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After a hefty fight from automakers, independent mechanics in Massachusetts will soon be able to fix cars like a dealership. Could this be the model for all states?
Last week, the “Right to Repair” bill unanimously passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives, a landmark victory for the state's independent mechanics and chain shops. After a three-and-a-half year fight, one that saw automakers and dealers alleging the proposed new law would devastate their service businesses, those groups gave up. It’s amazing what a little public opinion can do.
In a survey of its Massachusetts members this year, AAA said that 88 percent were in favor of the bill. The Right to Repair Coalition, a lobby of 2,000 repair shops, gathered more than 100,000 signatures since last fall, guaranteeing a spot on the November ballot. These numbers, combined with the bill’s Senate approval in May, didn’t look good for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers or the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, which had opposed the bill on the grounds of protecting copyright and intellectual property (you can read our synopsis here).
Here’s the short story: Within 90 days of Gov. Deval Patrick’s signature, expected within the next week, all automakers will have to provide independent shops in Massachusetts full access to repair information, plus the ability to purchase factory-authorized computer scanning tools. Whatever the dealers get to buy, so do the small guys.
Unlike some fuel-saving features, the X1's 'eco' setting still lets you have fun.
Most vehicles these days have “eco” indicators to let you know whether you’re driving in a fuel-efficient manner, and many also have specific modes that optimize powertrain performance for maximum fuel efficiency.
Some of these systems are subtle and simple. Others are more in-your-face, like the “growing leaves” in some Ford vehicles that let you know that you’re killing trees when you waste gas. And some are overly intrusive, like the annoying Eco Pedal mode in some Infiniti models that pushes back when you push the accelerator too hard.
While driving a 2013 BMW X1 xDrive28i, I discovered that the vehicle’s Eco Pro Mode falls more toward the restrained side of the scale both in terms of its effect on performance and in its instrument panel indicators.
It not only teaches how to drive more fuel efficiently, it also has a unique and motivating way of encouraging it.
Unlike other recent 'green'-energy bankruptcies involving federal funding, taxpayers actually have gained money from the automaker's 2009 loan.
Tesla Motors repaid the remaining portion of its $465 million federal loan on Wednesday, marking a bright spot for a government program tattered by poor oversight and multiple bankruptcies. The California electric car company, weeks after reporting its first-ever profit at $11.2 million last quarter and after having been called a "loser" by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012, paid the remaining $451.8 million to the Energy Department nine years ahead of schedule. It also called itself the "only American car company to have fully repaid the government."
CEO Elon Musk, in an interview with Bloomberg, said that the U.S. government made a profit of "over $20 million" from interest and what he called a "bonus" payment. Other sources, however, put the profit at about $12 million.
"It really feels good to have repaid the U.S. taxpayer; that's really what's important here," he said. "I feel we had a moral obligation to discharge this loan at the earliest reasonable opportunity while still being good to the institutional shareholders that have supported Tesla over the years."
Limited edition gets better trim, more aero.
McLaren will produce a limited run of MP4-12Cs and MP4-12C Spiders for its 50th anniversary. The cars will get a few upgrades, but no changes will be made to the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8. It stays at 616 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque.
The McLaren 50 12C and 12C Spider will get a handful of unique parts and styling cues produced by McLaren Special Operations, the division that’s responsible for the “bespoke” deliveries.
A new bumper will provide more downforce, and is inspired by the HS Edition models. The lower section is hewn of carbon fiber, while the front floor is Kevlar. A black, McLaren Formula One-inspired badge will rest on the hood.
Plus: Subaru adds small price increase to 2014 Legacy and Outback; Dodge adds special packages to 2013 Dart.
The new 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will be the lowest-priced 4-door all-electric car in the U.S. when it goes on sale this summer, although for now the vehicle will be available only in California and Oregon.
Manufacturer's suggested retail price starts at $27,495, including a destination charge of $810.
Chevrolet also noted that with a full federal tax credit of $7,500, the net cost to a Spark EV buyer could be as low as $19,995. California buyers could also qualify for state and local tax credits and incentives of up to $2,500 that could drop the price of a Spark EV to $17,495.
This makes the base model Spark EV $2,155 less than its closest competitor, the 2013 Nissan Leaf S, which starts at $29,650 – even with a recent $6,400 price reduction by Nissan over the base model 2012 Leaf. The Spark EV is also nearly $2,500 less than the $29,975 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and priced well below the Honda Fit EV ($37,415) and Ford Focus Electric ($39,995; however, cash incentives that expire July 8 drop that price to $28,245). The California-only Fiat 500e costs $32,500.
