Fiat used Twitter as an auction platform and sold a new car

FIAT 500 America - TwitBid

The auction was for a special-edition Fiat 500 called the Fiat 500 America. Fiat has just claimed the title as the first automaker to sell a new car online using Twitter as an auction platform.

The promotion was called TwitBid, and it was a public auction held by Fiat on Twitter. From March 1 to March 15, people could place a bid by simply tweeting a "twit-offer" which includes how much your bid for the car is. In the 15 days, over 700 "twit-bids" came in from over 293 users in 11 countries with a total of 787 tweets being registered during the promotion.

 The winning "twit-bid" belonged to a Adelheid D. Keiper, a German Twitter user with the nickname @KanzleiKieper. The winning bid was for 15.165 euros, and won the "number one car" of the limited-edition Fiat 500 America.

2007-2008 Acura TL sedans recalled due to fluid leak in power-steering hose

2008 Acura TL sedan recalled

Honda has recalled 52,615 of its 2007-2008 Acura TL sedans because over time, the power steering hose can deteriorate and develop a fluid leak, leading to a loss of power steering assistance.

In addition, if fluid leaks onto a catalytic converter it can result in smoke or a fire. To date, no crashes, injuries or fires have been reported in relation to this recall.

2008 Acura TL sedan

Owners of vehicles affected by this recall can go to an authorized Acura dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Acura. Dealers will replace the power-steering hose. 

Notifications will be mailed to vehicle owners beginning in mid-June. In addition to the mailed notifications, consumers can see if their vehicle requires repair by visiting recalls.acura.com or by calling 800-382-2238, and selecting option 4.

Car Charging Group teams with Central Parking System to electrify U.S. parking lots

A potentially massive deal between Car Charging Group and Central Parking System and its subsidiary, USA Parking System, has been announced by Car Charging Group, which says it will install Coulomb Technologies' networked ChargePoint stations at up to 2,200 sites across the U.S.

Car Charging Group says it will install charging stations at sites owned by the two parking garage operators. Combined, the operators own 2,200 lots nationwide that contain an estimated 1.1 million parking spaces.

Car Charging Group installs charging stations at no cost to property owners but retains full rights to the charging units. This allows lot owners to offer charging services without any outlay of cash. Additionally, their partners receive a percentage of the revenue generated by each charging station

Source: Green Autoblog

Volvo Recalls 8,400 S80 Sedans

Volvo S80 Sedan

Volvo recalls 8,400 vehicles made in 2006-2007 from the S80 sedan model for steering problems.
The red-flagged models are those produces between March 8, 2006 and May 16, 2007. The recall begins this month and the necessary repairs will be made for free by Volvo dealers.
Volvo says they are not aware of any accidents caused by this problem. They also explain that a leak of power-steering fluid could result in a sudden loss of power assist.
The problem is attributed to an improperly routed hose on vehicles equipped with the 6-cylinder, nonturbocharged engine.
Owners with questions should contact Volvo at 1-201-768-7300, or reach NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov. The Volvo recall safety number is R246.

Dog on Board - Distracted Driver

DOG ON BOARD

A recent study conducted by AAA and Kurgo says that "Sixty-five percent of dog owners admit to engaging in at least one potentially distracting activity while driving with their dog."
The survey stated that there are 78 million dogs that reside in 46 million U.S. households, and that in the past year, 56 percent of survey's respondents have driven with their dog in the car at least once a month.
29 percent of those surveyed admit that their dog has distracted them while they're driving. 52 percent of the surveyed owners admit to petting their dog on board while 29 percent say they've  used their hands or arms to restrain their dog while braking.