, the incumbent quipped, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." . . ‘You’re no Jack Kennedy’ Four years later a face-off between vice-presidential candidates delivered the highlight of the debate season, and what has been dubbed the best political zinger of all time. During the campaign, Dan Quayle, the Republican VP candidate, had elicited comparisons with Kennedy for his good looks. But when he claimed that his political career was also comparable to JFK’s, his Democratic rival Lloyd Bentsen put him down with the following stinger: "I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." . . Bush’s nod Trying too hard to corner one’s opponent can prove counter-productive, as Al Gore found out during a 2000 debate with George W. Bush, during which the Democrat sighed, shook his head and rolled his eyes whenever his opponent spoke. At one stage, Gore left his podium and walked over to Bush while he was speaking, in an apparent attempt to intimidate him. But the Republican simply nodded, as if to say “Hello”, and carried on with his statement – prompting laughter from the audience and leaving Gore looking rather odd. . . Gore would go on to lose the election over a few hundred disputed votes in Florida, and Clinton’s strategists will be wary of history repeating itself. Bush was regarded by most Democrats as a political lightweight deprived of presidential gravitas – much as Trump is today. Gore may have won the arguments back in 2000, but coming off as lecturing and smug ultimately proved more costly.

Murders up 10.8% in biggest percentage increase since 1971, FBI data shows The Guardian / September 26, 2016 Murders in the US rose 10.8% last year, the biggest single-year percentage jump since 1971, according to data released Monday by the FBI. The rising violence was driven by an increase in the murders of black men, and by an increase in the number of gun murders. At least 900 more black men were killed in 2015 than in 2014. There were roughly 1,500 additional firearm murders in 2015. No other type of weapon saw a comparable increase. The number of knife murders dropped slightly. The percentage of murders committed with guns increased to 71.5%. Percent changes year to year The net increase in murders, which follows a two-decade downward trend, erased the gains of the past few years, and put the number of murders back at 15,696, about the same number as in 2009. Murder and violent crime are still dramatically lower than they were at the peak of the violent crime wave of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The national murder rate last year was about half what it was in 1991. Even as murders rose, the country’s overall crime rates did not increase as substantially. There was a 3.9% increase in the estimated number of violent crimes, but a 2.6% decrease in the estimated number of property crimes. Despite an “overall increase” in violent crime, 2015 still represented “the third-lowest year for violent crime in the past two decades”, says attorney general Loretta Lynch. Her prepared remarks [oddly] did not mention the 10.8% increase in murders. “We still have so much work to do,” Lynch said. “But the report also reminds us of the progress that we are making. It shows that in many communities, crime has remained stable or even decreased from the historic lows reported in 2014.” A third of the murder increase was driven by upticks in just ten larger cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Nashville, Kansas City, Missouri, St Louis, and Oklahoma City. Baltimore saw the greatest increase in murders, with 133 more people killed in 2015 than in 2014, pushing the city to its highest-ever murder rate. Some of America’s largest cities, including New York and Los Angeles, saw their murder numbers remain near historic lows in 2015. Black men and women face much less violence today than they did in the early 1990s, belying Donald Trump’s claim last week that “our African American communities are in the worst shape they’ve ever been ... ever. Ever. Ever.” Murder rates by race and sex Despite steep declines in violence since the 1990s, though, the murder rate for black men and boys is still much higher than for other Americans, and it increased slightly last year, according to a Guardian analysis of FBI supplementary homicide data and census data. The supplementary homicide data includes a racial breakdown of murder victims submitted by most, but not all, law enforcement agencies. In 2015, black men were about nine times more likely to be murdered than white men, and black women were three times more likely to be murdered than white women, according to the analysis. Compared with the early 1990s, when the biggest contributors to the crime increase were the country’s largest cities, “it’s slightly smaller cities that are having the biggest impact on rising murders”, said John Pfaff, a Fordham University law professor who studies criminal sentencing and incarceration. The 10 cities that drove a third of the murder increase only account for 13% of total murders in the US, he noted. Guns uses for homicides There is no consensus yet on what factors might be driving a sharp increase in murders alone, but crime has become a politically charged election issue, and the uptick will probably figure in Monday’s presidential debate. Crime trend experts said they expected politicians to overplay the significance of the new numbers and to react with “hysteria”. In St Louis, which already had one of the highest murder rates in the US, murders increased again last year. Last