Filed under: MPG , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA The U.S. media's political lens is focused pretty heavily on the health care debate right now, but that doesn't mean other items of interest aren't happening in Washington, D.C. For example, debate over the EPA's endangerment finding that found that greenhouse gases (GHGs), including those from on-road vehicles, threaten the public health and welfare of the American people is far from over. We heard a week ago that Texas governor Rick Perry (R) was leading a fight to review that endangerment finding . Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) is also against the EPA finding and has introduced a bipartisan "disapproval resolution" intended to stop the EPA from actually carrying out any regulatory actions. Murkowski's resolution is getting some push back, though, in the form of a letter from the chief counsel at the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), O. Kevin Vincent. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) asked NHTSA what effects Murkowski's resolution would have and Vincent found that: passage of the Murkowski Amendment would have profoundly adverse effects on the national economy, national environment and energy security objectives, and the economically distressed automobile manufacturing industry . Not exactly limited effects.

Filed under: Etc. , Legislation and Policy , USA Florida bomb threat pickup truck - Click above for high-res image gallery It could be argued that our nation's highways are teaming with weapons of mass destruction. After all, there are millions of two-plus ton objects hurtling around all over the place with questionable guidance from the men and women behind the wheel. Not dangerous enough for you? Chris Bronaugh of Walton County, Florida, decided to make his own personal WMD a bit more fear inspiring than the rest by wiring up an old answering machine to the firewall and fuel lines of his truck along with some kind of circuit board and a silver tube. Police were notified after Bronaugh was heard "screaming at the top of his lungs, threatening to kill women and children, or anyone who came on his property." The good news is that the bomb rig was just for show. Said Mike Gurspan, spokesperson for the Walton County Sheriff's Office, "The 52-year-old suspect stated he rigged his truck because he was tired of people stealing his gas." The bad news is that Bronaugh was also brandishing a homemade zip gun , making him rather dangerous indeed - four years earlier, he accidentally shot himself in the leg with just such an improvised firearm. [Source: Northwest Florida Daily News ] Report: Florida man rigs truck with fake WMD after growing tired of gas thieves originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Government/Legal , Japan , Recalls , Toyota Man, when it rains, it absolutely pours . Especially if you're a carmaker called Toyota and are already embroiled in a credibility-killing ( and sales-smothering ) gas pedal recall plus another for defective floor mats . According to the Detroit Free Press , none other than U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has absolutely blasted the Japanese giant, calling it "a little safety deaf" and noting he was upset that NHTSA officials had to fly to Japan "to remind Toyota management about its legal obligations." That's just the tip of the spear stuff, too. Check out the shaft: Since questions were first raised about possible safety defects, we have been pushing Toyota to take measures to protect consumers. While Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an enormous effort to get to this point. We're not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects and monitor the implementation of the recalls. To paraphrase L.A. Confidential's Captain Dudley Smith, we wouldn't trade places with Toyota right now for all the whiskey in Ireland. Still, we find the timing of Secretary LaHood's comments a little odd. Here's what we mean: the NHTSA official that flew to Japan to verbally beat on Toyota did so in December. And while Toyota seems to have behaved badly at first, the company has found an unobjectionable solution (according to the safety agency) to its gas pedal problem. So, why whip on 'em today? Could it have something to do with next week's Congressional inquiry scheduled to begin on February 10?

Filed under: Aftermarket , Coupe , Performance , Ford 2011 Shelby GT350 at Barrett-Jackson - Click above for high-res image gallery The 2011 Shelby GT350 seemed to have a polarizing effect when it debuted at Barrett-Jackson's opening gala event on Monday night. Some of you loved it and others instantly objected to everything from the looks of the car to the $33,995 price tag that doesn't include the base car. With 500 horsepower from the new 5.0-liter V8, there's no arguing that the 2011 GT350 has plenty of performance potential, but is another $60,000+ Mustang what people really want? The first thing we did when we arrived in Scottsdale last night was to make a bee-line to check out the car in person. We also caught up with Jim Owens, Shelby's Vice President of Marketing and Communications, who talked to us about the car. Follow the jump for what we learned about the 2011 GT350. Gallery: 2011 Shelby GT350 at Barrett-Jackson Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading 2011 Shelby GT350 live at Barrett-Jackson 2011 Shelby GT350 live at Barrett-Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Motorsports , Humor Are the Tunachuckers Wall of Blame material? - Click above for high-res image gallery Rhymes with hall of fame, doesn't it? And yes, the 24 Hours of LeMons Wall of Blame (WoB) is exactly that - a place to forever honor (forever being a relative term) those cars and teams that have made LeMons such a freaky good time. Here's how the lazy fat cats good people at LeMons explains the inspiration for the WoB: "LeMons stuff never lasts: Cars explode or are hauled off by angry wives. Teams break up due to Sawz-All fights and/or prison terms. Brilliant themes become tired after the fifth time around for a Mr. T costume. But starting today, a rarified handful of LeMons over-underachievers will be immortalized forever through the LeMons Wall of Blame. Each inductee will be honored with a plaque made of Chinese lead, to be hung at LeMons HQ next to such other priceless artifacts as the original Noch Einer Schei

