Industry to NHTSA: power down on air bags

The auto industry and the federal government have boxed each other into a neutral corner of the air-bag regulation arena, and it will take several years for the combatants to extricate themselves. Meantime, young children sitting ringside are in danger.The dilemma? A National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)-mandated safety device (the passenger-side air bag also can kill kids.The

By Tim Keenan • Nov. 1, 1996

Mitsubishi will add 2 women managers; plaintiffs’ lawyers not convinced

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will hire two female managers and offer one-day sexual harassment prevention training at its manufacturing plant in Normal, IL. That's the gist of a plan crafted by former U.S. Labor Secretary Lynn Martin, Mitsubishi's main spin doctor called in to heal the company's public relations ailments, after 29 female employees last April charged that they were groped, fondled and otherwise

Aug. 1, 1996

Government assault: forcing the automakers to think safety and fight smog

Oil and water. The Hatfields and McCoys. Ralph Nader and the Corvair.The auto industry's relations with Washington for most of the last three decades have been contentious, to put it mildly.This political head-knocking didn't really begin until the early 1960s, the heart of the post-World War II boom.Oh, President Harry Truman did convene a National Traffic Safety Council in 1946, declaring that motor

By Gardner, Greg • May 1, 1996

Carb may be ready to relax EV ruling

California's Air Resources Board (CARB) Chairman John Dunlop III says his agency won't rush to reveal its decision on a 2% electric vehicle (EV) mandate for the '98 model year, even though carmakers apparently have passed their deadline to tool up for production. Mr. Dunlop says CARB won't issue its decision until February or March (see T&T, p.69). In a presentation at the recent Global Electric Vehicles

Jan. 1, 1996

CARB chief says ‘98 EV ruling is 3 or 4 months away

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) won't rush to reveal its decision on a 2% electric vehicle (EV) mandate for the '98 model year, even though carmakers apparently have passed their "drop dead" deadline to tool up for production.CARB Chairman John Dunlap III says his agency won't issue its decision until February or March, after the agency's staff has developed a plan he has requested.In a

By Herb Shuldiner • Jan. 1, 1996

Regulatory concerns and new technology ... the view from Europe

The last thing automakers want in this already heavily regulated industry is more regulation, especially in the form of legislation. In Europe, population density pressures and the higher cost of landfill have resulted in draft legislation at several levels of government that have stimulated potentially far-reaching changes in the way cars are designed and what happens to them at the end of their

By Eller, Robert • Jan. 1, 1996

TRW, Mesa officials meet on plant safety

Mesa, AZ, municipal authorities order TRW's passenger-side air bag plant there to shut down "the grinding, blending, pressing, drying and packaging of sodium azide/ferric oxide airbag gas-generated compound" until the supplier can conduct a complete review of its operations and ensure a safe environment. The facility has had a number of explosions relating to the propellant in the last several months.

Nov. 1, 1995

CARB: hybrids okay as ZEVs

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) upstaged the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) mobility conference in Costa Mesa, CA, in August by opening the door for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to qualify for credit toward the state's 1998 zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations.Until now, CARB had said that only vehicles with no internal combustion engine - in essence, then, only battery-powered

By Snyder, Jesse • Sept. 1, 1995

Safety first: Takata moves ahead despite potential recall

Safety first is music to Takata Corp.'s ears. Top executives can hear the corporate cash register ring up more and more sales of the company's occupant restraint products now that safety is one of the top priorities for today's vehicle buyer.Things are so good that the company says sales in North America will jump from $649 million this year to $990 million by 1999, thanks to high demand for products

By Sorge, Marjorie • April 1, 1995

How much safety is too much? All that high-tech protection is great, but it’s also getting expensive

It was two weeks before Christmas, 1992. Visions of sparkling trees and holiday spirit danced in their heads as they drove home from a family gathering. Suddenly there was a loud, deadening crunch and flames shot up in front of the shocked driver and passengers. A '90 Ford Tempo had crossed the center line, hitting them head on at a 100-mph closing speed. The left front of their '92 Buick LeSabre

Feb. 1, 1995

Average new-car price climbs over $20,000

Price increases -- due largely to inflation, federal safety and clean-air regulations and more standard features -- have pushed the average price of a new vehicle to $23,600 (including interest), a study by Comerica Bank reveals. The new figure compares with an $11,500 average 10 years ago and

Jan. 1, 1995