Regulation

Hyundai to take 'global action' to fix brake light switch

April 4, 2013 06:01 CET
Hyundai and its affiliate, Kia, will take "global action" to fix a potentially faulty brake light switch, after they said they planned to recall almost 1.9 million cars in the United States. The move may mean the world's fifth-biggest automaker ends up recalling even more vehicles than that number, Hyundai's U.S. record, and is a stark warning that it may have sacrificed quality standards for rapid expansion.... Read More »

 

Opel says crash test shows new refrigerant is safe

April 4, 2013 06:01 CET
Opel has found no evidence in a crash test on its new Mokka small SUV that a controversial air conditioning refrigerant could catch fire in a collision and release toxic fumes.... Read More »

 

JAMIE LaREAU

Worried about the CFPB? Stay calm

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
Everyone stay calm. That's David Westcott's message to finance and insurance professionals, even though the chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association admits he is very concerned.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Worried about the CFPB? You should be

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
Dealers and lenders are upset that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is demanding greater transparency from them, but isn't reciprocating.... Read More »

 

Hyundai, Kia recall 1.7M vehicles for faulty brake switch

8:35 am U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are recalling vehicles in the United States to replace a faulty switch that can prevent brake lights from illuminating and trigger other problems. About 1.7 million vehicles are involved. It is the second major recall involving the stop lamp switch, following the callback of more than 500,000 Hyundai vehicles in 2009.... Read More »

 

NHTSA checking 2006-08 Hyundai Sonatas after reports of rusted suspension frames

10:29 am U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is checking Hyundai Sonatas from the 2006-08 model years in response to complaints about rusted rear suspension frames.... Read More »

 

Tesla takes on Texas in latest franchise law battle

3:45 pm U.S. ET | March 29, 2013
In its latest battle with state dealer associations, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors is trying to change existing franchise laws in Texas. Tesla is behind bills introduced earlier this month in the Texas Legislature that seek an exemption to current restrictions on factory-owned dealerships for electric vehicle makers that have never used independent franchised dealers. It is Tesla's most direct challenge to franchise laws already on the books.... Read More »

 

Auto loans prompt 1,585 complaints to new U.S. consumer watchdog

5:26 pm U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has received 1,585 complaints about vehicle financing since last March, according to data released by the agency today.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

The CFPB's new, scary truth

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 27, 2013
Last week the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Director Richard Cordray threw cold water on a common notion among advocates for dealers and lenders: The CFPB doesn't understand how the business works and everything would be OK if the feds were just “educated.”... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Why automakers took up ethanol with the Supreme Court

2:07 pm U.S. ET | March 26, 2013
In a slow trickle over the past year, the first gas stations have started carrying E15, a blend of gasoline that includes up to 15 percent ethanol. Automakers say the fuel could harm older engines, which were not built to handle so much ethanol. But they have had no luck convincing the EPA, which has approved the fuel for use in cars and trucks built after the 2001 model year.... Read More »

 

Autos seen as flashpoint in EU-Japan trade talks

March 25, 2013 14:08 CET
Japan and the EU agreed to begin talks on a trade deal despite opposition from European automakers who are suspicious of how far Japan is committed to open up its market to imports.... Read More »

 

NHTSA app aims to ease consumers' access to safety info

4:15 pm U.S. ET | March 21, 2013
Federal regulators are offering a free app for iPhones and iPods that provides the latest vehicle safety information to consumers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's SaferCar.gov Web site.... Read More »

 

U.S. financial regulator warns auto lenders on markup discrimination

3:11 pm U.S. ET | March 21, 2013
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued a warning to auto lenders: Make sure dealer participation in interest rates does not lead to discrimination or face the consequences.... Read More »

 

China imposes strict fuel-economy standards on auto industry

11:11 am U.S. ET | March 20, 2013
China imposed long-debated stringent fuel economy standards on Wednesday, making life tougher for cash-strapped small domestic brands that are already struggling amid a slowdown of the world's biggest auto market.... Read More »

 

GREEN CARS

EU politicians back compromise on car emissions targets

March 20, 2013 12:47 CET
The European Union's industry committee has backed a compromise that would give carmakers limited leeway in the race to cut CO2 emissions in line with targets while rejecting German calls for more lenient rules.... Read More »

 

TECHNOLOGY

Audi headlights banned in U.S. by 1968 ruling

March 20, 2013 14:29 CET
Audi customers buying the A8 sedan in the United States will have to live without new matrix-beam headlights because of a 45-year-old regulation that prohibits their use on U.S. roads.... Read More »

 

Germany said to make new offer over EU-Daimler coolant dispute

March 14, 2013 06:01 CET
Germany has written to the EU with a new set of proposals aiming to break a deadlock over a law requiring carmakers to stop using extremely potent greenhouse gases in air cooling systems, EU sources told Reuters.... Read More »

 

Minnesota dealers drop Tesla fight for now

4:04 pm U.S. ET | March 12, 2013
The Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association -- at least for now -- is ending its push for legislation to block Tesla Motors from operating dealerships in that state.... Read More »

 

Cordray nomination at stalemate as senators refuse to negotiate

10:05 am U.S. ET | March 12, 2013
A Senate hearing today on Richard Cordray's second nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was less about his leadership than Republican distaste for the bureau itself.... Read More »

 

Regulators checking if Subaru remote starter defect affects other automakers

5:25 pm U.S. ET | March 8, 2013
Federal safety investigators are looking into a Subaru recall to determine if a defect in the remote engine starter could affect other automakers.... Read More »

 

Tesla's Musk thanks Minn. legislators for stalling franchise law rewrite

4:09 pm U.S. ET | March 8, 2013
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is thanking Minnesota lawmakers who blocked legislation that would prevent the electric vehicle maker from opening stores in that state. But the legislative tussle is far from over.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

A little education can save a lot of complaining

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 6, 2013
It's easy to be cynical about this, but consumer education could ease the sting of tougher regulations that seem to be in the works for auto lenders and dealers.... Read More »

 

Obama taps insider as EPA chief; MIT professor to lead Energy Dept.

10:21 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
President Barack Obama today announced his nominees to lead a new federal push to tackle climate change, choosing an air quality expert to run the Environmental Protection Agency and a nuclear physicist to head the Department of Energy. Obama selected EPA veteran Gina McCarthy, 57, to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator and MIT scientist Ernest Moniz, 68, to take over for Steven Chu as Energy secretary.... Read More »

 

Ally says U.S. probing retail financing practices

6:52 pm U.S. ET | March 1, 2013
Ally Financial said in a securities filing that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently told the U.S. auto lender that it is being investigated for certain "retail financing practices."... Read More »

 

ThyssenKrupp offices raided in German auto steel suppliers probe

March 1, 2013 06:01 CET
ThyssenKrupp AG, Germany's biggest steelmaker, said an antitrust watchdog in the country raided its offices in the western city of Duisburg.... Read More »