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Filed under: Government/Legal , Jaguar , Land Rover , Earnings/Financials , UK , Tata Land Rover LRX Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery Ratan Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) expecting to pick them up and help them fly. Instead, as with...
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Filed under: Etc. , Government/Legal , Earnings/Financials , Lifestyle Virginia lawmakers are taking a metaphorical battering ram to suburban cul-de-sacs, those little dead-end roundabouts that are almost all adorned with a yellow sign saying "No Outlet." Caught out by spiraling maintenance and development costs, the Washington Post reports that legislators are now mandating that the state will only maintain new subdivision roadways that meet its revised requirements for narrower dimensions and increased connectivity. That maintenance includes not only things like pothole patches and striping, but also plowing in winter, meaning that the state's new laws will carry very real consequences for planners and developers who choose not to comply. The rise of cul-de-sacs occurred when suburban city planners and private developers decided it was better to have a few roads act as central spines instead of connecting all roads in a grid. Unfortunately, the result has been that the large...
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Filed under: Government/Legal , Chrysler, LLC. , FIAT , UAW/Unions According to The Detroit News , the United Auto Workers is giving its blessings to a potential Chrysler-Fiat tie-up. Chrysler honcho Bob Nardelli earlier pegged the possible union as a $10 billion bonanza for Chrysler, since the Pentastar would save money on developing a range of platforms, engines, and cars. The UAW's interest is, of course, the job savings: the partnership has been said to be worth 5,000 jobs that might otherwise be lost. But with current timelines, the question is where Chrysler and the UAW will be by the time such a partnership gets to the next stage. Fiat expects to complete its due diligence of Chrysler by the end of this month. But by that time, Chrysler will need to have secured concessions from the UAW and bondholders in order to get additional money from the U.S. government. Whether it will get the concessions from both parties - and what the government will do when it comes time to write a...
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Filed under: Car Buying , China , Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing China is determined to raise its annual domestic car sales to 10 million units this year, and also wants sales to grow by another 10% every year for the next three years. It aims to achieve those numbers with a comprehensive investment in the company's transportation sector, beginning with merging China's 14 major automaking groups into ten. Doing so, they say, will help the development of new products and seriously slash costs in overlap. The government's long term vision of the auto landscape in China would be three large automakers selling more than two million vehicles per year and at least four smaller groups selling above a million. To insure that they all have buyers, Chinese authorities will buy more Chinese cars, subsidize rural purchasers with 5 billion yuan ($732 million) in subsidies, offer rebates to those trading in used cars for new ones, eliminate road tolls and expand urban infrastructure...
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Filed under: Trends , Euro , Government/Legal , Earnings/Financials The European Union made noises last year about having the WTO verify that the U.S. auto industry assistance package doesn't violate any international trade rules. Now French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will ask the World Trade Organization to stick their hands into the matter. Critics suggest that this could be a diversionary tactic - Sarkozy himself was accused of violating trade rules with his proposed assistance to Renault and PSA Peugeot/Citroen. Or it could be a way to see if both the proposed French and U.S. proposals will pass the WTO test. Either way, Sarkozy and other European heads of state will meet to plan a Europe-wide response to the auto industry situation, as the E.U. continues to mull whether to bring a formal appeal to the WTO regarding the United States' bailout package. [Source: Automotive News Europe , sub req'd. | Image: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty] France's Sarkozy urges verification...
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Filed under: Trends , Euro , Government/Legal , Earnings/Financials The European Union made noises last year about having the WTO verify that the U.S. auto industry assistance package doesn't violate any international trade rules. Now French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will ask the World Trade Organization to stick their hands into the matter. Critics suggest that this could be a diversionary tactic - Sarkozy himself was accused of violating trade rules with his proposed assistance to Renault and PSA Peugeot/Citroen. Or it could be a way to see if both the proposed French and U.S. proposals will pass the WTO test. Either way, Sarkozy and other European heads of state will meet to plan a Europe-wide response to the auto industry situation, as the E.U. continues to mull whether to bring a formal appeal to the WTO regarding the United States' bailout package. [Source: Automotive News Europe , sub req'd. | Image: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty] France's Sarkozy urges verification...
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Filed under: Etc. , Government/Legal , Tech To aid in the fight against counterfeiting, Virginia is combining new tech with old: lasers and black & white photography. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has ceased issuing licenses made from layers of plastic, replacing them with cards that use neither layers nor photographs. The new licenses have a color background, but the photographs are laser etched in black-and-white since lasers can't yet etch in color. The new IDs also sport a bit of microprinting and a transparent second picture, behind which is the person's name in some squiggly print. It's not the prettiest driver's license in the world, but if it helps you hold onto your identity, that's got to count for something. It also gives someone in the DMV purchasing department a chance to say "I've been looking for a good reason to buy a laser..." [Source: The Associated Press via NBCWashington.com ] VA driver's licenses going black-and...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Government/Legal , Audi , Police/Emergency Switzerland, the same country whimsical enough to bring us yodeling and cuckoo clocks, takes a decidedly draconian approach when it comes to speeding. Speeding that would get you a stern talking to and a big ticket in the U.S. will get you three days in jail , a 1,000 Swiss franc fine (about $850 USD), and a fine of 20% to 35% of your net monthly salary. To watch over the potentially speeding populace, the Swiss police have added a raft of Audi S4s with laser radar to their arsenals. The black Audis with the tinted windows can detect your speed while they are driving behind you, in the opposing direction, or parked by the side of the road. If you're going to take a spin in the canton, save your wild abandon for the chocolate, restrain yourselves on the roads. Hat tip to Jerome! Gallery: Swiss unmarked Audi S4 radar cars [Source: Car Platform ] Switzerland using fleet of undercover Audi S4s with high-tech...
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