Jalopnik: regulations

Holy Smokey Burnout! GM To Suspend RWD Plans, Wait For Washington To Remove Thumb

Ray Wert — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:05:17 EDT

It's all the government's fault we can't have hoonage here in the land of the stars n' stripes. Or at least that's the argument "Maximum" Bob Lutz makes to Jim Mateja of the Chicago Tribune today for why the General's looking to suspend — err, "pause" — development of RWD platforms. Lutz claims

"It's too late to stop Camaro, but anything after that is questionable or on the bubble," said Lutz, noting that also means Camaro derivatives — along with a big Impala sedan, "if we call it Impala."

Ooh, sorry — what was that about the Impala not being called the Impala? Interesting, but we digress. What it...

...comes down to is

"We don't know how to get 30 percent better mileage from RWD cars."

Got it, so — what's it going to take to get 'er done for all of us out there looking for the rear-wheel action?

"We'll decide on our rear-drive cars when the government decides on CO(-2) levels and CAFE regulations...Carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of burning gas and directly proportional to the amount of fuel burned. If we legislate CO(-2) from cars, why not legislate we take one less breath per minute since humans release capricious amounts of CO(-2) each time they exhale?"

Wait a second — is "Maximum" Bob advocating breathing less? But no Bob, you can't do that — then we'd lose out on all of these priceless quotes. – Ray Wert

GM puts brake on rear-drive vehicles [Chicago Tribune via Winding Road]

No Fun Country! Brit Authority Rules Against Mazda Ad

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:11:38 EDT

The fervor with which Brits protect the commons gives us a warm feeling in our various bits, but we get ornery when they cut too close to our purview. For instance, a UK watchdog group is upholding a complaint against a Mazda print ad for what they feel is a reckless usage of blurring effects and text promoting dangerous driving. We'll let the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) explain themselves:

The ASA considered that the claims "PLEASE REMOVE ALL LOOSE CHANGE", "Hold on tight", "added exhilaration" and "NOW THAT'S ZOOM-ZOOM", together with the image of a moving car against a blurred background, made speed the predominant message of the ad. We concluded that the ad was irresponsible and encouraged fast, aggressive driving and asked Mazda to amend it. We asked them to seek help from the CAP Copy Advice team when devising similar campaigns. The ad breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility), 10.1 (Safety), 48.1, 48.2 and 48.3 (Motoring).

(CAP Copy Advice team? Mr. Orwell, call the front desk.) Mazda pointed out the ad was meant to convey a sensation similar to that a driver would experience in a roadster designed to be fun to drive, but was slapped down by the schoolmarms that be. And we thought dealing with the insurance lobby was tough.

Mazda Slapped for MX-5 Ad [Pistonheads]

Upside-Down Game!: New Mileage Regulations Could Lead to Bigger SUVs

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 08:32:00 EDT

Holy loophole shift. Government regulators' new fuel-efficency requirements for SUVs could force the size of such trucks upward, say some critics quoted by AutoWeek. The larger the vehicle, they say, the lower the mandated mileage standard, giving incentive to automakers that build larger SUVs. One example given is the Hummer H3, which at its current size would have to meet a four-mpg increase by 2011, but with an extra two inches of track width and four inches of wheelbase could decrease by 1 mpg and still meet the target. Do you ever get the feeling federal bureaucrats got their degrees from Opposite School?

Compliance Question [AutoWeek]

Related:
GM Admits Large-SUV Market Is Past Its Peak [internal]

Jaguar XK Designer Defends Weak Mug

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:53:28 EDT

Thanks to its muscular haunches and hearty flanks, it's almost impossible to find a bad viewing angle of Jaguar's new XK. Meet it dead-on, however, and a sad baby-seal face heaves into sight unexpectedly, spoiling the sexy mood. AutoWeek spoke with designer Ian Callum, who staunchly defends his design, but blames U.S. and European government regulations, particularly pedestrian-safety laws, for the sculptural buzz kill. As for the oval grille, don't even think of mentioning the words "Ford Taurus."

Jaguar chief designer says government regulations hindered redesign of new XK [internal]

Why Is the EPA Delaying a Report on Vehicle Fuel Economy?

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 17:57:27 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being criticized for holding back a report that indicates a significant drop in the fuel efficency of US automakers' vehicles, just as Congress prepares a final vote on an energy bill that's taken six years to get to the floor. The agency had scheduled the report for publication yesterday, but delayed its release — not before sending one off to the New York Times. (Note to the EPA's communications department: Nice one!)

According to the Times, the report indicates companies are making liberal (heh heh) use of loopholes in regulations to build vehicles that are far less fuel-efficient, on average, than they were in the late 1980s. The report also acknowledges that "fuel economy is directly related to energy security," an important consideration when consumers' cars and trucks account for 40% of oil consumption in the US.

U.S. agency delays report on saving fuel [The International Herald Tribune]