Van ownership has been lost on an entire generation of car owners. Here's why the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van is the coolest thing on four wheels.
I knew I’d love the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van before I flew to Germany to test it. I’d driven the Dodge Sprinter (a rebadged Mercedes-Benz) and fallen in love with that, and this one has a smaller, more fuel-efficient diesel engine and a 7-speed transmission mated to the same ‘ol great chassis, so how could it be bad?
In case you’re raising an eyebrow and wondering if I’m heavily medicated, let me just say that I am not a van enthusiast, if there is such a thing. I like old Porsches and BMWs, I watch rally racing and I had the same Lamborghini Countach poster many of you did.
Over the years, I’ve driven just about every desirable car made, so please know that I don’t say this lightly: I’m obsessed with Sprinters. And I’m hardly the only one. Car geeks – real car geeks – seem to be universally behind me on this one, and I want to try and explain why that is.
Fisker's cars and batteries are now devalued to the point that a deal to keep the company alive might work.
A month ago, ex-General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz was proclaiming to be "emperor" of the United States. Now, he's teaming up with the Chinese government to buy bankrupt Fisker Automotive.Reuters reports that Lutz and Wanxiang Group have made an offer to buy the cash-strapped plug-in hybrid automaker for an undisclosed amount. Among his many ongoing consultancies, Lutz co-owns VL Automotive, a new automaker that combines the Fisker Karma's body with a Corvette powertrain.
Wanxiang is the group that purchased the remains of failed battery maker A123 Systems of Waltham, Mass., which had been Fisker's exclusive supplier until it went formally bankrupt (and changed its name to B456 Systems) in October. The company's U.S. arm, in addition to owning Walgreen stores in the Midwest, provides parts to one of every three new cars manufactured here. But while Wanxiang is private, the parts supplier's CEO is a member of the Chinese national legislature and has "close ties to prominent state-owned businesses," according to the Boston Globe. You don't get to be China's largest auto parts supplier without the state somewhere in your pocket.
As usual, no one will or has made any official statement on the offer.
Electrified Karmann Ghia runs on Twitter mentions, Facebook likes and Instagram shares.
Some feel that social media has no place in the car and is a dangerous distraction. But the Kansas City, Mo., high school students who signed up for an after-school program put together by the nonprofit group Minddrive may beg to differ.
The group of at-risk high schoolers and their mentors at Minddrive built an electrified 1967 Karmann Ghia and modified it so that runs on posts, mentions and likes on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Next week, the team will drive the Karmann Ghia from Kansas City to Washington, D.C., to meet with elected officials to promote education funding and projects like Minddrive.
To get from K.C. to D.C. -- and to raise awareness about their project as well as their cause -- the group has integrated an Arduino microprocessor into the Karmann Ghia’s electric drivetrain, and it’s programmed to allow the car to move only via social media mentions of the project.
Our semiregular roundup of the latest automotive news and musings from around the Web.
Welcome to Exhaust Notes, our self-titled, semiregular roundup of automotive bits and pieces from around the Web. Unlike other posts on this blog, these are truly notes, but they're worth a few moments of your precious time.
Today and this week, Toyota shows us a taillight off the forthcoming 2014 Corolla, Honda's jet plane takes another step toward certification, and Audi tries paying for parking without stepping out of the car.
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Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
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Contributors
Clifford Atiyeh has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. Raised in Volvos, he has grown to love fast, irresponsible vehicles of all kinds. He is the senior news editor at MSN Autos and also reports for Car and Driver, Road & Track, The Boston Globe and other publications.
In the garage: 21-speed Iron Horse, 2002 Jeep Wrangler X (not his)
Doug Newcomb has covered car technology for over 20 years for outlets ranging from Rolling Stone to Edmunds.com. In 2008, he published his first book, "Car Audio for Dummies" (Wiley). He lives and drives in Hood River, Ore., with his wife and two kids, who share his passion for cars and technology.
In the garage: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, two 1984 Chevrolet Blazers, 2008 Honda CR-V
James Tate learned to drive stick at age 13 in a 1988 Land Cruiser - in La Paz, Bolivia. He's since been a mechanic, on a pit crew and has wrenched on every car he's owned since his first 1989 Honda CRX Si (and won't stop until the car is a 1973 Porsche 911 RS). His work has appeared in Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Automobile and others.
In the garage: 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera, 1988 BMW M5
