FOX Wheels

Evasive driving can be a good thing. Plus, give your bike a boost and cut the sweat when going uphill. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. Larry Yatch with a Minneapolis-area company called “Sealed Mindset” teaches drivers how to avoid everything from carjackings to deer. In a decision-making drill on a closed course, the former Navy Seal holds a piece of cardboard in front of the driver’s face… (Yatch) “It’s your job to miss the targets without hitting the brake.” He says the trick is to look at the open space — not the target… (Yatch) “Our hands will automatically put the car where we’re looking.” When it comes to keeping someone from hurting you, say, in a carjacking… (Yatch) “You’ve been conditioned your entire life not to damage the car. It won’t be natural for you to ram their car out of the way.” Yatch will teach you how to do it the right way… The evasive driving course is a six-hour commitment. —————- What if you could build up energy while biking on flat surfaces and have that energy kick in when you’re going uphill? MIT researchers say you can do it with their “Copenhagen Wheel”. For about $800, the red device on the back tire of your bike turns it into an electric hybrid. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

What exactly is American when it comes to 4-wheels? FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. When you think red, white and blue and muscle on wheels — you probably think truck. The F-150 pickup truck tops this year’s cars.com’s “Most American-Made” vehicles list. They look for… (Olsen) “The percentage of domestic parts in a car. To make our list, a car or truck has to be at least 75% domestic. Secondly, we look at the point of assembly. It has to be in the United States.” So the F-150 is tops, but Toyota and Honda in 2nd through 6th place? Patrick Olsen is with cars.com… (Olsen) “Virtually every new Camry sold in the U.S. is built in the U.S. Honda builds more cars, now, in the U.S. than Honda builds in Japan.” Rounding out the list: The Corvette Stingray, Honda Ridgeline and Crosstour and the Dodge SRT Viper. ————- George Tally has had four Corvettes. The ’79 model was his favorite, but it was stolen 33 years ago. It was recently found at a Mississippi police station. No details. With shipping help from GM, Tally’s baby is back in the Motor City. The 71-year-old says… (Tally) “To get it back it’s a blessing.” With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

  GM dangles some goodies in front of dealers to get them to ‘speed it up’, so to speak and there’s one more state cracking down on drivers smoking around children. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. It took GM at least 10 years to launch a recall for a faulty ignition switch. Now, the company wants dealers to do as many repairs as possible in less than 10 months. The clock is ticking on incentives corporate is offering to dealers– like credit to an online gift shop. CEO Mary Barra recently told lawmakers– Barra: “We’ve produced and shipped over 400,000 parts. The challenge is getting the customer to get the vehicle repaired.” To get incentives, dealers have to finish 90% of repairs by July 7th. ———————————— Ford CEO Alan Mulally lets Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields sit in the driver’s seat. Mulally says he was questioned when he took out huge loans just before the recession hit, but– Mulally: “Not only did we invest in new cars and trucks, but we actually did it our way.” Which Mulally says was to not go through bankruptcy and take a bailout like GM and Chrysler. ———————————— Put the cigarette down. Vermont, this week, becomes the seventh state to outlaw smoking in cars with young children. Get caught smoking at the wheel and you’ll be fined up to $100 bucks. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @JenniferKeiper Click HERE for more FOX Wheels

The race to please techie drivers could mean skimping on car quality… And a hog that doesn’t squeal. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels“: It’s FOX Wheels. We like the in-dash gadgets… (Car) “Radio. Say a frequency or pre-set.” Automakers have been trying to please us with new tech but new today could be old tomorrow. A JD Power survey suggests the rush to stay hip means less attention to other details involving engines, heating systems and paint. The survey found a 3% jump in buyer complaints compared to a year ago with Porsche performing best — only 74 problems per 100 vehicles. Also good: Jaguar, Lexus, Hyundai and Toyota. The worst performers: Fiat, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Scion and Mazda. Ford is most improved. ———— C’mon… This… (Electric Harley) Over the hog? (Regular Harley) Harley-Davidson thinks you might be up for a change – so – it’s introducing it’s first electric motorcycle, which sounds more like a jet engine. The futuristic looking LiveWire model will be used by several dozen riders on a 30-city tour. Their feedback will be used to tweak the bike which might not be market-ready for several years. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels VIEW more photos of the Harley Davidson electric motorcycle (Photo Courtesy: AP):

Just in time for summer travel — some talk about safety after a high profile crash and a new public service announcement. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. The semi that slammed into Tracy Morgan’s bus — killing one person and seriously injuring the comedian in New Jersey has truck safety in the spotlight. You may wonder — has that driver next to you gotten enough sleep and is the truck up to code? Here in Illinois, troopers had been doing truck checks just days before Morgan’s crash… (Meeder) “Thousands of trucks were inspected and hundreds of vehicles were put out of service.” Illinois trooper Robert Meeder says anyone can be involved in a truck crash. Since 2012, two Illinois troopers and a tollway worker have been killed. ————– Volkswagen teamed up with a Hong Kong movie theater to discourage distracted driving. Moviegoers watch a car driving along a road, and then all at once, someone hiding in the theater uses a system to make audience cell phones start ringing… As they pull them out of their pockets, on screen… A car into a tree and a lot of speechless movie-goers. The message: “Keep your eyes on the road”. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

