Helicopter drops money from sky to honor Detroit man's last wish
Thomas passed away on June 15 at 58 years old. His sons Darell and Jonte organized a helicopter to drop $5,000 and rose pedals at 1:27 p.m. over Show Room Shine Express, 1041 Gratiot Avenue, Thomas's niece Crystal Perry, Detroit, said.
"This was a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver," Perry said. "Yesterday was simply a farewell tribute to an Eastside legend."
More: AG Dana Nessel: Michigan voters would pass ballot question to erase gay marriage ban
More: Free Press picks in 2025 Detroit City Council election | Endorsements
Outside of owning Showroom Shine Express, Thomas was a National Hot Rod Association licensed professional race car driver, as well as a brother, father, grandfather and more, according a recording of his funeral at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Perry said to know her uncle Plant was to love him.
"He would do anything for anybody," Perry said. "He just had a different kind of heart. You don't meet people like that nowadays."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Helicopter drops $5,000 in honor of this former Detroit car wash owner
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Stellantis warns of $1.7 billion earnings hit from tariffs
Stellantis, the maker of more than a dozen automotive brands, on Tuesday said that President Trump's tariffs will cost the auto manufacturer 1.5 billion euros, or about $1.7 billion, in 2025. The parent company of brands like Chrysler, Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot announced the projected earnings hit as Mr. Trump clinches deals with U.S. trade partners that include steep tariffs on U.S. imports, ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline. Stellantis said it expects the majority of the hit, about 1.2 billion euros, will come in the second half of 2025. "Stellantis updates its estimate of 2025 net tariff impact to approximately €1.5 billion, of which €0.3 billion was incurred in H1 2025. The Company remains highly engaged with relevant policymakers, while continuing long-term scenario planning," the company said in a statement Tuesday as it reported financial results for the first half of 2025. The automaker acknowledged that Mr. Trump's 25% tariffs on imports of autos and auto parts to the U.S. are hurting its business, particularly in North America. Stellantis builds its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brand vehicles in factories in Canada and Mexico, meaning they're subject to the new levies. While Mr. Trump's deal with the EU, calling for 15% tariffs across the board will make BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles more expensive for U.S. consumers, according to analysts. Stellantis is largely unaffected by the EU agreement. "Stellantis isn't much affected by the EU/US tariff news — the question for STLA is if the Detroit-3 will want to renegotiate the [U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)] tariff after the EU and Japan got a better deal," UBS analysts said in a research note. Other automobile manufacturers, including General Motors, have been bracing for impact from tariffs. GM CEO Mary Barra said the company took a $1.1 billion hit from tariffs in the second quarter, and that the company is taking steps to reduce its tariff exposure by investing in U.S. assembly plants. European automaker Volkswagen also said last week that tariffs cost the company $1.5 billion in the first half of 2025.
Car and Driver
14 hours ago
- Car and Driver
How Does Speed Affect EV Range?
We ran two EVs, along with a gas-powered compact SUV, around a test track to measure how cruising speed affects range. The difference between 55 mph and 75 mph was a drop of 88 miles of range in the Lucid Air sedan and 109 miles in the Kia EV9 SUV. As speeds rise, range decreases at an increasing rate; when traveling at speeds of 75 mph or above, you're unlikely to achieve the range figure on the window sticker in an EV. Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). Vehicles, whether electric or gas, have to work harder against the passing air as speeds rise, as aerodynamic resistance increases dramatically (with the square of speed). But to see how that plays out in the real world, we gathered two very different EVs—a low-slung Lucid Air Pure sedan and a blocky Kia EV9 three-row SUV. We also included a Subaru Forester as a mainstream gas-powered compact SUV for comparison purposes. To minimize any effects of elevation, wind, or traffic, we used the 4.7-mile oval test track at Stellantis's Chelsea Proving Grounds. We ran each car at four speeds: 35 mph, 55 mph, 75 mph, and 95 mph, and used each vehicle's indicated consumption or fuel economy to calculate an estimated range figure. (While a vehicle's onboard computer may not be perfectly accurate, we trust the differences in consumption between the test speeds to be precise, and the figures at 75 mph during this test are in line with our in-depth highway range testing.) Car and Driver Steady-state driving in an EV is the worst-case scenario for range, because there's no ability to coast or use regenerative braking to harvest energy and boost consumption. This is part of the reason EVs tend to get much lower range figures on our 75-mph highway range test than their EPA range figures, because even the EPA highway cycle includes a lot of speed changes that EVs can use to recoup energy. View Photos Andi Hedrick | Car and Driver It's all downhill for range as speed increases, as the difference between 35 mph and 55 mph was a 22 percent drop in range for the Air (485 miles to 378) and 26 percent worse in the EV9 (459 miles to 339). Interestingly, the Forester's range only dropped 9 percent between those speeds, likely due to its additional gearing that can keep the engine operating in an efficient zone. Each additional 20-mph increment reduces range at an increasing rate. No surprise that the more aerodynamic Air does better at higher speeds, with a 23 percent drop between 55 and 75 mph and a 24 percent drop between 75 and 95 mph. The EV9, on the other hand, plummets more than 30 percent between each of those increments. But the EV9 doesn't frown