Filed under: Legislation and Policy , Middle East Germany did it . America did it . France is still doing it and now Israel is adopting its own version of the cash-for-clunkers program. Just in case 6.44 shekels per liter gasoline ($6.56 per gallon!) wasn't persuasive enough, the Environmental Protection Ministry has begun the first phase of a program that will pay Israelis to give up their old guzzlers. The government is ready to shell out 3,000 shekels ($807 at today's rate) for vehicles that are at least 20 years old with a valid registration license, drivable or not. It is hoped the scheme will remove thousands of unsafe and polluting vehicles from the roads over the next five years and provide materials for recyclers. Although some people claim they hold on to their antiques because new cars are taxed at 83 percent of their purchase price, patient people will be able to take advantage of a reduced 10 percent rate for the electrics that companies such as Renault and BYD have said they will be bringing to that market. By the time they do arrive, Better Place should have a pretty good start on the impressive recharging infrastructure it has started to install . [Source: Green Prophet / Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection | Image: Victor Bezrukov - C.C. License 2.0] Israel hopes to clear air and streets with cash-for-clunkers program originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Coupe , Etc. , UK , Humor , Electric Giant fullsize pickup trucks that are practically capable of pulling an entire city block off its foundations are a uniquely American invention. In most other parts of the world, people somehow find a way to move oversize and overweight objects without the use of 500-plus lb-ft of torque and a bowling-pin size trailer hitch. That said, the sight of an itsy-bitsy G-Wiz electric car towing a double-axle trailer with a 50-foot Christmas tree lashed atop is sure to cause double takes wherever it goes. Such is the case with Greig Howe of Bournemouth, Dorset in the U.K. Howe picked up the massive tree and hauled it 15 miles to his home, making sure that his route took him past his aged grandmother's home with the tree fully done-up with appropriate decorations. For his next trick, Howe cut the tree into thirds and placed them in such a way that it appears as if the fir is bursting through the windows and roof of his six-bedroom home. Which, of course, it sort of is. Nicely done! Thanks for the tip, Robin! [Source: Mail Online ] Electric Holidays: UK man tows 50' Christmas tree with G-Wiz originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Convertible , Performance , UK , Specialty Climax Sports Racer - Click above for high-res image gallery Says Climax Cars of its Sports Racer, "We wanted to produce a radically different type of car that would be dramatically desirable as well as being an out-and-out enthusiast's car." Done and done. Consider us smitten. We love the classically British Jaguar-esque shape and will gladly park one in our Fantasy Garage in an appropriate shade of Racing Green. This latest object of our desire (and we reserve the right to add to our lust list at any given time) packs up to 450 horsepower - courtesy of a supercharged 4.6-liter Ford Racing V8 - in a car that weighs just 1,999 pounds (907 kilograms). That's a power-to-weight ratio of... carry the one, move the decimal point... about 450 horsepower per ton! Acceleration, thy name is Climax Sports Racer. Fully-adjustable double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, ceramic brakes and a six-speed sequential Graziano GT ME1 gearbox ought to ensure suitable track-day performance cred while the expected

Filed under: Coupe , Performance , Mercedes-Benz , Electric The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is nothing if not an exciting car to drive , and the German automaker is reportedly hard at work making sure that the upcoming electric version of the supercar generates the same kind of reaction from its occupants. In an interview with Autocar , AMG head Volker Mornhinweg assures that the EV super coupe is now being tested on the road and will hit all of its targeted performance objectives. The electric M-B SLS AMG will sport four individual electric motors that spin out 525 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque through all four wheels. That's enough grunt to push the gullwinged-supercar from 0 to 60 in four seconds flat. Three separate lithium ion battery packs will assure a range of 110 miles, though all those cells will push weight all the way up to a hefty 4,100 pounds - a full 500 pounds more than the gas-powered version. If you're worried that all those extra pounds will make for a boring drive, don't be. "Effectively being four-wheel-drive does alter its character, but our torque vectoring systems give us opportunities to make it as good," affirms Mornhinweg. "It's important to get the emotional level of an EV right and we have some solutions." We'll have to wait until 2013 to find out for ourselves, at which time the SLS EV will hit the market, possibly for lease only with an unknown asking price. Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Photos copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Autocar ] REPORT: Mercedes-Benz begins road-testing electric SLS supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Chevrolet , Green Daily Chevy Volt and Me song -- Click above to watch the video The Kraft company recently held a competition inviting the public to name its new Vegemite cream cheese spinoff. The name that won, and made it to shelves, was "iSnack 2.0." Really. It took one day of public cacophony to encourage Kraft to change the name to "Cheesybite," but we hear you can still find jars of iSnack 2.0 if you're inclined. Why do we bring this up? Because sometimes we wonder what insights marketers are using to make product roll-out decisions. And what's that got to do with the Chevy Volt ? The Chevy Volt's new theme song, Chevy Volt and Me . In this case, we know what the thought process was. Said the Volt's director of global marketing, Our goal is to craft that education [about the Volt] in a manner that is family friendly (as it should be because we are America's original mass /heart brand), entertaining and simple to understand for a rather sophisticated product. A Volt song helps us to achieve those objectives. 'Chevy Volt and Me' explains what Volt is all about as a better EV in simple friendly terms.