(Source: Autoblog)

Germany recently began a scrapping incentive program that gives buyers €2,500 to get rid of their old cars and buy new ones. The plan helped create a 21% jump in car sales during the month of February, even though the plan didn’t take effect until February 20. It was the kind of success that has both the UK and the U.S. mulling over such a program, and has Germany considering doubling the incentive plan by adding another €1.5 billion of government money. 

 According to The Local, a Düsseldorf paper – Rheinische Post report says that car sales have reportedly increased significantly since the scrapping bonus came into effect on February 20, and now there is “department-wide agreement” that is should be extended, citing an anonymous government source. 

But the scheme was only set to be available as long as funds lasted. The paper said the government plans to discuss the extension during a coalition committee meeting after Easter, and that most of the finance and economy officials had already given their consent.

Click here to read the entire article. Also,  shown below are two related articles from TransportGooru archives:

Should the U.S. institute a vehicle scrapping plan?

Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Register Now for IBTTA’s Organization Management Workshop – April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX

The toll industry is evolving at an astonishing rate. Driven by financial realities, political change, and technological innovations the industry is facing a wide range of challenges and opportunities and is being forced to respond to them at lightning speed. Join IBTTA, April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX and keep your organization current on the latest industry trends to Enhance Mobility Through Innovation. Featured presenters include: Tom Vanderbilt, Keynote, Best-Selling Author and Journalist; Clarence Jones and Ellen Jaffe Jones, Winning News Media, Inc.; and Hans Bleiker and Annemarie Bleiker, Institute for Participatory Management & Planning. The hotel reservation cut-off for this meeting is Friday, March 26^th. Click here for registration, hotel and travel information and to view the preliminary agenda. www.IBTTA.org

AVIATION

1) A Vote to Replace Radar

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/us/23brfs-AVOTETOREPLA_BRF.html

2) Airport Device Follows Fliers’ Phones

TSA could use technology to track time spent in security lines.

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2010-03-23-cellphones_N.htm

3) Air-Traffic Controllers Earn Praise for a Calm Assist

Link to column in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/22/AR2010032203512.html

4) e-Media: A Look at Web-Based Customer Service and Marketing Solutions

Link to article in Airport Business:

http://www.airportbusiness.com/print/Airport-Business-Magazine/e—Media–A-look-at-Web-based-customer-service-and-marketing-solutions-/1$34757

5) In-Air Advertising Soars with Branded Snack Bags on Delta

In-airport advertising also growing.

Link to article on MediaBuyerPlanner:

http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/49787/in-air-advertising-soars-with-branded-snack-bags-on-delta/

CARTOGRAPHY

6) Fury as Google Puts the SAS’s Secret Base on Street View in ‘Very Serious Security Breach’

Link to article in the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1259162/Google-Street-View-shows-secret-SAS-base-major-security-breach.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

7) Cash Tolls on Miami-Dade Expressways Will Soon be Electronic

Link to article in The Miami Herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/23/1542836/cash-tolls-on-miami-dade-expressways.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

8) Three New GLONASS Satellites Activated

Link to article in GPS World:

http://www.gpsworld.com/gnss-system/glonass/news/glonass-up-date-and-out-state-9710

MARITIME

9) Washington State Ferry Riders Can Use HERO Line to Report Line Cutters

Link to article in The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011417623_ferrylinecuts23m.html

OTHER

10) Flinc Will Turn Your Car Into a Taxi (Fare Included)

Link to CNET News blog:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000919-248.html

PARKING

11) The Future of… Parking

Link to video on ZDNet:

http://news.zdnet.com/2422-19177_22-398998.html

ROADWAYS

12) Florida Road System to Warn of Panthers

Link to article in The News-Press:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100323/NEWS0125/100322081/1075/Florida-road-system-to-warn-of-panthers

SAFETY / SECURITY

13) More Cities Ban Digital Billboards

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-22-visual-soup_N.htm

14) Cell Restriction Included in Proposed Commercial Motor Vehicle Texting Ban

Link to article in Land Line:

http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Mar10/032210/032210-01.htm

15) Drones May be Sent Soon to Help with US-Mexico Border Security, DHS Secretary Says

Link to article in The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-border_20tex.ART.State.Edition1.4c56cec.html

TELEMATICS

16) Motolingo Brings Telematics to Clunkers

Link to CNET News column:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20000948-250.html

TRANSIT

17) An Easier Way to Use Bus Tracker

DePaul University puts tracking information on public displays around campuses.

Link to article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2115280,CST-NWS-ride22.article

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

18) Pune Municipal Corporation’s Intelligent Transport System Draws Flak

Link to Express News Service article:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/PMC-s-intelligent-transport-system-draws-flak/594325

19) Bangalore’s Traffic Nightmare

Technology may help commuters.

Link to article and video on GlobalPost:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/100318/bangalore-technology-traffic

20) RAC Traffic Review

Link to review on Know Your Mobile:

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/smartphones/smartphoneapps/androidapplications/446219/rac_traffic_review.html

21) Hey Los Angeles Metro, How About Some Accurate Information?

