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Report: GM to unveil new SUVs at the State Fair of Texas?

Filed under: SUV, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

With General Motors just having rolled out its new fullsize truck twins – the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra – for 2014, now it seems to be time to focus on its big SUVs. The Truth About Cars is reporting that the 2015 Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and 2015 GMC Yukon lineup will be making their debuts later next month at the State Fair of Texas, which kicks off on September 27.

To date, we’ve only seen spy shots of the new Chevy and GMC SUVs (shown above in Yukon XL guise). Based on those spies both trucks seem to be taking a different styling direction than their pickup truck counterparts – just check out the Ford-looking headlight design on the next-gen Chevys.

We reached out to GM for comment and heard back simply that there is no official announcement about the new Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon. Still, the report definitely makes a solid leap of logic, as Texas is a top market for GM’s fullsize SUV lineup. It also appears that GM is still planning a separate launch for the next-gen Cadillac Escalade.

GM to unveil new SUVs at the State Fair of Texas? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York state legislature fails to address anti-Tesla EV bill

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

Tesla Motors service bay with Model S in red and white

A surprise pair of bills in the New York State Assembly that would have narrowly targeted Tesla Motors and its direct-to-customer sales model has been put in neutral. The State Assembly ended the 2013 legislative session Friday without taking action on the bill and, since the lawmakers will not reconvene until January, it is effectively dormant for now.

Tesla said that had the bill passed, it would have had to close its stores and stop operations in New York, which is why Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a personal interest in the situation when it hit the headlines late last week. Once the bill was stopped, Musk tweeted, “The kill Tesla bill in NY was stopped in the 11th hour due to public outcry. Am super grateful to everyone who helped.”

Behind the scenes, Automotive News reports that there were attempts at dealmaking that Tesla turned down. The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association said it would allow Tesla’s existing New York stores (all three of them) to keep operating but would not allow new stores to open. Tesla turned down the deal. A Republican sponsor of the bill also offered to put in a Tesla exception, so as not to “adversely impact any business operating in the state of New York,” Senator Lee Zeldin told AN.

The president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, Mark Schienberg, told AN that Tesla should just set up dealers like other automakers (something Musk has explained is a bad idea) and that Musk has “just chosen that he’d rather not follow any of the rules and regulations and standards that each state has, and that’s why there’s a pushback right now.”

The “pushback” here was started when the New York dealers association filed a suit against Tesla in late 2012. The NY State Supreme Court ruled this year that they did not have a claim to file suit. With this case and more pushback in Texas and Massachusetts and other states, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if this issue goes national at some point.

New York state legislature fails to address anti-Tesla EV bill originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Oklahoma man allowed to sue state over native american rain god on license plate

Filed under: Government/Legal

License plates can be great ways for states to show off their history, but as Oklahoma has realized, they can create some drama, too. In this case, Keith Cressman is attempting to sue the state over the depiction of the “Sacred Arrow Rain” sculpture used on the official Oklahoma license plates.

This sculpture shows a Native American warrior shooting an arrow at the sky in the hopes of a rain god bringing rain, and Cressman, who is identified as a Christian, feels this is a violation of his First Amendment rights because he is forced either to display an image he finds offensive or pay extra money for a plate he finds more acceptable. The state does issue an “In God We Trust” license plate, but at an initial cost of $18 and an annual renewal fee of $16.50).

Cressman’s case was originally dismissed in 2012 at the district court level, but that dismissal was reversed earlier this week by the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals because it felt the license plate constituted an act of compelled speech. Thus, the case itself is far from decided, but Mr. Cressman has now been granted permission to pursue it.

Of course, license plates are no stranger to controversy, particularly when it comes to people being offended by what’s on them. Offense is most often generated by vanity plates that display something others don’t want to read, like the case of this bean-curd-loving Tennessee woman who wasn’t allowed to display a plate reading “ILOVETOFU,” or this Georgian man whose gay pride was too hot for the state to handle. Rarer, though, are cases like Cressman’s in which the state itself comes under fire for what’s on a license plate, but it’s not unheard of – Mississippi came under fire in 2011 for just considering a license plate honoring controversial KKK leader and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Oklahoma man allowed to sue state over native american rain god on license plate originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:58:00 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

Filed under: Etc.

police in side view mirror

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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State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos

State Farm driver feedback app

State Farm Driver Feedback app for the iPhone – Click above to watch video after the jump

Somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind is the desire, surely Freudian, that “I’d like more input and feedback on how I drive, even to the grocery store.” Or, at least, State Farm believes that’s how some of you feel since it has just released a Driver Feedback app for the iPhone that will give you just that.

Invoking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Farm says, “Three of the riskiest driving behaviors are hard acceleration, hard deceleration, and hard swerves.” Using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer the app will keep track of the trip and how hard or soft your acceleration, braking and cornering and then issues a score for each category. The complete game-ification of safe driving means that you can also compare your trips and scores, and share with others.

We aren’t sure what the criteria are for measuring Light vs. Moderate vs. Severe actions, but if anyone must know it’s State Farm… right? If you need more convincing, check out the short video after the jump.

Us? Well, let’s just say we remain… unconvinced.

[Source: State Farm via cnet]

Continue reading State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autobahn to get speed limits in Porsche’s home state?

Filed under: Government/Legal, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche

Coat of Arms of Baden-Wuerttemberg

Voters in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, home to both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, have elected the Green Party to power, and that change may end up being felt on the Autobahn. Automotive News reports that one of the promises made by the Greens was to implement a speed cap of 120 km/h (74.5 mph) on stretches of the Autobahn that are currently unrestricted.

