Subaru of America, Inc. and Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit research and consumer advocacy organization, announced today the results of the 2015 Crate and Carrier Crashworthiness Studies - a collaborative initiative to examine the effectiveness and safety of pet crates and carriers in the event of a crash. After several eye-opening and informative tests - including instances of complete failure - three top products emerged; CPS has selected the Gunner Kennels G1 Intermediate with 8’ Tie Down Straps as the 2015 Top Performing Crate and both the PetEgo Forma Frame Jet Set Carrier with ISOFIX-Latch Connection and Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed with PPRS Handilock as the 2015 Top Performing Carriers.
To view the multimedia news release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7074157-subaru-pet-safety/
Only 3 vehicles of more than 100 evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have child restraint installation hardware that earns a good rating for ease of use, while more than half have hardware that is poor or marginal.
The Institute's new LATCH ratings will serve as a resource for families looking for a vehicle that makes it easy to transport their children safely. They also are intended to encourage vehicle manufacturers to pay attention to this equipment and make improvements. Properly installed, age-appropriate child restraints provide considerably more protection for children in crashes than safety belts alone. However, observational studies have found that parents and caregivers often fail to secure them tightly or make other installation mistakes.
LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, is intended to make it easier to install a child seat properly. It works: Child restraints installed with LATCH, rather than with vehicle safety belts, are more likely to be installed correctly, research has shown. But in many vehicles, LATCH hardware could be better. Parents are more likely to install the seat correctly when the LATCH hardware meets certain key ease-of-use criteria.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released its annual Hot Wheels report which identifies the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. The report examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model and model year most reported stolen in 2013.
Also in today’s release is a list of the top 25 2013 vehicle makes and models that were reported stolen in calendar year 2013.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506512-national-insurance-crime-bureau-nicb-hot-wheels-10-most-stolen/
Carfax has unveiled an innovation in online car shopping that helps consumers find the right car with the right history. At carfax.com, online shoppers now can search for used cars with specific vehicle history details – things like no accidents reported to Carfax, service records, Carfax 1-Owner and more. Used cars for sale from thousands of dealers on the new listings site all come with free Carfax® Vehicle History Reports™. Plus, vehicles are shown based on the history attributes shoppers want, making the shopping process for carfax.com visitors easier and faster.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/66063-carfax-revolutionizes-online-car-shopping-with-vehicle-history-search
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 200,000th electric vehicle and has a leading 58% market share for zero-emission cars.
To capture what the first 200,000 consumers love about their electric vehicles, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is launching a series of videos featuring EV owners on three continents. “I Made the Switch” tells why people bought their electric vehicles and how switching to a zero-emission vehicle has changed their lives. The first video features Chris Beers, a software engineer from Holliston, Massachusetts, USA, one of many Americans who powers his Nissan LEAF with clean solar energy. To see the video, click here: www.multivu.com/players/English/7381531-renault-nissan-electric-vehicle-sales/
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC (MBFS) today announced it is adding an in-vehicle account management app to its suite of mobile tools for its customers in the United States.
The new app, called My MBFS, will automatically be added to the cloud-based infotainment system on model year 2013 and newer Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the COMAND Navigation and a subscription to mbrace2™ with Mercedes-Benz Apps. My MBFS joins existing apps from Google, Yelp! and Facebook.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61684-mercedes-benz-financial-services-mobile-technology-with-new-app
Subaru of America, Inc. today announced the completion of a Pet Travel Seat Pilot Study as part of its continued partnership with Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit research and consumer advocacy organization. Subaru and CPS have tested pet products most commonly used by pet parents when traveling. Phase one tested pet harnesses, phase two tested pet crates and carriers, and now, phase three has tested pet travel seats.
A pet travel seat is typically used in a vehicle to hold or elevate the pet, but does not offer full containment. The Pet Travel Seat Pilot Study found that while a pet travel seat may offer distraction prevention, it will likely not offer crash protection in the event of an accident, which could lead to injury of the pet and the human vehicle passengers. The quality of commonly available pet travel seats did not provide effective protection in a crash scenario.
Based on the scientific test evidence collected over the past four years, in part through its partnership with Subaru, CPS can now identify the safest travel options for most pets. For small dogs and cats, Center for Pet Safety recommends one of the 2015 Top Performing Carriers; for medium and large dogs either the 2015 Top Performing Crate - Gunner Kennels G1 Intermediate with 8' Tie Down Straps, or a Center for Pet Safety Certified Harness. To view top performing products and CPS Certified products, visit www.CenterforPetSafety.org.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7074158-subaru-cps-pet-travel-seat-study/
At the Paris Salon de la Moto, open from 3 to 8 December, the new Vespa Primavera made its French début.
Unveiled a month ago at the world press at the Milan 2013 EICMA show, the Vespa Primavera is now being marketed all over Europe and – following a presentation in Hanoi – in Vietnam and Asian countries as well.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63504-vespa-primavera-legend-is-back
The Los Angeles Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) are warning motorists of a growing problem with unauthorized tow truck operators in the LA area.
These “bandit” tow truck operators monitor police radios and respond to accidents seeking to hook up vehicles and tow them to body shops or storage facilities where they are held hostage until the motorists and their insurance companies pay inflated towing, storage and possibly repair charges to get the vehicle back.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506514-nicb-lapd-bandit-tow-truck-scams/
What will it take for drivers to stop texting behind the wheel? Car-buying platform Edmunds.com believes that a gentle reminder from a loved one could do the trick.
Developers of the award-winning Edmunds app recently broke from their usual work to produce “DrivePromise by Edmunds,” a free app that allows Apple Watch and iPhone owners to make and keep a promise to focus on the road while driving. When the device detects that it is in a moving vehicle, it pops up an uploaded photo of a loved one along with a reminder to drive safely. The app keeps count of all of the user’s safe drives to share with friends and family.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7514851-drivepromise-edmunds-app/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today issued a warning to the public about an organized scam involving sales of vehicles through the popular online market place, Craigslist.
Working with law enforcement agencies in the Chicago area and across the Midwest, NICB has identified nearly 100 instances of sales of vehicles that went sour when phony bank checks were used to pay for the vehicle.
“These scams are well organized and have all the appearances of being legitimate,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But in the end, the criminal gets the car and the sellers or their financial institutions are left on the hook for thousands of dollars still owed on the car.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523151-nicb-craigslist-auto-sales-scam/
Affordable new cars have never been so cool, as detailed in this year’s list of the 10 Coolest Cars Under $18,000, hand–selected by the expert editors at Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. The redesigned Mazda3 is No. 1 for 2014, and it notably has been featured on KBB.com’s annual affordable ‘cool cars’ list every year of the vehicle’s 11–year existence.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7218051-kbb-10-coolest-new-cars-under-18k-2014/
