Filed under: Government/Legal, Green, DaimlerChryslerThe automaker formerly known as DaimlerChrysler isn’t finished making headlines yet. The NHTSA, which levies fines for manufacturers not meeting CAFE standards, has issued its largest penalty to any automaker, ever, by giving DaimlerChrysler a bill for $30,357.635.50. The fine is for the carmaker’s entire fleet, which includes Mercedes models produced here and overseas. According to the NHTSA, “The penalty for failing to meet CAFE standards recently increased from $5.00 to $5.50 per tenth of a mile per gallon for each tenth under the target value times the total volume of those vehicles manufactured for a given model year.” To be fair, it’s only the biggest by a (relatively) small margin, seeing that BMW paid $27,985,925.00 in 2001 — especially if you consider the drop in the dollar in that time. If you’re wondering where part of that European car premium goes — after it goes into the treasury — CAFE fines seem to be something Europeans specialize in. Of the more than half a billion dollars in civil CAFE fines, not a cent has been contributed by domestic or Asian automakers. Yet. [Source: NHTSA via The Truth About cars] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Dakar officials won’t cancel rally despite Al-Qaeda attacks
Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Safety Following meetings between the head of security for the Lisbon-Dakar Rally and government authorities in Mauritania, race organizers, undeterred by recent terrorist attacks in the country, have announced that the event will go on as planned. Last week, terrorists in Mauritania shot and killed four French tourists and four Mauritanian soldiers. Reports indicated that the attacks were perpetrated by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the infamous terrorist network’s North African wing, praying on fears that the militants were expanding southwards from their previous activities in Morocco and Algeria. Last year’s rally had two stages canceled due to security concerns regarding Algerian rebels. This year’s rally is set to depart from Lisbon, Portugal, on January 5, passing through Mauritania on January 11 en route to the finish line in Dakar, Senegal, on January 20, covering a total of 9000km (5600 miles). [Source: autosport] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Citroen set to unveil C-something Wednesday morning
Filed under: Citroen Citroen has put up a timer on their website foretelling the imminent launch of a new model, but guesses are all over the place as to what that new model could be. The French automaker’s range has expanded in recent years to include everything from small hatchbacks to SUVs, with just about everything in between. Progressing up the range, among the possibilities considered are a “Streetlounge” version of the C3 supermini, a pseudo-Allroad/Outback version of the C4 hatch, a C5-based convertible previewed by the C-Airscape concept, and a new C8 minivan. While sometimes automakers give us a little teaser in the form of a veiled silhouette, all PSA is giving us here is a box with wheels. Our money is on some sort of automobile, possibly starting with the letter C. We’ll have to wait until the counter runs down to zero at 9 am on Wednesday (Paris time - 3 am in New York) to see what the Chevron marque has in store for our overseas compatriots. [Source: Citroen via World car Fans and Le Blog auto] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Clarkson tries out the BMW 135i and likes it!
Filed under: Coupes, BMW, DrivingWhen Jeremy Clarkson isn’t expounding on how wonderful the Jaguar XKR is or how horrible the G-Wiz is on Top Gear, he does much the same thing in the pages of the Times of London. In his most recent entry on those hallowed pages he takes on BMW’s new 135i coupe. On the recent Top Gear Awards show Clarkson called Munich’s other new small car the Mini Clubman a toilet and less desirable than a bag of dung. Maybe it’s just hatchbacks from BMW that he doesn’t like because he also hated the original 1-series hatch. Fortunately for the Bavarian engine gurus, the new 135i coupe does not suffer the same fate. The new shape and the twin turbo 3.0-liter inline six have transformed the 1-series in Clarkson’s eyes. Aside from the absence of rear leg room, he calls this the best car BMW makes. We can hardly wait to try it out. Now about that price tag! [Source: Times of London]Gallery: BMW 1-Series Coupe Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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