Link to blog on KTLA-TV:

http://blogs.ktla.com/news_custom_eric/2010/03/hey-metro-how-about-some-accurate-information.html

VEHICLES

22) Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch on Toyota’s PR Disaster

Link to CNBC video:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=289004&cl=18766423&src=finance&ch=4043681

News Releases

1) Federal Railroad Administration Launches a New, Innovative Train Simulator to Improve Research Efforts

2) NTSB Chairman Highlights Runway Safety and Human Fatigue in Address to Air Traffic Controllers

3) Indiana DOT Partners with Broadcasters to Make Traffic Video Available

4) Thousands in UK Tune In to Non-Stop Travel News on Their Mobile Phone

5) University of Alabama at Birmingham Testing Software Program to Improve Safety Among Older Drivers

6) ZoomSafer Enables Drivers to Send and Receive Voice-Powered Texts and E-mails

Upcoming Events

Webinar: Experience from Others: How to Successfully Apply the ITS Knowledge Resources for Decision Making – April 15

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s100415_knowledge.asp

Today in Transportation History

1965 **45^th anniversary** Gemini-3, the first two-person NASA space flight, was launched.

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/gemini/gemini-3/gemini-3.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: Bloomberg; WSJ & Autoblog)

General Motors Co. will let customers buy cars and trucks online from some California dealers through EBay Inc., the operator of the most-visited U.S. e-commerce Web site.

A new Web site, gm.ebay.com, will offer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac brands starting tomorrow, GM and San Jose, California-based EBay said today in a statement. More than 225 dealers will participate, the companies said.

Offering GM autos on the Internet gives Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson a new venue to boost sales as he shrinks the ranks of U.S. dealers by about 42 percent to 3,600 by the end of 2010. Those reductions are part of a plan to return GM to profit after $88 billion in losses since 2004.

When GM emerged from bankruptcy protection in July, among a slate of changes, it said it would realign sales and marketing functions. Chief Executive Fritz Henderson had said GM was testing a new online auction system with eBay that would enable customers to bid on actual vehicles just like they do in an eBay auction, including the option of choosing a predetermined “buy it now” price.

“Exploring new online distribution alternatives is a good idea as GM downsizes its brick-and-mortar distribution system,” said Laura Martin, a Los Angeles-based analyst at Soleil Securities Group Inc. She rates EBay shares as “hold” and doesn’t own any.

In addition to acquiring vehicle through eBay’s “Buy It Now” and “Best Offer” formats, the site also will allow consumers to compare pricing across models or participating dealerships and get tips and advice while determining trade-in values and whether their current vehicle may also qualify for the government’s “cash-for-clunkers” incentive program.

The companies cited a recent J.D. Power & Associates study that said more than 75% of new-vehicle buyers in 2008 used the Internet during their shopping and research process, compared with 70% in 2007. The study also found that 2008 marked the largest year-over-year increase in online automotive shopping since 2001.

Autoblog’s comments on the news notes that this pact between GM and eBay will add functionality to the process, though, while giving dealers a greater online presence. Suspiciously absent from the program is GM’s Cadillac brand. It is not known exactly why GM chose not to include its luxury arm in the eBay auctions, but it is believed that the decision has something to do with giving customers a more premium, coddled car-buying experience. The trial program is reportedly set to expire on September 8.

Click here to read the entire article.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA’s 77th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 13-16, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois!

IBTTA’s 77th Annual Meeting & Exhibition is the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals in the world. Attend this meeting and interact with the most influential experts and decision makers from around the globe and discuss ideas and solutions about transportation financing strategies, the future of tolling and paying for mobility, AET and Interoperability, new ideas for the new economy and sustainable transportation. Featured speakers include Stuart Varney, Business and Financial Journalist and Mark Shields, Syndicated Columnist and Political Analyst. Register by August 14 and receive a $100 discount off your registration fee. This meeting is hosted by the Illinois Tollway and will be held at the Hyatt Regency. For information on registration, hotel reservations, exhibiting or sponsorship, visit IBTTA’s website at www.ibtta.org Register today and get ready for the Transformation of Transportation!

GPS / NAVIGATION

1) GPS In Punjab Traffic Police Vehicles Saved 1130 Lives in a Month

Link to story on Punjab Newsline:

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/17855/38/

MARITIME

2) ‘Big Brother’ Watching Tasmanian Ports

Link to Australian Broadcasting Corp. News story:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/04/2645672.htm

Link to news release from the Tasmania Government:

http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=27493

PARKING

3) Electronic San Francisco Parking Meters are Easy to Bilk

Link to story in The Examiner:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Electronic-city-parking-meters-are-easy-to-bilk-52402397.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

4) US Transportation Secretary Calls Summit on Distracted Driving

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBh5ii0HJc5TbtwUI4uxCB1DgKaAD99S0DCG1

Link to news release from US DOT:

