Autoblog

Toyota 4Runner still drives after being crushed by tree [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Safety, Videos, Toyota, Off-Road

Disaster can strike just about anywhere, but the likelihood - and severity - often increases the further you are from civilization. That's what one couple in Washington State found out when they went camping with their Toyota 4Runner along the Barlow Pass in the northern Cascade mountains.

When a storm approached they sought shelter, but fortunately didn't hide inside their Toyota. A hundred-foot-tall hickory tree fell on it, crushing the back portion of the SUV. With emergency and park services apparently refusing to help, it took them a while to get a few friends out their with chainsaws to cut the tree away from the Toyota. But once they did, they were astonished to find the truck not only started, but drove them back into town where they were able to call for a tow.

Of course, the truck was virtually irreparable, but the very fact that it got them to safety after being crushed by a giant tree has the owners looking at another 4Runner - and with good reason. Are we surprised by the Toyota's fortitude? After that now-legendary Top Gear Hilux abusefest, nothing surprises us.

Scroll down to watch a video of the crumpled Toyota in action, then follow the link to the forum for more images.

Continue reading Toyota 4Runner still drives after being crushed by tree [w/video]

Toyota 4Runner still drives after being crushed by tree [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM says Washington State's proposed electric car fee has "no merit" [w/poll]

Autoblog Staff — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Earnings/Financials, Electric

General Motors has gone on record to oppose a Washington State bill that would impose a fee of $100 per year on electric-vehicle drivers.

GM Regional Director Howard Lenox, Jr. wrote a letter on March 6 to Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire stating that the automaker, which makes the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid, is against such a bill. The state is proposing the fee as a way for EV drivers to compensate for the gas taxes that they otherwise wouldn't be paying. The letter was posted on GM's The Future Is Electric blog.

"A fee which singles out electric vehicles will be a disincentive to the growth of the electric vehicle market in Washington State," Lenox wrote in the letter. "As a practical matter, there are so few vehicles on Washington's roads today that their impact in replacing fuel tax revenues will, for now, be negligible."

While drivers of the Volt actually wouldn't be subject to such a fee because its onboard generator is gas-powered, GM appears to be looking ahead as the automaker looks to electrify more of its fleet to meet more stringent greenhouse-gas emissions requirements.

Last month, Washington State passed Senate Bill 5251, which was introduced by Mary Haugen, the Senate's transportation committee chairwoman. The fee, which is subject to a vote by the state's House of Representatives, is estimated to add as much as $1.9 million to the state's coffers by 2017. Arizona, Oregon and Kansas are among other states looking at instituting fees that specifically target electric vehicle drivers.

What do you think, should states enact taxes on EVs to recover lost gas tax revenue? Vote in our poll below, then have your say in Comments.

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GM says Washington State's proposed electric car fee has "no merit" [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shelby SuperCars working toward new Washington state factory

Noah Joseph — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, MISC

So many independent supercar operations have disappeared as fast as they've sprung up. But Shelby SuperCars is out to make a name for itself. Not only did the upstart manage to challenge the likes of Koenigsegg and Bugatti for top-speed supremacy with its Ultimate Aero, but now it's coming back with its stunning new Tuatara.

While the Ultimate Aero has been built at a combination of facilities in California, Arizona and Washington State, SSC is apparently planning one central location to build the slippery Tuatara, details of which have just begun to arrive from local news media.

A 27,300-square-foot facility is being proposed in West Richland, Washington - the same city where the company is currently based - on a four-acres plot currently owned by the municipal government. The location would include manufacturing, a sales showroom and office space.

The local city council is set to vote on the proposal that would seek a $830,000 grant from the state government in order to develop the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the project that would, over the course of the next five years, create 54 new jobs.

Shelby SuperCars working toward new Washington state factory originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington State Troopers remind motorists that the left lane is for passing

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

The percentage of motorists who really understand the basic tenets of driving vary from state to state. In some areas of the country, hogging the left lane is a vile offense, yet drivers in other parts of the country use it as they see fit. This is incorrect, and it's also quite frustrating to the other motorists that understand the rules of the road. In an effort to remind drivers that the left lane is for passing, Washington state troopers pulled over 223 left-lane ignorati for ignoring the law.

The police ended up letting 199 drivers off with just a warning. We hope that warning serves as a lesson to make the driver more aware of the rules of the road. Now, if they could just start enforcing this more stringently throughout the rest of the country...

Washington State Troopers remind motorists that the left lane is for passing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington county may ban car washing at home

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Green

If residents in several cities in Clark County, Washington want to get their cars clean, they could soon be forced to do it at retail car washes. According to an employee at the Washington state Department of Ecology, the state wants "people to make the connection of 'what goes on the street goes into the creek.'" And soapy car wash residue is something they don't want in the creek.

The state wants the cities to come up with a way to keep any water that isn't rain water from getting into the environment without being treated. The cities, about a dozen in all, say that's crazy, and have threatened to sue the state for trying to enact measures that exceed federal Clean Water Act.

The state suggests that if people still want to clean their cars, that they don't use soap with phosphorus, and wash their cars on gravel or grass where the water will be filtered by the soil. That's ironic, because part of the state's measure also requires sprinkler water to be captured and treated. Residents could always try the state's other option: don't use soap at all.

[Source: Next Autos, Photo CC | Credit: Koop]

Washington county may ban car washing at home originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OMG! Washington first state to ban text messaging while driving

John Neff — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

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]

OMG! Washington first state to ban text messaging while driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 May 2007 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Gates' Porsche 959 to become enemy of the state

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Porsche

The "Show or Display" exemption that was enacted under Bill Clinton's tenure as president has been a godsend for collectors and enthusiasts who love certain European and Asian vehicles that were never officially certified for U.S. road use, cars like the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110, Jaguar XJ220, Maserati MC12, Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM and GTR, and the Porsche 959. These are incredible cars that were never designed for American roads, and in turn needed some official "help" to get to these shores.

Some wealthy owners had taken it upon themselves to import these cars for their own collections even before the Show or Display legislation went into effect. Jerry Seinfeld was one of the first people to get a Porsche 959. He was joined by Microsoft partners Paul Allen and Bill Gates. Gates, in particular, was glad when the Show or Display went into effect so he didn't have to worry so much about blasting around Seattle in his Porsche supercar. Well, his days of no motoring worries may be over.

As part of an "environmental crackdown" in his home state of Washington, the Show or Display vehicles may lose their exemption. Governor Chris Gregoire is looking at ways to cut pollution and a prime target are catalytic converter-free cars like these exempted vehicles and their "gross emissions." Although Gates had recently joked that, "my Porsche days may be coming to a close," that was due to his wife Melinda's concerns more than any foreseen legislative problems. According to this Australian IT article, Bill's friends seem to think "he will not surrender his right to drive the 959 without a fight." Having seen a few of these in action over the years, we hope that cooler heads prevail and they work out a compromise.

[Source: Australian IT via Digg]

Bill Gates' Porsche 959 to become enemy of the state originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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