Government/Legal


REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that "this (unintended acceleration) matter is not closed," adding "removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles." Up to 2,000 Toyota customers claim to have experienced a sudden surge of ... Read more →

VIDEO: Self-policing Wisconsin woman calls 911, turns herself in for drunk driving Noah Joseph

Here at Autoblog, we definitely don't condone drunk driving. But we have to admit it is a bit of a tricky thing. How are you supposed to tell if you're drunk if your judgment is already impaired? ...

REPORT: Norwegian Porsche importer makes horsepower, taxes conspicuously disappear Noah Joseph

Although the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are built right next door in Finland, in neighboring Norway, the sportscars are subject to heavy tariffs due to their relatively high engine output. But ...

GM's Liquidation Motors stock reportedly still worth $370M, can't be sold short Jonathon Ramsey

When General Motors entered into Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the summer, its bad assets were moved into a firm called Motors Liquidation Company (MLC). That company was capitalized with more than 600 ...

Mazda recalls nearly 40,000 B-Series pickups over cruise control issues Michael Harley

Last month, Ford widened its cruise control switch recall to 4.5 million vehicles. Included in the growing list of cars and trucks was the Ford Ranger pickup – the mechanical twin to the ...

GM awarded DOE money to research Shape Memory Alloy heat engines 5 days ago on Autoblog

General Motors has been awarded $2.7 million by the Department of Energy to create a working prototype engine using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA). The idea is for the prototype to use SMA tech to capture heat energy from engine exhaust gasses via an electric generator and transfer that energy to ...

REPORT: Omaha Toyota dealer employee accused of selling $282,000 in parts on eBay 7 days ago on Autoblog

James Norwood was hired on at Old Mill Toyota in Omaha, Nebraska in 2000, eventually working his way up to parts and service director. At the same time, Norwood reportedly sold over $548,000 in goods as a hard-working eBay business owner, praised by customers for being dedicated and a fast ...

REPORT: Fritz says GM doesn't need any further aid from Washington 7 days ago on Autoblog

Fritz Henderson went to Washington to have a word the folks who wrote the $50 billion check to keep General Motors alive. While there, he answered a few questions put forth from The Washington Post about that investment and the "new" company created with it. His answers are sound, but qualified ...

Empire Strikes Back: White House calls out Edmunds on Clunkers story, Edmunds responds 8 days ago on Autoblog

The facts in the case of the White House versus Edmunds are essentially indisputable – but they are open for interpretation. The federal government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program generated 690,000 sales by providing $3,500 and $4,500 vouchers to car buyers who turned in their ...

VIDEO: Seattle earthquake viaduct simulation released; timing politically motivated? 8 days ago on Autoblog

The Alaskan Way Viaduct (AWV) is an elevated roadway running along the Elliot Bay Waterway in Seattle. An earthquake in 2001 damaged the viaduct, and the structural degradation has only gotten worse over the years. To forestall the possibility of having the conduit collapse in another natural ...

Edmunds: Cash for Clunkers cost taxpayers $24k per car, not $4k 9 days ago on Autoblog

There is little doubt that Cash for Clunkers gave auto sales a big boost in late July and most of August, but there has been considerable debate as to how much help taxpayers' $3 billion provided. Customers who purchased a new car or truck were rewarded in many ways, especially when you consider ...

Has VP Joe Biden leaked Fisker's product plan? 10 days ago on Autoblog

Regardless of what side of the political fence you find yourself on, it's hard to dispute that vice president Joe Biden has a reputation for saying more than he should. That's not always a good thing when you're privy to some of the most important secrets of what is arguably the most powerful nation ...

REPORT: GMAC likely to get more cash soon from federal government 10 days ago on Autoblog

GMAC has received $12.5 billion in U.S. Treasury loans since last December, but that sizable amount of cash may not be the last of government assistance. The Detroit News is reporting that General Motors' finance arm could receive between $4 billion to $5.6 billion by November 9 in order to satisfy ...