year, 143 of the city’s murder victims were black men and boys killed with guns, according to data from the police department. Local residents were not optimistic that a debate over a national murder increase would make them safer. Murders since 1960 Advocates for criminal justice reform said they worried the one-year uptick would fuel calls for a return to damaging, tough-on-crime policies. The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and both violent crime and mass incarceration disproportionately affect black Americans. The human cost of an overreaction to the murder increase could be “a lot bigger” than the toll of the rising violence itself, Pfaff said. He said he expected the increase to prompt calls for more arrests and more prison time. The wealthier white Americans whose votes help determine crime policy “don’t tend to be those who feel the costs”, Pfaff said. Early data from large cities this year suggests that 2015’s uptick in murders may not be a single-year increase. A report from the Brennan Center, analyzing murders in 30 large cities this year, projected an additional 13.1% increase in the murder rates for those cities in 2016, with most of that increase being driven by just three cities: Chicago, Baltimore and Houston. Together, the national large city increases in 2015 and 2016 were projected to drive a 31.5% increase in the murder rate compared with 2014. “There is no evidence of a national murder wave, yet increases in these select cities are indeed a serious problem,” the Brennan Center report concluded. Chicago alone has seen a close to 50% increase in shootings and murders this year. FBI Director James Comey has repeatedly drawn a connection between increasing violence and “a change in how the police are doing their work” due to the continuing nationwide protests over police killings of black citizens. “In today’s YouTube world, are officers reluctant to get out of their cars and do the work that controls violent crime?” he asked in 2015, describing “a chill wind that has blown through law enforcement over the last year”. In May, he suggested the increasing violence could be related to “marginal pullbacks by lots and lots of police officers”, and said that police leaders across the country had seen a change in how their officers do their jobs. Barack Obama’s administration has repeatedly rejected any connection between protests over police violence and increasing murders. But a Justice Department-funded report on the 2015 murder increase concluded that there might be some connection between public anger over police killings and an increase in community violence. Criminologists caution that crime and violence are highly local, and driven by a tangle of so many different factors that it is nearly impossible to say exactly what causes a given increase or decrease. Crime statistics are also easy to over-dramatize. Murder numbers in a small town, for instance, can be dramatically distorted by a single incident with multiple casualties. A town that typically sees a murder a year will see a 100% increase in murders if it ends the year with two. New York City, which saw more than 2,000 murders a year in the early 1990s, saw just 352 last year, according to New York police department data. Los Angeles, which saw more than 1,000 murders a year in the early 1990s, has seen fewer than 300 in recent years. Trump has blamed Obama and his administration for a “rollback of criminal enforcement” that has made the country less safe. This criticism is not supported by the FBI’s murder data. Murders have declined through most of Obama’s two terms, with a serious uptick only in his second-to-last year in office. Between 2008, the year before Obama took office, and 2014, murders dropped, with 2,000 fewer Americans murdered in 2014 than in the last year of George W Bush’s administration. Crime experts also cautioned that a single-year uptick was not a trend. “It’s the curse of success. Because we’re doing better, a similar absolute change will look worse,” Pfaff said. Despite a general downward trend over the past decades, nationwide murder numbers have increased in some recent years. In 2005, for instance, murders increased by 3.67%, according to FBI data, then increased a further 3% in 2006. In October 2006, the Police Executive Research Forum released a report warning the country about “a gathering storm of violent crime that threatens to erode the considerable crime reductions of the past”. “Violent crime in many of the nation’s cities, from one coast to the other, has begun to spike upwards,” the report argued. “The percentage of violent crime in America had the largest single-year increase in 14 years.” The next year, murders resumed a downward trend. In general, the president and the federal government have very little power to determine the country’s response to crime and violence. The country has 18,000 local law enforcement agencies of different kinds, including more than 12,000 local police departments, which are largely independent from federal control. Most power to determine crime policy is in the hands of state legislators, and local mayors, police chiefs and prosecutors.

Okay, your B-model’s line sheet shows: Front Axle Arrangement: 1QHA4125AP6 (FA505) Wheel seal – 88AX100 (supercedes to 88AX100P3) Rear Axle Arrangement: 1QFA5402P5 (RAS508) Outer wheel seal – 88AX97 (supercedes to 88AX97P3) Inner wheel seal – 88AX240 (supercedes to 88AX240P3) I would think that the folks at Watt's Mack (1-888-304-6225), provider of the BMT website. can accommodate you.