  A cross between a car and a motorcycle is taking the streets by storm. Plus, it seems recalls aren’t keeping car owners from sticking with the brands they’re used to. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper has those stories in this week’s edition of “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. Chevy Cobalt owners have been unloading their recalled cars linked to deadly ignition switch crashes. From March to May, Cobalt trade-ins were up 21% compared to a year ago and edmunds.com analyst Jessica Caldwell says those customers are sticking with GM– Caldwell: “So it seems as if people bring their car in, start shopping for a new car and in many cases end up buying it.” The popular replacement is the Chevy Cruze. ——————————— GM President Dan Amman says a compensation fund for those hurt or killed in ignition switch crashes, is being set up by an attorney they’ve hired– Amman: “Rules and the eligibility criteria are being determined and set independently by Ken Feinberg.” He’s expected to finish that in the next few weeks. ——————————— It looks like a pencil box with three wheels, gets 84 miles per gallon and costs $6,800 bucks. The Autocycle is a motorcycle-car combo that creator Paul Elio says can fit two people– one behind the other. Elio: “It has a longer wheel base than Honda Accord, but it’s half-width.” The Autocycle can go up to 100 miles per hour. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. Watch a VIDEO below of the Autocycle Watch the latest video at foxnews.com If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

  Automakers are issuing more recalls these days and Indianapolis goes green by going blue. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper has our weekly look at things with wheels, in “Fox Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. After years of allegedly avoiding recalls– GM is now taking a different route, even claiming that recalls are a good thing. James Bell is the head of Consumer Affairs at GM– (Bell) “Recall has traditionally been a bad word, but when you look deeper into a lot of the recalls, not just from General Motors but from other manufacturers, I wouldn’t say they’re on minor issues, but they’re very anticipatory much more than reactionary.” Bell says what might have once been an ‘advisory’ for say, a corrosion issue, is now officially a recall– (Bell) “Because, we’re treating this whole focus on the customer in a much different light.” Plus, the Government has been cracking down on automakers– a $35 million dollar fine for GM and its delayed ignition switch recall and over $1 billion dollars for Toyota’s handling of unintended acceleration reports. Have an errand to run in Indianapolis? A French company called Bolloré will make its Bluecars available there, later this year. You’ll be able to rent a car at a kiosk and recharge it at any of 25 charging stations. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

A bumpy road for some involved in GM’s ignition switch recall. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper reports in this week’s “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. GM has opened its checkbook, giving the government $35 million dollars for not recalling years earlier, cars with ignition problems. That’s on top of a daily fine of $7,000 dollars for missing answers on the government’s recall questionnaire. Two lawmakers think the cars should be parked. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says– (Foxx) “We do not possess the power as the Department Of Transportation to tell customers to park their cars.” Foxx says they’re making sure the automaker keeps customers informed. GM safety boss Jeff Boyer says only a single key should be used and investigators have been given 80 different terrain test results.  (Boyer) “You can see the dramatic jarring the vehicle takes from both inside and outside the vehicle in this test, and during our pothole test.” And no key movement. Repairs have started– but Twin Cities Solsitce owner Len Cushing says it’s taking too long– (Cushing) “It’s not a dealership problem. It’s a GM problem that they’re just not responding with parts quick enough.” The automaker recently issued six new recalls to fix brake lights, headlamps and brakes. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

As part of its five-year plan, Fiat Chrysler is saying goodbye to some of its models. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper with our weekly look at things with wheels in “FOX Wheels”: It’s FOX Wheels. Fiat Chrysler is putting it’s brands up on the rack and doing a realignment. The automaker is cutting vehicles that have competed for the same customers. So no more Dodge Grand Caravan minivan or Avenger sedan. Chrysler will be the mainstream brand. Dodge will be the sporty, performance brand. The Town and Country Minivan will eventually be available in a plug-in hybrid version. The small Dart will get a face-lift and a subcompact hatchback is planned. Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne is not interested in making aluminum trucks like Ford… (Marchionne) “I think we actually have better mileage today than the alleged mileage of the aluminum truck for Ford, by using diesel. We’re gonna see what happens in the marketplace. If it’s the right answer, we’re all gonna join in – us, GM.” Some new Jeep products are also are on the way. ————- If you like getting behind the wheel while you’re on the couch… Grand Theft Auto Online’s “High Life” update is being released this week on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It features at least four new fake sports cars, an SUV and a hot motorcycle. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels

Skipping the song and dance at a dealership and making a ride in a dream car a reality. FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper reports in “FOX Wheels“: It’s FOX Wheels. Tesla wants to sell electric cars directly to those who have the $60,000 or more to buy one. States including Arizona, Texas and New Jersey have laws banning automaker-run dealerships and Tesla is fighting states in court. Some Federal Trade Commission members say – in their own opinion – those laws are outdated. Forrest McConnell with the National Automobile Dealers Association says the dealer model is the most efficient way to sell and service cars. (McConnell) “And all that competition generates lower prices for customers. So, if a manufacturer was to sell direct, that would be full sticker prices to pay. There would be no competition.” Tesla’s CEO says he doesn’t want to take part in the franchise system. ———- Brittney Spears sings about hot cars… (Spears) “You want a Lamborghini?…” Or how about the sexy curves of a Ferrari? You might be able to drive one. Some rental companies have been adding fancy cars to their fleets. Hertz has a “dream car” line and Enterprise plans to add two cities to its collection this Spring. It’ll set you back hundreds – or even thousands of dollars per day. With FOX Wheels, I’m Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio. If you have a car topic you want to hear about on FOX Wheels, let me know! @JenniferKeiper CLICK HERE for more FOX Wheels