According to Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche, speed limits aren’t good for business, noting that buyers from other countries view the Autobahn as part of the company’s formula for developing high-performing vehicles. “We’re well advised to maintain the Autobahn sections that don’t have a speed limit,” says Zetsche.

The new political leadership doesn’t see things that way. Winfried Kretschmann, who could soon be named State Premier, says the Autobahn contributes 30 percent of the area’s emissions. On the Green Party’s website, Kretschmann points the finger at the transportation, saying that the sector “has to make a contribution of its own to reduce this gas that’s harmful to the environment.”

[Source: Automotive News sub. req.]

Autobahn to get speed limits in Porsche’s home state? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Last Texan: Nissan Juke named CUV of the Lone Star State

Filed under: Crossover, Hatchback, Nissan

2011 Nissan Juke – Click above for high-res image gallery

We told you yesterday about a whole slew of awards doled out by the Texas Auto Writers Association, but we missed one. The 2011 Nissan Juke has earned the nod as as this year’s CUV of Texas. The gaggle of Lone Star writers that hopped behind the seat cited the vehicle’s interesting styling and engaging driving experience as the top-ranking reasons for the high-riding hatch’s win. Of course, we’re pretty big fans of the 32 miles per gallon (highway) that the 188-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo-four turns out, and the super-trick HVAC controls are worth a win in our book, too. Still, we can’t help but be a bit surprised that historically conservative Texas would recognize such an otherworldly looking machine. We’re guessing that a healthy contingent of the jury comes from “Keep it Weird” Austin, and that’s just fine by us.

Nissan says that the TAWA will present the automaker a trophy at its award ceremony on November 12 at Space Center Houston. Seems only fitting for a CUV that looks like it could have spent its formative years roaming the surface of Mars. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke: First Drive

[Source: Nissan]

One Last Texan: Nissan Juke named CUV of the Lone Star State originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Motorcyclist wins taping case against Maryland state police

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Motorcycle

Anthony Graber meets the Maryland State Police – Click above to watch video after the jump

Score one for the good guys. Not that we think police in general are bad guys or anything, but after watching this video of a Maryland state trooper jumping out of his unmarked car in plain clothes while brandishing a gun, we’re not exactly keen to put him in the good guy category, either.

In any case, Anthony Graber, a man who was out shooting video of his (not exactly completely legal) motorcycling exploits when he was confronted by the aforementioned officer, was charged with felony wiretapping for recording the state trooper’s actions when being pulled over.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Judge Emory A. Pitt Jr. has thrown out the wiretapping charge, leaving Graber only to answer for his traffic violations. Why? Common sense, it would seem, has prevailed. The judge ruled that police officers shouldn’t have an expectation of privacy when engaged in a traffic stop. He said, in part:

Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public. When we exercise that power in public fora, we should not expect our actions to be shielded from public observation.

Reacquaint yourself with the completely legal video after the break. Hat tips to Jason and Tom!

[Sources: Baltimore Sun, Slashdot]

Continue reading Followup: Motorcyclist wins taping case against Maryland state police

Followup: Motorcyclist wins taping case against Maryland state police originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ohio State University’s Buckeye Bullet claims another electric speed record

Filed under: Motorsports, Specialty, Electric

2010 Ohio State University Buckeye Bullet – Click above for high-res image gallery

As they have for the past several years, the kids from Ohio State University made the trek out to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this month to see how fast they could go without emitting any pollutants. The Buckeye Bullet has always been electrically driven, but in past years the juice for the motors was provided by hydrogen fuel cells. In 2009, a fuel cell-powered Bullet set an FIA two-way land speed record of 300.992 miles per hour. This year, OSU has teamed up with Venturi, the Monaco-based maker of very few electric vehicles, and transformed the Buckeye Bullet 2 into a test mule for an all-new 2011 car.

The fuel cells have now been replaced by lithium-ion batteries from A123 Systems and, after several days of aborted runs and wind-storms, the team finally got in two clean passes Monday afternoon. On the first run, the Bullet traversed the flying mile at 286 miles per hour. After repacking the parachute and turning the car around, the students watched as the car sped by in the opposite direction at 297 mph for a two-way average of 291 mph and, yet again, a new battery-powered vehicle record.

Gallery: 2010 OSU Buckeye Bullet

[Source: BangShift]

Ohio State University’s Buckeye Bullet claims another electric speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Irony Police: State Farm releases texting app to curb distracted driving [w/video]

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos

State Farm On The Move Android App

State Farm On The Move Android App – Click above to view the video after the jump

Android geeks have been using a combination of GPS and the Tasker app to let contacts know when they can’t (or won’t) accept text messages or calls (driving, in a movie, etc.). It’s some slick software, but the barrier of entry is a little high for the average smartphone user. So to make things more accessible – and reduce a few claims in the process – auto insurer State Farm has released its own Android application that automatically responds to text messages while on the move.

The combination app/widget provides canned responses or allows users to write a custom message that’s sent anytime they enable the app. Just activate the app and when a text comes in, the program automatically responds so you can keep yours eyes on the road and your hands off the phone.

The app is a free download from Android Market, but for the time being, it’s only available on Google-powered smartphones, with the possibility of iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile versions on the horizon. Hit the jump for the full details and a video of the app in action.

[Source: State Farm]

Continue reading Irony Police: State Farm releases texting app to curb distracted driving [w/video]

Irony Police: State Farm releases texting app to curb distracted driving [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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