Recaro makes the best truck seats (e.g., they provide Scania's premium seat options. Grammer and Sears roughly tie for second place. CVG's US market Bostrom and National are cheap in quality and obsolete in design. Basically, they're throw-away seats.

I'm still struggling at how to interpret this. I post "all" the U.S. truck industry news and most of the significant global. I don't write it. i strive to provide a one-stop news source for the truck industry. i strive to meet everyone's interests. By presenting the face of the trucking industry, including a global perspective, I strive to enhance, and extend, everyone's understanding, as the world has become a much smaller place.

Service for the Xcient's optional ZF AS Tronic AMT is a non event.

Here's a new article on the subject. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/46938-blown-away/

Scania Group Press Release / September 19, 2016 Aerodynamic characteristics were a key focus for Scania as it developed its new generation of trucks. The record-low levels of air drag in the range significantly reduce both fuel consumption and environmental impacts. Vehicles with an aerodynamic shape use less fuel. Air flows easily over them and less energy is required to propel them forward. Even small changes in design and shape can make a big difference. In 1991, Scania Streamline was launched, a truck and cab that set new industry standards for both design and fuel consumption. The concept was further refined in 2013 with the release of a completely new Streamline, which in turn has been the reference vehicle as the aerodynamics for Scania’s latest generation of trucks have been tested. In Europe’s biggest wind tunnel – located north of Amsterdam, among the cows and wind farms on the coast of the Netherlands – a Scania team is working against the clock. With time in the high-tech facility strictly limited, conducting as many tests as possible in the time available is crucial. “This wind tunnel in the Netherlands is the only facility in Europe where it’s possible to test the aerodynamic performance of full-sized trucks with trailers,” says David Söderblom, Senior Engineer Aerodynamics and test leader for the all-important wind-tunnel tests. Improved aerodynamics, with a view to obtaining better fuel economy, is one of the main innovations in the new generation of trucks. And while the tests in the wind tunnel are costly, the work is being carried out for the sake of customers. Per Elofsson is Senior Technical Manager Aerodynamics and responsible for the aerodynamic qualities and characteristics of the new generation of trucks. He explains that as early as 2006 a basic study was conducted, which was then followed by styling proposals and pre-studies. Now, 10 years on, the last tests are being conducted in the wind tunnel. “Numerous aerodynamic improvements work together to provide significant fuel savings compared with our existing trucks – vehicles that are already considered industry benchmarks in terms of fuel consumption,” says Elofsson, pointing out the most important aerodynamic improvements. “A key factor is the new optimised corners of the cab. But we have also modified the roof and increased the number of performance steps for things like air deflectors, the shape of the bumper, and wheel arches. We’ve also done a lot of work on the underside of the vehicle. We have more panels and inner seals and side air deflectors with a lengthened lower edge to reduce the gap between the side skirts and the air deflector. It all combines to produce what we believe is the most aerodynamic truck on the market.” Good aerodynamics also contributes to reducing the noise level, both inside and outside the truck. Ragnar Glav is Scania’s Technical Manager Acoustics and responsible for the sound environment in the new Scania. The wind tunnel allows him to conduct aero-acoustic measurements in a controlled and quiet environment. “I work with the sound environment within the cab, partly to ensure a good working environment but also to communicate Scania’s character,” he says. “To evaluate the acoustic characteristics of the vehicle we conduct measurements both on the road and in wind tunnels.” “Our goal is always that the driver should feel he or she is driving a premium product. This should also be reflected in the sound quality.” Reduced air drag saves fuel The new generation of Scania trucks has been designed to provide the best aerodynamic performance ever, and the trucks include a range of new, innovative features for reducing drag. Scania now offers three adjustable air deflectors to enhance alignment between the cab and the roofs of trailers. Customers can adjust the alignment themselves. Other drag-reducing features on the cab are: integrated auxiliary lights and end-marker lamps placed just under the roof and windscreen – an external sun visor is not needed smaller gaps and tolerances between all components and lights, with the windscreen mounted flush to the cab optimally-shaped rear view mirrors. .

