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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Tesla Motors, Legislation and Policy

Tesla store with Model S on display

In what could be an important step in taking Tesla Motors’ fight with various state auto dealer organizations nationwide, a grassroots petition is calling on the White House to let Tesla Motors sell cars directly to customers. The petition was started by a “K.S.” in Stow, MA (CNET identifies him as a fan named Ken). The petition says “state legislators are trying to unfairly protect automobile dealers in their states from competition,” and that Tesla offers that competition, “which is good for consumers.”

While dealer groups in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts have suffered setbacks in their attempts to stop Tesla, Texas does prohibit the electric vehicle automaker from offering test drives of vehicle deliveries in that state because all new vehicles there need to be sold through a licensed third-party.

So far, over 18,500 people have signed the petition, but the target is 100,000 by July 5 to force the White House to respond. You can read the petition text below and decide whether or not you wish to sign over at the We The People site. If the petition gets attention from the Obama administration, that still doesn’t mean Tesla will be in the clear, since dealer organizations have decades of experience influencing local governments. As CNBC says, “For many legislators, the message is clear: protect the local auto dealers, and you protect the economy in your district.”

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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

Filed under: SUV, Nissan, Reviews, Off-Road

A Bonafide SUV That Refuses To Be CUV-ified

2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X – Click above for high-res image gallery

There was a time when body-on-frame SUVs dominated American roads, with nearly every major automaker offering some kind of four-wheeling fighter to suburbia’s off-road pretenders. Nissan was no different, and at its peak in 2000, the eminently capable Xterra sold some 88,000 copies – the same year our colleagues at Motor Trend crowned it Sport Utility of the Year.

But unlike so many hardened off-roaders that have evolved into unibody crossovers, the Xterra has soldiered on nearly unchanged since its refresh in 2005. And according to our sources, this latest variant – the Pro-4X – could be the last of an orphaned breed. We got our hands on Nissan’s most capable SUV for a week of highway drudgery, big-box shopping and even a little time off the beaten path to find out if it deserves to live on.

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Gallery: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X: Review

2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

Continue reading Review: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

Review: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Pro wakeboarders jump floating Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback

Filed under: Videos, Crossover, Mitsubishi

Click above to watch the video after the jump

When we think of the best possible ways to market a vehicle, somehow placing it on a floating platform and letting wakeboarders jump over it just doesn’t crack the top 10. That didn’t stop Mitsubishi from offering up an all-new Lancer Ralliart Sportback for All-ActionSports.com’s mid-week wake up. Wakeboarders from all over the U.S. lined up to hit a ramp at full speed, jump over ten feet in the air while flipping and flopping over the Mitsubishi wagon.

Hit the jump to watch the skiing daredevils take on water, gravity and the Sportback at the same time.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Pro wakeboarders jump floating Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback

Video: Pro wakeboarders jump floating Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auction Action: Steve Saleen’s pre-pro Ford GT up for grabs in Monterey

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Ford, Celebrities

Steve Saleen’s Ford GT Prototype – Click above for image gallery

Steve Saleen has apparently gotten it in his mind to auction off his personal Ford GT. While we’re not exactly ones to go all star-crossed over a vehicle’s ownership history, this particular car is more than a plain vanilla GT with Saleen’s name on the title. In fact, the car was never titled at all because it’s the fifth of nine prototype vehicles built before GT production got off of the ground in 2005. The car started life dipped in yellow, but received the blue on white treatment at some later point in history.

If the paint doesn’t do anything for you, the fact that the car reportedly wears a hand-built twin-screw supercharger should. Supposedly, Saleen’s GT was the only of the nine prototypes to receive the blessing of forced induction. The car currently has 4,000 miles on the odometer thanks to a lengthy stint in PR and a few movie appearances in the likes of The Fast and the Furious and Rocky Balboa – that’s got to be worth something, right?

If Saleen’s supercar sounds like something you wouldn’t mind sticking in the garage, you’ll need to check out the Russo and Steele auction at Monterey this weekend.

Gallery: Steve Saleen’s Ford GT Prototype

[Source: Russo and Steele via Automobile]

Auction Action: Steve Saleen’s pre-pro Ford GT up for grabs in Monterey originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Toyota Tacoma gets sweet-looking TRD T|X and T|X Pro packages

Filed under: Truck, Toyota, Off-Road

2011 Toyota Tacoma TRD T|X Pro – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’re like us, you’d probably do all manner of unspeakable acts to be able to call the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor your very own. Unfortunately, FoMoCo isn’t in the business of accepting black market kidneys as payment, which has left us without a desert stomping pickup in the driveway. Fortunately, Toyota has come out of left field with a stopgap savior in the form of its new 2011 Tacoma T|X and T|X Pro models. The packages are built around the T|X concept from the 2009 SEMA show, and pack much of the hardware we saw on that particular show truck.

Both packages are available on the Tacoma V6 Access Cab or Double Cab Prerunner models that are equipped with the TRD off-road package. In addition to the sweet electronic locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks and BFGoodrich Rugged Trail rubber, the T|X package throws in 16-inch blacked-out beadlock wheels and black tube side steps among other good-looking pieces. Step it up to the T|X Pro, and you’re also rewarded with a TRD cat-back exhaust.

Both trims cost $1,699 and represent a savings of over $700 compared to if you’d simply raided the TRD catalog yourself. The T|X and T|X Pro packages may not put you on the same level as Ford’s mad hatter, but it’s a start. Hit the jump for the press release and check out our massive gallery below.

Gallery: Toyota Tacoma TRD T|X Pro

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading 2011 Toyota Tacoma gets sweet-looking TRD T|X and T|X Pro packages

2011 Toyota Tacoma gets sweet-looking TRD T|X and T|X Pro packages originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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