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Official: Nissan donates cash, offers employee pricing and delayed payments to Southern storm victims

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Nissan

Nissan Americas is offering employee pricing and delayed finance payments to victims of the recent tornadoes and floods across the southeastern U.S. The latest gesture comes after the company donated $115,000 to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts.

Qualified buyers, meaning those from the southeast who were left without a mode of transportation after the storms, will be offered Nissans at a price normally reserved for company workers and their immediate families. To be eligible for the program, you have to live in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi or Alabama and be able to provide proof of damage to your primary vehicle. Check out Nissan’s full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Nissan donates cash, offers employee pricing and delayed payments to Southern storm victims

Nissan donates cash, offers employee pricing and delayed payments to Southern storm victims originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 May 2011 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Stranded Canadian couple latest victims of “Death by GPS”

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

“Death by GPS” – Click above to watch video after the jump

Recently, we learned that sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvettes are out to get us, and now it seems that our beloved GPS has turned on us. Consumer Reports calls it “Death by GPS”, and it’s a term that refers to folks who wind up in dangerous or fatal situations because they blindly follow the directions provided by their electronic navigational aid.

A Canadian couple was recently in the news when their GPS led them astray and into a remote part of Northern Nevada. The husband set out for help while the wife remained with their vehicle for seven weeks until being discovered (still alive) by a group of hunters.

We live in an age where we rely quite heavily on the technology around us. It’s no surprise then that we put blind faith in our personal devices, yet we should take a step back to see them for what they really are. The GPS is a tool to aid with navigation, yet it’s not an infallible machine. Data (and a clear line of sight to orbiting satellites) is a major requirement for a navigation unit to function at its best. More remote areas have less data because of the infrequent amount of traffic they receive, thus a navigation unit would have less information with which to provide feedback.

If you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, and you’re heading into unfamiliar territory, it’s a good idea to remember that your navigation system is part of a team. Your brain should also be part of that team. Click past the jump to watch a CBS News clip discussing the “Death by GPS” phenomenon.

Continue reading Stranded Canadian couple latest victims of “Death by GPS”

Stranded Canadian couple latest victims of “Death by GPS” originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnStar offering Crisis Assist services to tsunami victims

Filed under: Etc., Technology, GM

OnStar customers who live in areas affected by the tsunami warnings are getting help from their cars. General Motors has announced that those who live in affected areas can push the OnStar button their vehicle and be connected with a Crisis Advisor, who will help them get through the situation as safely as possible.

The Crisis Advisors can contact emergency services; provide points of contact for assistance, including food, shelter and hotel accommodations; help subscribers without power to access the internet or charge phones so they can stay in contact and receive weather and incident updates.

According to GM, OnStar can also be used to funnel information from subscribers to federal emergency management agencies to get assistance to people in need. Feel free to scope the press release for all the details.

[Source: General Motors]

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OnStar offering Crisis Assist services to tsunami victims originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Toyota

No one can accuse our legislative process of being particularly swift. Even in the midst of one of the most productive congressional sessions in years, it takes plenty of hemming and hawing to push a bill all the way from committee to law. Unfortunately, a group of individuals affected by the recent rash of runaway Toyota vehicles must not have gotten that memo. A group of family members of those who died in instances of unintended acceleration recently met with members of congress to discuss the obstacles facing the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010.

The bill specifically addresses the need for brake override systems on all new cars as well as so-called black boxes, or event data recorders, but it also ensures that federal investigators will be able to quickly access information stored on a vehicle in case of a widespread safety emergency. Meanwhile, the bill has run into some opposition. Most automakers have come out in favor of EDR’s, but have found issue with other portions of the legislation.

Other potential snags include worries about the cost of the added technology. As such, proponents of the bill have decided to underscore the need for such a law for fear that the topic will grow cold in the public’s memory. Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety | Image: Kevin Burkett | CC2.0]

Continue reading Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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