Cleveland company acquires former Navistar plant site Indianapolis Business Journal / September 19, 2016 The former Navistar plant on Indianapolis’ east side has been sold, but the new owner says he’s not certain yet what his company will do with the property. The Brookville Road site, which includes about 1.6 million square feet on about 90 acres, formerly housed a Navistar International Corp. engine plant and foundry. The engine plant ceased operations in 2009 after about seven decades of production at the site, and the foundry shut down in June 2015. Cleveland-based Park Corp. purchased the site from Navistar last month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though in a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Navistar described the sales price as “an immaterial amount” to the company. The property's value was accessed at at about $8.5 million in 2015, but that was lowered to about $3.8 million this year. The huge east-side facility employed as many as 1,650 workers in 2005, but began mass layoffs amid the recession as the auto market tanked. The engine-plant closure cost about 700 employees their jobs. About 180 workers lost their jobs when the foundry shut down. Navistar is still doing some wind-down activities at the plant but that work should be finished by the end of this month, said Raymond Park, founder and chairman of Park Corp. Park, 90, founded his company in 1946. It specializes in purchasing assets—particularly industrial sites—to refurbish and lease. Park said his family-owned company has about 30 million to 40 million in real estate holdings in several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, California and Oregon. Park said his typically purchases properties before it decides exactly how to repurpose them—and this is also the case with the Navistar site. “Very seldom do we buy a plant and know exactly what we’re going to do with it,” Park said. “We go down the best road possible.” Park said his company’s initial strategy for the Navistar site will be to try and find a new tenant or tenants for the foundry. “We may be unsuccessful in doing that. It may be successful,” Park said. A single tenant might want to occupy the entire property, or it might end up being split among multiple tenants. Whoever ends up at the site, Park said his company intends to hold the property for the long term. “We’re not in the business of buying and selling. We’re in the business of buying and fixing up and leasing,” Park said. It’s a strategy Park has used with success in other locations. In 1977, Park Corp. purchased a former military bomber and tank plant in Cleveland and redeveloped it into the International Exposition Center, or I-X Center. The facility occupies 2.2 million square feet and is located next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Park Corp. sold the I-X Center to the city of Cleveland and now leases the space back from the city. Park Corp.’s offices are also housed in this facility. Another long-term Park Corp. holding is an auto stamping plant in South Charleston, West Virginia. When a former tenant ceased operations at the site in 2006, Park Corp. invested millions of dollars in the property and equipment with the goal of finding a new tenant to restart the site. Park landed Spanish company Gestamp Automocion, and stamping operations resumed at the site in 2012. The first order of business for the old Navistar site will be cleanup. Workers have already started cleaning the foundry area. By the end of the year, Park plans to have an auction to get rid of excess machinery and equipment. “Six months from now, we’ll know a lot more than we do now,” Park said. It’s also premature to know if the project will receive any economic incentives. Todd Cook, senior project director for Indianapolis Economic Development at the Indy Chamber, said local incentive offers could come after Park Corp. secures a tenant for the site. The level of incentives would depend on how many employees end up working at the facility. “We’ll work with them as appropriate,” Cook said. For most of its 70-year-plus history, the local Navistar plant operated under the name International Harvester and built a range of products, from farm implements to refrigerators. In its later years, it made only diesel engines—a booming business before the Great Recession set in. In 2005, the engine plant had 1,100 union employees working two shifts, rolling out 280,000 engines annually. The foundry employed another 550 workers. That year, Navistar invested more than $300 million to upgrade the facility to meet new federal Environmental Protection Agency diesel guidelines. Its main customer was Ford Motor Co., which bought the engines for its F-series pickup trucks.

President Eisenhower had "vision" when he imagined and built America's interstate system. At its inception, it was a benchmark for the world. However, the country has done a deplorable job since then maintaining and expanding it. The government allowed a massive asset to wither away. And now, it's poor condition arguably prevents us from using more efficient truck solutions. We pour away billions and billions overseas, and then hear there's inadequate funding to take care of the home front.

As many here can recall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based Kenan was once an all-Mack fleet.