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/dot11409.htm

TRANSIT

5) BART Starts Accepting TransLink Fare Cards

Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/04/BA9F193EE0.DTL

6) London-Related Lyrics to Appear on Transport for London Mugs and T-shirts

Link to story in NME:

http://www.nme.com/news/pete-doherty/46458

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

7) Follow I-10 Louisiana Construction on Facebook

Link to story in The Times-Picayune:

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/follow_i10_construction_on_fac.html

Link to Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baton-Rouge-LA/Louisiana-Department-of-Transportation-and-Development-DOTD/74154292700?v=wall&viewas=1282261536

8) Some Lament the Loss of Raleigh Beltline’s Code Words

Link to column in The News & Observer:

http://www.newsobserver.com/248/story/1633139.html

VEHICLES

9) Obama Administration Withholds Data on ‘Cash-for-Clunkers’ Program

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHQR7IBwnpzrhYyGjozayepT-CLQD99S6M481

10) Electronic Driving Instructors Put Thousands of Bus Drivers Through Their Paces

Link to story on silicon.com:

http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39476533,00.htm

News Releases

1) Tennessee DOT Receives 2 Millionth Call

2) Port Manatee Launches Newly Redesigned Web Site

3) Inrix Traffic Now Available on App Store

4) MARTA Releases New Web Site and Asks for Customer Feedback

5) Texas DOT Gets Social with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

6) Traffic Management Plan for Delhi

Upcoming Events

TSAG Case Studies Workshop and Webinar: A Rural Emergency Incident
Utah US Route 163 Motor Coach Crash – August 26

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s090826_tsag_rural.asp

Today in Transportation History

1964 **45^th anniversary** – The US Navy reports an engagement with North Vietnamese boats in the Gulf of Tonkin.

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=98

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to: TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to: TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

 (Source:  BBC & NYTIMES)

Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, has made its worst annual loss as the global economic downturn has hit demand for its vehicles.  The Japanese company said it made a net loss of 436.94bn yen ($4.4bn; £2.9bn) in the year to 31 March, compared with a record profit the year before.

Toyota said expected to make a bigger loss in the current financial year.  Like many of its rivals, Toyota has cut production, including at its UK plants, as sales have declined. Toyota also blamed the loss on high raw materials prices and a strong yen, which makes its cars more expensive overseas.   “Both revenues and profits declined severely during this period,” said Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe. He said the loss “was a consequence of the significant deterioration in vehicle sales, particularly in the US and Europe”.

Toyota said it expected to make a net loss of 550bn yen ($5.5bn; £3.7bn) in the financial year ending in March 2010.

Analysts say Toyota has strong cash reserves, and is far from the bankruptcy that has claimed the American carmaker Chrysler and that threatens General Motors. Despite a $15.4 billion infusion in U.S. government loans, General Motors burned through about $10 billion in the first quarter, driving its cash reserves down to a bare minimum and putting it on the brink of collapse.

Still, Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency, on Friday lowered its long-term credit rating on Toyota a notch to AA, the third-highest rating, and gave a “negative” outlook for the company.

“Toyota maintains a minimal financial risk profile, characterized by a strong capital structure with massive liquidity,” Standard & Poor’s said in a statement. But with auto demand forecast to remain sluggish into 2010, Toyota will likely struggle before it can stage a recovery, Standard & Poor’s said.

Toyota’s latest forecast paints a grim picture for the year ahead. Toyota has been hit hard in its biggest market, the United States, where sales have plunged and show few signs of recovering.

In April, Toyota sold 126,540 cars in the United States — a 42 percent drop from a year earlier — slipping behind Ford Motor, which sold almost 130,000 cars.

Toyota has also suffered double-digit percentage drops in Japan as well as in China, where it is losing out to rivals with a wider lineup of smaller cars that have surged in popularity.

Toyota sold 7.56 million vehicles in fiscal 2008, down from 8.91 million units in its blockbuster 2007.

The company has so far held off from laying off permanent workers, who enjoy lifetime employment guarantees. Toyota says that guarantee is a key part of its “kaizen” management principle, in which workers are required to constantly suggest ways to be more productive. But some analysts question how long Toyota can hold off from deeper cuts.

Toyota is counting on its third-generation Prius hybrid, which will be unveiled later this month in Japan, to buoy sales. But the automaker faces stiff competition from its Japanese rival, Honda Motor, whose low-cost Insight hybrid is expected to eat into Toyota’s market share.

In a filing with the Japanese Finance Ministry, it indicated it may sell as many as ¥700 billion in bonds in the next two years, Bloomberg news reported.

The automaker is also rallying around its iconic founding family, tapping Akio Toyoda, the company founder’s grandson, to replace Mr. Watanabe next month. Mr. Toyoda has said he will focus on “green” technology like hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles to bring about a long-term recovery.

The automaker could also benefit from Japanese government stimulus efforts.

Last month, officials unveiled a so-called cash-for clunkers program under which car owners who upgrade to “green” vehicles from cars that are at least 13 years old will receive government subsidies.