Automotive News Canada - February 2023 - 24

24
02.23
24
FINAL ASSEMBLY
* FEBRUARY 2023
LETTING LOOSE A BIT ON THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE
Drivers tune out of driving when they're not driving
Research finds there's
'a false sense of security'
with autonomous systems
A $319,000 STUDY BY THE UNIVERSITY
of Windsor in southwestern Ontario indicates,
perhaps not surprisingly, that driver
attentiveness declines when self-driving-vehicle
technology is used.
'
SAY WHAT?
Elon Musk made a big
mistake by betting against
the dealers. And he'll find
out. We'll make sure
of that.
Ford CEO Jim Farley at
the company's Salute
to Dealers awards
ceremony. Six Ford
dealers from around
the world, including
Steve Chipman, CEO
of Winnipeg-based
Birchwood Automotive
Group, were honoured for their
community involvement.
Story at automotivenews.ca
Purple haze
befalls Winnipeg
THERE'S AN UNUSUAL GLOW OVER
Manitoba's capital, cast by about 1,750
defective LED streetlights.
Manitoba Hydro, which manages the
90,000 lights, calls it a " delamination "
issue. Spokesman Bruce Owen said the
LEDs cast a natural purple light, so a
phosphorescent yellow coating is used to
turn them white. When the coating fails,
the light looks purple.
The faulty LEDs are being replaced
under warranty by the manufacturer,
American Electric Lighting, Owen
said. Other cities in North America have
reported similar issues. - ANC
THIS NUMBER
The federal government
paid Windsor $6.9
million in compensation
for last year's blockade
of the Ambassador
Bridge, but the APMA,
whose court action
was instrumental to
restarting the flow of
goods between Canada
and the United States,
paid its own bills.
KEGUN MORKIN
APMA's back is up
over bridge blockade
The industry organization
is not asking for its court
costs to be covered but
credit where credit is due
Lavender has its place, but maybe not
in a streetlight.
PHOTO: CHVN95.1/ASHLEY MUSICK
FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT OF
the Automotive Parts Manufacturers'
Association (APMA), has taken issue
with the City of Windsor claiming
credit for ending last year's blockade of
the Ambassador Bridge, estimated to
have cost Canada's automotive industry
more than $600 million.
Volpe said the APMA was among
the first organizations to launch legal
action, leading to a court order to dismantle
the blockade, which for six
days in February paralyzed commercial
traffic using the link between
Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.
On Dec. 29, the federal government
announced $6.9 million for Windsor
to cover legal and other expenses
incurred to enforce the court order.
The APMA has not asked for its legal
fees to be reimbursed, Volpe said.
" I take some umbrage at the fact
that the characterization out of
[Windsor city hall] these days is that
it was a City of Windsor initiative, " he
told CTV Windsor News on Jan. 4.
" The feds came to town and, you
know, made Windsor whole, so I guess
that leaves [the APMA] as the only
ones who put our money where our
mouth is. "
Volpe credits the city, APMA and
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers'
Association (CVMA), which lobbies for
the Detroit Three in Canada, with ending
the blockade.
In a statement to CTV News, the city
credited APMA, CVMA and WindsorEssex
Regional Chamber of Commerce
noting that Windsor's residents " bore
the brunt of the occupation. "
" The city's focus of advocacy with
the federal government was for the
cost of the blockade to taxpayers, " said
Andrew Teliszewsky, chief of staff for
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. - ANC
$5,000
The price cut Tesla made
to its entry-level Model 3,
which lists for $54,990 in
Canada, making it eligible
for federal EV rebates.
Stupidity is the
common theme
for insurance fraud
The list is topped with
staged collisions and
theft, and fake injuries
MANITOBA PUBLIC INSURANCE
(MPI) has released details of its
top five denied cases of 2022, worth
nearly $500,000.
One claimant declared that a
truck hit his vehicle, but MPI determined
that the drivers knew each
other. They admitted to staging the
collision to save the car's owner an
estimated $42,000 in repairs, which
included an engine seized by a lack
of motor oil.
Another case involved a container
for laundry detergent left near
the claimant's burned-out vehicle.
Investigators determined he was
seen earlier, with his vehicle, filling
the same container with gasoline.
The $24,400 claim was denied.
Other cases included falsified
injuries to receive income replacement
(saving $300,000), an impaired
driver hiding behind several people
in a damaged vehicle to deny being
the driver ($62,000) and an individual
who said his car was stolen
despite the immobilizer working. He
later admitted to staging the theft
($38,000 claim denial). - ANC
Steele wheels in the Rolling Stones
You can always get what you
want at this mobile exhibit
brought to town by a dealer
who loves the band
FOR HALIFAX RESIDENTS LOOKING
for some satisfaction, wild horses might not
be able to keep them away
from Unzipped, a traveling
museum brought to town by
Steele Auto Group.
Staged at the Steele
Wheels Motor Museum -
a play on the name of the
Steele
FILE PHOTO
Rolling Stones' " Steel Wheels " album - in
Nova Scotia's capital, the exhibit features
clothing, photos, instruments and other
memorabilia from the band's 61-year history.
Steele
CEO Rob Steele - who is also 61
years old - said he has long been a fan.
" It's quite a fascinating exhibit, even if
you are not a Stones fan, and that's a frequent
comment we've heard because the
costumes are there, the instruments, song
sheets, an iron stage design from various
tours ... it's interesting to see, " Steele told
news website wheels.ca.
Unzipped runs until March 19. General
admission is $38 at steelewheels.ca.
- ANC
" What the preliminary findings show
is drivers may be more disengaged from
the driving task when the autopilot is on, "
Kinesiology Professor Francesco Biondi
told the Windsor Star in January. Biondi
and electrical-engineering Associate
Professor Balakumar Balasingam lead a
department that studies the interaction
between humans and machines and automation.
" It
could make it more worrisome about
the extent these systems cause people to
disengage because there's a false sense
of security, " Biondi told the Star. " When
you're manual driving, you have to be
much more engaged. "
Volunteers drive the university's recently
purchased Tesla Model 3 in manual and
autonomous modes. Systems record pupil
dilation, eye position, gaze and alertness.
Drivers also wear sensors for vital signs
such as heart rate.
Full results of the study are expected by
summer. - ANC
University of Windsor Professor
Francesco Biondi, second from right,
and his team are studying the effects of
autonomous systems on attentiveness.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Rolling Stones' Unzipped
traveling museum was brought to
Halifax by Steele Auto Group CEO
Rob Steele, who is a fan of the
band. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
'
http://www.automotivenews.ca http://www.wheels.ca http://www.steelewheels.ca
Automotive News Canada - February 2023

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