Transport Topics / September 19, 2016 Kenan Advantage Group said it has acquired Agri-Carriers Group Inc., a company based in Jacksonville, Illinois, that specializes in hauling food-grade products in bulk, including soybean oils, yeast, vinegar and corn syrup, used to manufacture food products in the United States. The company also provides refrigerated and dedicated van transportation services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal doubles the size of Kenan Advantage Group’s food transportation business, according to executives at the North Canton, Ohio-based firm. The Agri-Carriers Group consists of two trucking companies: Landes Trucking Inc. in Jacksonville, Illinois, and Charles G. Lawson Trucking Inc. in Hope Hull, Alabama. The two companies operate a combined fleet of 250 tractors and 425 trailers, employ 375 drivers and office workers and operate five terminals and four food-grade tank washing stations. “By partnering with this ‘best-in-class’ organization, we have doubled the size of our food transportation business,” said Dennis Nash, CEO of KAG. “We are committed to the success of this growing platform. Their expertise and scale in this space complements our legacy business and firmly establishes KAG as one of the leading food-grade carriers in the U.S.” Roger Ross, CEO of ACG, said the “alignment of core values, operational structure and strategic plans made our decision to join KAG extremely compelling.” “By combining our talented employees, fleet and terminal locations, we expect to further enhance services to our collective customers while expanding our customer base and food-grade product service lines,” he said. “This will also provide additional career opportunities for our employees.” Kenan Advantage Group ranks No. 21 on Transport Topics’ Top 100 For-Hire Carriers list with 2015 revenue of $1.5 billion and is the largest carrier in the tank/bulk sector in North America. The company provides a variety of transportation services, including fuel delivery, distribution of chemicals, industrial gases, and ethanol and logistics services, including transportation management, fuel storage and transloading. The last major acquisition by KAG was the purchase in 2013 of RTL-Westcan, a bulk hauler operating in western and northern Canada. Prior to the latest acquisition, KAG operated 4,458 company-owned tractors and 1,875 owner-operator and lease-to-own tractors, along with 9,491 trailers. More acquisitions of food-grade bulk carriers could be in the offing, according to Charlie Delacey, vice president of corporate development for KAG. “The acquisition of ACG is a strong strategic fit that demonstrates our focus on the food-grade industry,” Delacey said. “We will continue to pursue additional growth opportunities in the sector as we further expand our leadership position in food-grade transportation.”

Making a SuperTruck: So that's how they did it Fleet Owner / September 18, 2016 Slide Show - http://fleetowner.com/technology/making-supertruck-so-thats-how-they-did-it#slide-0-field_images-200951

Heavy Duty Trucking / September 19, 2016 Sales of Ford’s medium-duty F-650 and F-750 trucks have increased 59% year-over-year through August, the best year-to-date sales through August since 1997, according to Ford. So far this year, Ford has sold 10,160 F-650 and F-750s, including Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab body styles as well as straight-frame, kick-up frame Pro Loader and a new dedicated tractor model for heavy-towing applications. “We’re seeing growing interest in the new tractor from beverage and hauling fleets,” said Kevin Koester, Ford medium-duty truck and Super Duty fleet marketing manager. “Giving our customers the choice of two exclusive powertrains, available across all body styles and designed specifically for the unique needs of the vocational truck market, has really helped drive sales of our new trucks.” ord offers a gasoline engine option for both the F-650 and F-750 with its 6.8-liter V-10 with 320 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, a unique offering in the medium-duty truck segment according to Ford. The engine can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or liquid propane gas alternative fuels. Ford also offers a 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbo diesel engine with 270 horsepower and 675 lb.-ft. of torque with available higher output options. The engines are paired with the company’s TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission. “Towing and rental customers have embraced the gas engine, and others are looking at this powertrain for more severe service applications,” Koester says. “Our diesel customers are praising the quietness of the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine.”

Transport Topics / September 19, 2016 Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) is laying off 143 employees effective Sept. 19 at its Volvo Powertrain manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, the company announced. “We regret having to take this action, but it’s a necessary step in our continued adaptation to market conditions, said VTNA spokesman John Mies. The layoff follows one in the first quarter, when VTNA laid off 138 Hagerstown employees. Earlier this spring, VTNA introduced its latest engines and related enhancements at the factory. The plant, built in 1961 by Mack Trucks, Inc., assembles engines and transmissions for Volvo and Mack Trucks, as well as Mack axles. Mack and VTNA are units of Sweden-based Volvo Group.

I plan to purchase both a global Ranger and Everest (rebadged as Bronco) after US production begins. However, this all hinges on Ford not destroying what is now a superb product, when they reconfigure them for the US market. Ford has a long history of doing so, from the superb Mk1 and Mk2 Capri to Merkur and the Kuga (Escape).