Hard to Handle: Recyclers reportedly facing crush of cars after C4C 10 days ago on Autoblog

The ramifications of America's. Cash for Clunkers program are still being figured out – which isn't all that surprising given that a total of 700,000 or so sales totaling $2.877 billion were processed in just one month. And besides facing the unfortunate lack of suitable demolition derby ...

REPORT: Police auctioning off motorized La-Z-Boy used in DWI 10 days ago on Autoblog

If you've ever had the urge to cruise your neighborhood in a self-propelled La-Z-Boy, your opportunity has arrived. Minnesota resident Dennis Anderson (no relation to the Gravedigger monster truck franchise – we think) has forfeited his notorious motorized, and over-the-top modified, recliner ...

REPORT: Utah DoT admits higher speed limits has worked out to less speeding 10 days ago on Autoblog

When the Utah DOT raised the speed limit on two pieces of I-15 from 75 mph to 80 mph, it discovered that driving habits didn't change. When the limit was 75 mph, the Utah DoT found that drivers were going between 81 and 85 mph. And now that the maximum limit is 80 mph, it has found that drivers ...

VIDEO: Finnish Him: Nordic authorities' harpoon chase-ender amazingly never approved 11 days ago on Autoblog

The place is Finland. The car is a Mercedes 300 wagon. The place is Finland. The protrusion, like the figurehead adorning Ahab's Pequod, is a harpoon. Instead of catching whales, however, this harpoon was reportedly to be used to catch cars leading police on high-speed chases. We won't even ...

Officially Official: Fisker buys GM's Wilmington Delaware plant 11 days ago on Autoblog

In Wilmington, Delaware this morning, Governor Jack Markell was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Henrik Fisker (seen at right) for the official announcement about the purchase of General Motors' closed plant there. Fisker will re-tool the plant to build a new, more affordable plug-in hybrid ...

REPORT: David Coulthard gets a speeding ticket. In an F1 car. 11 days ago on Autoblog

You can't blame an F1 driver from driving fast. That's what they're supposed to do. Evidently authorities in India feel differently, however, as they've slapped David Coulthard with an enormous £20,000 (approx $33k) ticket for breaking the speed limit. The kicker? It was for a Formula 1 ...

Russian PM Putin reportedly tells Renault to put up or get out 11 days ago on Autoblog

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but with hindsight being 20-20, how many failed ventures can be summed up by that same excuse? Just last year, Russia was looking to foreign investors as one of the most promising emerging markets in the world. Renault got locked into a bidding war with ...

Former President Bush asks Obama to exit the car business 12 days ago on Autoblog

When Former President George W. Bush spoke to the Montreal Board of Trade recently, he made a public appeal to the Obama administration to "get out of the private sector," adding "I hope our government gets out of the autos and the financials in which they have a stake." His premise is that it ...

REPORT: Jeep Wrangler safe from CARB "Cool Cars" proposal 13 days ago on Autoblog

Remember California's "Cool Cars" regulation? Coming into force in 2012, the rule requires manufacturers to install windows that prevent 45% of the sun's energy from entering a vehicle by 2014, and 60% by 2016. It's the law that no one thinks is cool at all. In a minor victory against The Golden ...

Shreveport, LA mayor lobbies D.C. to close the HUMMER deal, already 14 days ago on Autoblog

Cedric Glover, the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, went to Washington, D.C. to plead his case for the sale of Hummer to Tengzhong. The only thing is, we're not sure why he went. To be more precise, we do know that he wants to protect jobs at GM's Shreveport plant that builds Hummers. The plant ...

Man charged with DWI while driving La-Z-Boy chair 14 days ago on Autoblog

It's against the law to drink and drive. And as we've seen time and again, the police don't care if you're driving a Ferrari or a motorized scooter; over the limit means under arrest. There is now one more person in the world who knows this undeniable truth first-hand. Dennis LeRoy Anderson was ...

