President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Tupelo Regional Airport, November 26, 2018 in Tupelo, Mississippi.Drew Angerer / Getty Images The Trump administration has launched a multi-pronged legal assault on an agreement California struck with four carmakers in defiance of the presidents plan to ease national standards on tailpipe emissions.Lawyers from the Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency on Friday sent a letter to Californias top air-pollution regulator, urging the state to abandon its pact with the automakers and warning that actions to carry out the agreement appear to be unlawful and invalid.Separately, the Justice Department has opened an antitrust probe into the deal, in which four automakers agreed on compromise tailpipe emissions requirements with California. The administration is also preparing to formally strip Californias authority to set auto efficiency regulations that are tougher than the federal governments, according to people familiar with the matter.The actions amount to a significant escalation of the conflict between the Trump administration and Sacramento over environmental protections. It comes as automakers have urged the administration to moderate its rollback of emissions levels, arguing that a battle with California over the states regulatory powers would leave the industry with uncertainty over the critical standards for years.Automakers want to avoid splitting the market with two different standards a federal mileage requirement in most states versus more stringent rules in more than a dozen states that adhere to Californias standards and account for more than a third of U.S. auto sales.After talks with California and the Trump administration faltered, the California Air Resources Board announced in July an accord with the Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen on tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions regulations.The carmakers had agreed with Californias clean-air regulator to boost the fuel efficiency of autos sold in the U.S through 2026, defying a Trump administration proposal to ease mileage requirements enacted during the Obama administration.Ford and Honda said they would cooperate with the Justice Department, while VW said it was in regular contact with U.S. authorities on a number of matters. BMW of North America said it looked forward to responding to the Department of Justice to explain the planned CARB framework agreement and its benefits to consumers and the environment.In one of the letters seen by Bloomberg, the Justice Department wrote it was concerned that the California agreement may violate federal antitrust laws, noting that the department hadnt reached any conclusions on the matter. The department proposed a meeting to gather additional information about the emissions agreement and communications between the companies about the pact.In the letter sent to CARB on Friday, lawyers for the EPA and DOT said that Californias plans overstep the states authority by intruding on the federal governments power to set fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards.We recognize Californias disagreements with the federal governments policy proposals in this area, but those policy disagreements cannot justify CARBs pursuit of a regulatory approach that would violate federal law, they said.California officials insisted they wouldnt be cowed. California stands up to bullies and will keep fighting for stronger clean car protections that protect the health and safety of our children and families, Governor Gavin Newsom said in an emailed
Origin: Anti-trust probe opened into automakers that sided with California over Trump
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Volvo recalls 507,000 vehicles as probe finds fire risk
According to the U.S. IIHS, the outgoing Volvo XC60 is one of only two midsize SUVs on sale with acceptable headlight performance. Swedish automaker Volvo Cars is recalling 507,000 vehicles worldwide because of a faulty engine component that, in extreme cases, could result in a fire.The company, which is owned by Chinas Zhejiang Geely, said its own investigations have identified that in very rare cases the plastic engine intake manifold may melt and deform.In the very worst case, there is a possibility that a localized engine bay fire may occur, it said.When asked to provide details of the potential financial impact, Stefan Elfstrom, a spokesman for Volvo Cars, said, We dont comment on the cost. The company is keen to fix the faulty vehicles as fast as possible and customers wont incur any costs related to addressing the error, he said.The cars being recalled were produced in 2014 through 2019 and have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine, Volvo Cars said in an emailed statement. The affected models are the S60, S80, S90, V40, V60, V70, V90, XC60 and XC90. While the company has no reports of accidents or personal injuries, all customers will receive a letter asking them to contact their local retailer for corrective
Origin: Volvo recalls 507,000 vehicles as probe finds fire risk
GM truck power brake probe turns into recall
2017 GMC Sierra HDGMC An investigation into deteriorating power braking systems in newer GM trucks and SUVs has turned into a recall affecting over 300,000 vehicles in Canada.More than 150,000 similar trucks are also affected by a second, unrelated recent recall regarding a fire risk posed by a rear window defroster.The power brake recall covers 300,655 vehicles, including model year 2015 through 2017 Cadillac Escalades and Escalade ESVs; Chevrolet Suburbans and Tahoes; GMC Yukons and Yukon XLs; and model year 2014 through 2017 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras.In some of these vehicles, the vacuum output assisting the power brakes may begin to fall off, weakening the power brake assist and resulting a harder brake pedal and longer stopping distances. This extra effort required to stop could increase the risk of a collision.General Motors is still working on a fix for affected trucks and SUVs.A second unrelated recall also announced early July covers some 159,240 trucks, specifically model year 2014 through 2018 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras; and 2014 through 2019 Silverado and Sierra HD heavy-duties.On vehicles from those years equipped with a power sliding rear window, the rear window defroster circuit could overheat, leading to smoke, melting parts or possibly a fire.General Motors is also still working on a fix for that issue, but dealers can remove the rear defroster fuse as a
Origin: GM truck power brake probe turns into recall
Bosch settles German diesel-engine probe for US$100 million
In this April 27, 2006 file photo, we see the logo of the Robert Bosch GmbH in front of the companys headquarters in Gerlingen near Stuttgart, southwestern Germany.Thomas Kienzle / AP Robert Bosch GmbH agreed to pay 90 million euros (US$100 million) to end a probe by German prosecutors into rigged diesel engines, following much more costly settlements by its customer Volkswagen. Bosch is being fined for “negligent breach of supervision duties,” the prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart said May 23 in an emailed statement. The company supplied about 17 million engine-control devices to German and international automakers since 2008 that partly included illegal software functions, according to the statement. The unlisted German car-parts giant supplied engine-control systems to VW that were used in the engines at the heart of the diesel-emissions scandal that shattered the world’s largest automaker in September 2015. It’s also involved in ongoing probes into diesel technology at manufacturers including Fiat Chrysler and General Motors. VW has now ended all probes by German prosecutors against its units over the sale of rigged cars. It last year settled with Braunschweig investigators for 1 billion euros and Audi followed by paying 800 million euros to Munich prosecutors. The overall impact of the diesel crisis has now reached 30 billion euros at Volkswagen. The initiative to install illicit software in engines was apparently taken by employees from automakers, but investigations into the roles of individual Bosch employees are ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said. Bosch confirmed the settlement and said 2 million euros of the fine are for the alleged regulatory offense and 88 million euros for the disgorgement of economic benefits. “Bosch will continue to expand its compliance organization continuously in order to minimize the risk of violations of applicable law occurring at the company,” the company
Origin: Bosch settles German diesel-engine probe for US$100 million
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