on high-speed driving, as it was the only vehicle that still allowed us to set the cruise control at 95 mph. We fit a cubic equation to our data, which is a good match with aero loading, to be able to estimate what steady-state cruising speed aligns with each vehicle's EPA range figures. For the Lucid Air, it's a mere 47 mph to achieve its 419-mile range figure. But the window-sticker number is a combined figure, and—although it doesn't appear on the label—there's also an EPA highway figure. For the Lucid, its 410-mile EPA highway range matches a marginally higher cruising speed of 49 mph. Based on our previous highway range tests on Lucids, we already knew the company is very aggressive in its label values for its vehicles, and this is further evidence. The Kia EV9's range figures are much more highway-friendly, with 66 mph equating to its 280-mile EPA combined figure and 71 mph to match its 253-mile EPA highway number. Meanwhile, you can equal the Forester's 465-mile EPA combined range (28 mpg) cruising at 77 mph. View Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Steady-State Cruising Speed That Equates to EPA Combined Range Lucid Air Pure: 47 mph Kia EV9: 66 mph Subaru Forester: 77 mph This vast discrepancy in the real-world performance of gas-powered versus electric cars compared with their window-sticker values could cause first-time EV buyers to be unpleasantly surprised by their vehicle's range in certain scenarios. Noticing this trend in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy and range testing data is what caused us to write an SAE technical paper on the topic. When talking about highway speeds, the difference between 55 mph and 75 mph is a loss of 88 miles of range in the Lucid Air and 109 miles in the Kia EV9. Bumping up the cruising speed from 70 to 80 mph reduces the Air's range by about 40 miles and the EV9's by roughly 45. Then again, the same 10-mph increase in the Subaru Forester drops the range even more, about 100 miles. But part of the issue is that EVs start with less range to begin with; at 80 mph, the Forester still has more than double the range of the EV9 and about 175 miles more range than the Air. Dave VanderWerp Director, Vehicle Testing Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver's vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism. Read full bio
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 Automakers With the Most Recalls So Far for 2025 & the Last Decade
5 Automakers With the Most Recalls So Far for 2025 & the Last Decade originally appeared on Autoblog. One manufacturer has a record-breaking recall lead this year Auto recalls are a given throughout any year, but they've become more common for some companies than others, and the manufacturer with the most from 2014 to 2024 may surprise you. As of June 30, 2025, Ford Motor Company has had the highest number of recalls this year by a significant margin, at 84, according to Consumer Shield data. Forest River, Inc., North America's leading manufacturer of RVs, cargo trailers, buses, commercial trucks, and vans, and certain watercraft, has racked up the second-most recalls so far in 2025 at 21. Volkswagen Group of America comes in third place with 17 recalls so far this year, followed by General Motors' 15 and Chrysler's 14. American Honda Motor Company similarly had 14 recalls as of June 30. By mid-year, Ford issued 88 safety recalls, breaking the previous full-year record for any manufacturer. In May, Ford recalled 1.1 million vehicles for a software issue that could cause the rearview camera to display a blank or frozen image. This month, the American automaker recalled 850,000 cars due to a problem that could result in a low-pressure fuel pump failure, potentially causing the engine to stall while driving. Weeks later, Ford recalled almost 700,000 vehicles due to a fuel leak issue that posed a fire risk. In 2025, U.S. vehicle recalls doubled during Q2 to 7.3 million, BizzyCar reports. This figure represents the highest quarterly total since early 2024, following Q1, which saw 3.46 million recalls. During Q2, back-over prevention, or features helping prevent accidents when an automobile is reversing, was the most-recalled component, with 2.59 million vehicles impacted. Engine and engine cooling recalls were also common at 1.14 million, along with Service Brakes and Hydraulics at 775,000. The three 'Do Not Drive' recalls during Q2 were all from Ford and affected 2,350 vehicles. The manufacturers facing the most recalls over the last decade One might expect Ford to have had the most recalls from 2015 to 2024, but it actually came in second behind Forest River's 505 with 458. Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz USA, and Daimler Trucks North America filled out the rest of the top five from 2015 to 2024 at 386, 332, and 328, respectively. Forest River's recalls, which have led the RV industry over the past decade, typically stem from manufacturing issues. While Forest River boasts a high manufacturing rate, ranking second in the RV market share behind THOR Industries, RV plants, such as those at Forest River, rely heavily on hand assembly. Workers at these facilities can be paid at a piece rate or by the number of vehicles they produce, rather than an hourly wage. Some argue that piece-rate work incentivizes workers to prioritize speed over quality. Forest River, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, now sells over 100,000 RVs annually, earning over $6 billion in revenue. Final thoughts Data suggests that Ford's recalls in 2025 primarily relate to complex electronic and fuel system defects, while piece-rate pay for hand assembly seems to be contributing to Forest River's woes. Forest River's recall records indicate manufacturing issues, such as punctured microwaves resulting from improper screw lengths and misaligned furnace flues, which were discovered after an inspector quit, according to Consumer Affairs. While Forest River has the most recalls from 2015 to 2024, Ford's lead so far in 2025 is significant enough to spark concern among brand loyalists. 5 Automakers With the Most Recalls So Far for 2025 & the Last Decade first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
