Autoblog

After wiping the egg off his face for approving legislation earlier this year that banned cell phone use yet still allowed texting behind the wheel, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hurriedly signed legislation today banning drivers from sending, writing, or reading messages on electronic devices. If you are one of those text-messaging morons in the fast lane, no need to worry as the law doesn't go into effect until January. Even when it does, the fine for a first offense is only $20 (what, a mere 5 gallons of gas?), and the second offense is just $50. Considering it is still legal to type in a phone number on a keypad while driving... um, we haven't the foggiest idea on how they are going to actually enforce this law in the first place.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]

If you're of the opinion that the religious right has too much influence on American politics, you should check out Saudi Arabia. The royal family has relied for decades on the support of fundamentalist Wahabi clerics who, in return for their support to the ibn Saud regime, have insisted on ever more stringent laws. Among those measures has been a strict ban prohibiting women from driving that has been in effect for 75 years since the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, but the Saudi government is finally preparing to lift the ban.

The government decision reportedly stems from an effort to placate a mounting women's lib movement, whose activists have been mounting rolling demonstrations by leading convoys of women driving around in the kingdom despite the law prohibiting them from obtaining driver's licenses or automobile insurance. According to the Saudi government, the ban will be lifted by the end of the year. Critics point out, however, that previous government commitments towards reform have not been met.

[Source: The Daily Telegraph via Instapundit, Photo by HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty]

The latest in Porsche-Volkswagen relations is that the sports car maker has contingencies in place to raise its stake in the VW Group, but at this point is not planning an outright takeover.

As you may recall, when Porsche recently increased its ownership in Volkswagen AG, it was bound by German law to make an offer to purchase controlling interest. The offer Porsche submitted to Volkswagen shareholders was purposely low because Porsche didn't want to fully take over Volkswagen.

That law is now on the verge of being repealed, leaving the door open for Porsche to further increase its stake, but that doesn't mean that it will automatically take the opportunity to further entrench the anschluss between the two companies founded by Ferdinand Porsche. If, however, Porsche's position on the Volkswagen board is threatened, it could increase its stake up to 50-percent without any further bureaucracy and legal issues, but for now it plans on staying where it is.

[Source: Reuters]

If you're travelling down I-90 in Washington State and texting your BFF on a CrackBerry, then you might want to put it down. Washington has become the first U.S. state in the union to ban text messaging while driving. The legislation against driving while texting (henceforth to be known as the dreaded DWT) was rolled into a similar measure against talking on one's cell phone without using a hands-free device, a regulation many cities and states have already adopted.

Washington Gov. Christine Gegoire signed the measures into Washington state law last Friday (she was reportedly flanked by children injured from car accidents involving cell phone distractions). Like many laws of this sort, the po-po can't pull you over if they spot you Twittering away in the driver's seat. You need to be caught doing something worse, like swerving across the center line, to get pulled over. If Officer Roscoe P. Coltrain spots a warm Qwerty riding shotgun though, you'll likely be nailed with a $124 fine. If that happens, you won't be LOL.

[Source: Seattle Times]

Toyota has been eying a takeover of Fuji Heavy Industries – Subaru's parent company – for some time now. When General Motors ditched its 20 percent stake in Fuji back in October 2005, Toyota snapped up 8.7 percent and the two have been undertaking a series of joint ventures since.

But that wasn't nearly enough for the Toyota Motor giant that's getting closer and closer to the #1 global automaker spot with each passing day. An acquisition of Subaru would bring them even closer, if only they could.

Continues after the jump.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Despite telling us back in January that its Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC would be compliant with emissions standards in all 50 states, DaimlerChrysler has announced that it has not reached that goal and the vehicle will only be sold in 45 states when it goes on sale this fall. The five states in which the E320 BLUETEC will not be sold include California, Maine, Massachussets, New York and Vermont. The high emissions standards required by these five states represent a major hurdle for any manufacturer that plans to introduce diesels-powered light-duty vehicles in the U.S. If DaimlerChrysler, a vocal proponent of diesel in the U.S., couldn't meet their requirements, we're certain it will be at least a year or two for other automakers to either convert their current diesel engines or develop all-new ones to meet the stiff requirements.

An E320 BLUTEC prototype tested by the EPA in 2004 narrowly missed meeting the EPA's new Tier 2 Bin 5 standard for 50-state compliance. When the car does arrive it will use an NOx absorber to reduce the output of the harmful emissions. Future BLUETEC models will use a urea-based injection system, which the EPA has yet to approve and regulate but promises to do so soon. Urea-based injection technology appears to be the best solution for getting diesels on U.S. soil as fast as possible, but the EPA has concerns over adding another fluid to vehicles that needs to be actively checked and refilled by the driver.

[Source: Green Car Congress]

Senators in California are close to passing a bill that would prohibit smoking in vehicles carrying children who are required by law to ride in a child seat. The bill proposed by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) recently received a 23-14 vote that sent it back to the Assembly, and with our underdeveloped comprehension of state politics we can't really tell you how close that means the bill is to landing on the Governator's desk, but we think it's pretty close. And to think I was freaked out when I last visited California because I couldn't light up in a bowling alley. A bowling alley!

Proponents argue that the bill is an attempt to "protect the health of children who cannot protect themselves." We'll let that one go because we're sure you'll pick it up in the comments, but we will point out something else from the linked article, which is that on the same day the smoking ban was approved the California Senate shot down an alternative fuel bill. This bill would require that at least half of the vehicles sold in California be classified as clean-running alternative vehicles by 2020.

Why bring up both bills? Well, because it seems like the smoking ban bill is something that can be easily passed and forgotten about until election time, whereas the alternative fuel bill, which would join a host of other strict California emissions laws, would be a logistical nightmare. It would no doubt infuriate the auto industry to no end, which does still have some political clout in this country, as we're sure it's getting tired of the Golden State single-handedly setting this nation's environmental policy when it comes to autos.

Thanks for tip, James!

[Source: Mercury News]

Four US Senators took to the microphone yesterday to accuse Detroit of "stonewalling" and "getting into a bunker mentality" when it comes to providing vehicles with better fuel economy. Dianne Feinstein, Dick Durbin, Olympia Snowe, and Lincoln Chafee are sponsoring a bill they call "Ten in Ten" that would call for increasing the fleetwide Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) to 37 MPG by 2017 - trucks and all. Also included is a requirement for on-board mileage displays by 2013. The proposal is said to save up to 2.5M barrels of oil each day. Manufacturers who could not comply with the new standards would be allowed to purchase credits from those who exceed the fleet mileage requirements.

Chrysler's VP of communications Jason Vines has already fired back, stating that the proposal isn't technically feasible and that automakers would already be making mainstream vehicles with better fuel economy if they could. Toyota's Jo Cooper also voiced concerns about the proposal, stating that the increased requirements don't "sound like much, but that's a huge leap forward".

[Source: Detroit News]