World's Largest Rebate? Save $42,000 on Tesla Roadster in Colorado 15 days ago on Autoblog

We didn't believe it until we verified it with our own eyes – and amazingly it's true: Colorado is offering a $42,083 rebate on the 2009 Tesla Roadster until December 31st. Carry the one, move the decimal point... yep, that's a 38-percent discount on what must be the most desirable ...

REPORT: Indian firm Reva to build electric cars in upstate NY 16 days ago on Autoblog

Sure, Syracuse, New York has the Carrier Dome, but if a pending deal between Indian electric car maker Reva and Long Island-based Bannon Automotive is finalized, the city may soon be known more for EV production. Bannon Automotive has been negotiating with India's Reva for months now, and the ...

GM's Lauckner wishes for bigger incentives to get drivers out of gas-powered vehicles 16 days ago on Autoblog

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. About the least pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which after incentives may be in the $27-28,000 range before the extra cost of leasing the battery. While the ...

REPORT: First step of Saab salvation complete, EIB to give €400m loan 16 days ago on Autoblog

Like Great Britain, Sweden never switched over to the Euro – they still deal in kroners. Therefor, In order to keep Saab afloat after being jettisoned by General Motors, new owner Koenigsegg Group has determined that it needs a loan of about 415 billion kroners to keep the flood waters ...

Rattner recounts auto bailout, was "shocked" and "stunned" at condition of GM, Chrysler 16 days ago on Autoblog

Steve Rattner is a man we admire but do not envy. Rattner, a former Wall Street banking type with zero experience in the automotive or manufacturing world, was tasked by President Obama with guiding General Motors and Chrysler through their restructuring efforts. Not a small job, by any means. ...

OnStar prevents its first high-speed chase 18 days ago on Autoblog

We were wondering how long it would take before OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service was used to prevent a high speed chase. Though announced nearly two years ago, the service that allows OnStar to remotely disable a vehicle's gas pedal is still not yet available on all GM models – for ...

REPORT: NY cracking down on cabbies using cell phones - only took 10 years 19 days ago on Autoblog

It's hard to believe, but cab drivers in New York City are prohibited by law from talking on cell phones, with or without headsets. That doesn't seem to stop them, says the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Citing phone-related accident statistics, the commission is now proposing more ...

Congress approves three-wheelers for DOE funds 19 days ago on Autoblog

Following months of debate, Congress has approved a bill that will pave the way for three-wheeled vehicle manufacturers like Aptera to qualify for funding from the Department of Energy. Next step: President Obama's desk, and the Commander-in-Chief is reportedly expected to sign the bill into law ...

REPORT: Former Ford employee arrested for stealing trade secrets 22 days ago on Autoblog

Former Ford engineer Xiang Dong Yu, also known as Mike Yu, was arrested Wednesday at the Chicago O'Hare airport and indicted on suspicion of stealing trade secrets from his former employer. Yu, who worked at Ford Motor Company from 1997 to 2007, is being charged with downloading over 4,000 sensitive ...

Spy Shots: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabrio leaks out courtesy EU bureaucracy 23 days ago on Autoblog

There are few people in this world for whom we hold more contempt than European bureaucrats. They're the pencil-pushers that, if they had their way, would put an end to some of our favorite exotic sportscars and have us all driving Smart ForTwos. But every gray cloud has its silver lining, and in ...

Mexico developing 'smart' speed bumps to increase safety, decrease fuel consumption 23 days ago on Autoblog

Speed bumps are the bane of many an urban driver all around the world. We understand that the little protrusions were first installed to promote safety by getting drivers to slow down in congested areas, but we can't be the only ones that think the dang things have been getting out of hand as of ...

Fail: Defect reportedly causing NYC car registration stickers to unstick 23 days ago on Autoblog

Apparently, there have been some two million vehicle registration stickers and another 2.5 million inspection stickers issued this year in New York. No great shakes there – except for the fact that the stickers aren't living up to their names, as they are refusing to securely affix ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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