Haldex picks ZF's $647 million bid over higher Knorr-Bremse offer Reuters / September 19, 2016 Swedish braking systems maker Haldex has backed a 5.53 billion crown ($647 million) takeover offer from German car parts firm ZF Friedrichshafen, even though it is less than a rival bid from Germany's Knorr-Bremse. Haldex said today its board had unanimously recommended shareholders accept ZF's offer because there was greater certainty it would go through. ZF has received clearances from antitrust regulators, while Knorr-Bremse's bid ran the risk of not clearing all regulatory hurdles, Haldex said. Knorr-Bremse, which makes braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, last week raised its offer to 125 crowns ($5.17) per share, while ZF's upped its bid to 120 crowns, corresponding to 5.53 billion crowns and 5.29 billion crowns, respectively. Several German car parts makers have been looking to buy Haldex, keen on its expertise in brakes for trailers in particular as they seek to develop integrated autonomous driving systems for commercial vehicles. "ZF has announced that it has received all necessary regulatory approvals and clearances, whereas there is a very real and material risk that Knorr-Bremse's offer would fail to complete," Haldex's board said in a statement. ZF, which acquired U.S.-based TRW in 2015 for $12.4 billion, makes transmissions and a range of other automotive components. Haldex's board had previously warned that overlaps with Knorr-Bremse's business would trigger lengthy antitrust reviews. Knorr-Bremse CEO Klaus Deller said on Friday he expected to get the green light from regulators in a "reasonable time" but would not be drawn on which assets might have to be sold or when a deal could close.. A spokesman for ZF said today the recommendation showed its offer was "better overall and quicker to realize." Shareholders have until Oct. 3 to tender their shares to the German group. Knorr-Bremse said it had taken note of Haldex's announcement and stood by its offer but was planning to comment in more detail once it had reviewed the statement in depth. It reiterated its full offer was slated to be published on Sept. 26 and the acceptance period for Haldex shareholders would run until about Dec. 5.

Ford tries to fire back at Trump, citing Ohio-made trucks Bloomberg / September 19, 2016 Ford Motor Co., attempting to push back against criticism by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for moving work to Mexico, is highlighting its booming business in big trucks after shifting production to an Ohio factory from south of the border. The automaker has sold 10,160 of its F-650 and F-750 trucks this year through August, up 59 percent from the same period in 2015 and the highest sales of those models since 1997, the automaker said in a statement today. The big trucks are used as commercial vehicles, including beer haulers and tow, moving and dump trucks. Ford is firing back at Trump, who last week called the automaker “a disgrace” after CEO Mark Fields told investors that the second-largest U.S. automaker is moving North American small-car production to Mexico, where labor costs are lower than in the U.S. After Trump threatened to levy a 35 percent tariff on Ford’s Mexican-built cars, Fields said the company is “absolutely not” cutting U.S. jobs to move small-car operations south because the Michigan plant currently building them will manufacture other models. ‘American jobs’ “It’s really unfortunate when politics get in the way of the facts,” Fields said in a September 15 interview on CNN. “And the facts are, Ford’s investment in the U.S. and commitment to American jobs has never been stronger. I mean, we’ve created more than 28,000 jobs in the U.S. in the last five years.” Ford began producing the F-650 and F-750 at its assembly plant near Cleveland a year ago after the company spent $168 million converting the factory from building Econoline vans. They previously had been produced in Mexico in a joint venture with Navistar International Corp. known as Blue Diamond Trucking Co., which disbanded in 2014. The automaker now builds its full-size van, known as the Transit, at an assembly plant in Claycomo, Mo. The company is focusing on building high-margin trucks, vans and SUVs in the U.S., where labor costs are more expensive than in Mexico. Ford derives most of its profit from its F-series truck line, Morgan Stanley has said. And the largest vehicles in the line generate the biggest return, according to analysts. By going it alone in the big-truck market, Ford no longer has to share profits with Navistar. After parting with Navistar, Ford redesigned the F-650 and F-750 to offer them in a variety of body styles and with either gasoline or diesel engines. General Motors exited that segment of the truck market following its 2009 government-backed bankruptcy. “We’re seeing growing interest in the new tractor from beverage and hauling fleets,” Kevin Koester, Ford’s marketing manager for the models, said in a statement. “Towing and rental customers have embraced the gas engine.”