Recent Hawaii Shipping News

According to The Hawaii Auto Outlook, at the height of the recession, it was believed that it would take at least 10 years for the vehicle market to return to pre-recession levels.

However it stated that 26,922 new vehicle registrations were filed during the first and second quarters of 2014, compared to a much lower 23,968 that were filed last year.

Vehicle registrations in Hawaii rose 12 percent, and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association expects them to continue to increase by 7 percent during second half of the year.

Toyota is Hawaii’s most popular vehicle followed by Honda and Nissan. American-made cars Dodge, Jeep, Ford and Chevrolet are the least popular.

The Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association expects the year to top out with 53,400 new vehicle registrations.

A new fast-charging station is due to open in South Kohala nearing the end of this summer.

The Kailua Kona Nissan dealership has been selling their Nissan Leaf, an electric car which has is gaining popularity in sales.

Kailua-Kona has a few charging stations however they only allow a car to travel about 15 mile. This makes it difficult for electric car drivers to get around the island since it is so large.

The new station will allow vehicles to be charged much faster. It will allow cars to go 60 miles after being plugged in for only an hour. It has been installed at the Shops at Mauna Lani.

Electric car owners are excited since they believe the development is long overdue. They will be able to drive a further distance after charging in a much less time.

Federal safety regulators are working on technology that can be used in cars to detect alcohol by touch and breath, in order to reduce alcohol related accidents.

Nat Beuse an associate administrator for vehicle safety research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the alcohol detection technology is one of several systems his agency is studying.

Little is known on how it would work or which suppliers are involved, but Beuse believes an alcohol detection system integrated into vehicles would reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by drivers under the influence.

Throughout the last couple of years NHTSA has been making efforts to advocate technology solutions in response to the numerous accidents caused by drinking and driving.

The agency states they were awarded a $2.2 million contract from safety products supplier Takata Corp. to develop a device that can measure a driver’s sobriety.

The technology is still being developed and hopes to be available for implementation by 2018.Federal officials are unaware as to how the device will work. If Alcohol is detected, the vehicle could possibly be disabled or an alert will be issued, the decision is still undetermined.

Recently automakers have been integrating touchscreens into vehicles for safety reasons. Tech companies have been designing safer ways for customers to stay connected to their favorite apps behind the wheel. Google’s Android is working on a platform called Android Auto that allows maps, music, and personal phone functions to be accessed through a larger screen in the car which is their response to safety precautions.

Patrick Brady, Google’s director for engineering of Android, says, “You get the best of both worlds. You get the connected apps and services on your smartphone, with the physical controls that were optimized for driving in your car.”

Many drivers struggle with their phones while driving since the screens are too small and the interface and menus are complicated. “We had to take an experience that was designed for a smartphone and break it down to its bare essentials,” Brady says.

Android Auto will encourage a more convenient driving experience. The system allows quick voice based access to Google maps, text messaging, and apps like Google Play Music. It will be fully compatible with the dials, knobs, and buttons on your dashboard and steering wheel. Since everything you see on screen is actually directed from your smartphone, Google says the in car experience will be even better.

Nissan has debuted a new kind of paint that repels dirt, dust, and even mud, keeping cars bright and shiny.

Nissan is looking to offer this paint as an aftermarket application so that practically any car can have the capability.

The paint is called Ultra-Ever Dry, it was created by UltraTech International Inc. According to Nissan, the paint is both hydrophobic and oleophobic meaning resistant to water and oils. This is achieved by creating a protective layer of air between the paint and the environment.

So Far Nissan Europe is the only company to explore Ultra-Ever Dry’s automotive applications. There’s no word on if or when it will be offered elsewhere.

Ford is recalling 100,610 vehicles in North America for safety defects.The company announced the six different recalls today.

• Their largest recall of 92,022 vehicles, involves the Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Police Interceptor sedans. The improper seating of the right-hand halfshaft could disengage over time, making the vehicle inoperable. The vehicles also have potential to roll unexpectedly if they are parked without the parking brake on.
• 2,124 2014 Ford Escape SUVs. Their glass roofs have an improperly cured bond that could cause the roofs to leak or separate.
• 5,264 commercial stripped chassis. Corrosion in the electrical junction block could cause the vehicles to short circuit, and start a fire.
• 197 2014 Ford Fiesta subcompacts. Their fuel tanks could be missing an adhesive layer, which could cause a fuel leakage and can lead to a fire.
• 635 2014 F53 motor home stripped chassis. The brake calipers may be made incorrectly which could hinder braking performance.

Ford will begin notifying owners affected by these recalls this month.

Today Hawaii’s new cellphone law takes effect.

Drivers with cell phone violations will no longer have to make the usual mandatory court appearance. Since the court system has been congested with violators the law has been changed to make cellphone texting an infraction.  However the fine has been raised to $297 from about $100 last year.

Hopefully this costly fine will persuade users to stop, for the sake and safety of others on the road.

All port locations and offices will be closed July 4th.

Have a happy and safe weekend.

we will re-open on Monday the 7th!

Hawaii’s First International Auto Show is this weekend Friday, March 14-Sunday, March 16, 2014 and will be held at Hawaii’s Convention Center in Honolulu.

Over 350 of the newest cars, crossovers, trucks, SUVs, luxury cars will be showcased at the event. New models will be showcased including the BMW 4 Series, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Jaguar F-Type, Mercedes-Benz S550, Nissan Rogue, Toyota Corolla and more. Several pre-production and 2015-model-year vehicles will also be on display including the 2015 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015 Ford Mustang, 2015 Ford F-150, 2015 Ford Super Duty, 2015 Kia K900 and 2015 Subaru WRX.

Other exhibits include Multi-Million Dollar Exotic Vehicle display, featuring some of the unique most expensive vehicles, from Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Bentley. There will also be a test drive, includes a selection of cars, trucks and SUVs on a roadway course around the convention center. A vehicle expert will accompany drivers to highlight the model’s performance.

Motor vehicle registrations in Hawaii rose about 15 percent in 2013, according to a report from the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.

Over 28 percent of the vehicles registered were Toyotas, making it the most popular brand in Hawaii. 16.6 percent vehicles were Honda’s which is the second most popular. T

There is immense economic growth and the demand forces are improving the market.

Up to 51,000 registrations are predicted for 2014.