UK Lorry Driver Keeps License After Pushing Car Sideways Down Highway

Remember that video? Big stuff all over the internet earlier this year.

Well, the wheels of justice turn quickly in the UK...driver John Tomlinson has appeared before a traffic commissioner, pleaded his case (that he couldn't see, hear or smell the Renault Clio attached to his front bumper) and has been allowed to keep his license.

In fact, traffic commissioner Beverley Bell praised Tomlinson for his fast action and cool head. You don't see it in the video, but other drivers signaled him to pull over, he discovered the Clio on his bumper, and freed driver Rhona Jane Williams.

Commissioner Bell urged companies to retrofit older lorries (trucks to us Yanks)with the kind of proximity mirrors now standard on newer models.

This Is How Fiat Sells Cars In Europe. We'd Recommend A New Agency Stateside.

Though this does kinda explain that "kittens" minivan spot for the Dodge Caravan...

NHTSA: 89 Dead In Toyota Unintended Acceleration Incidents

NHTSA's keeping a body count on people killed in Toyotas that supposedly experienced unintended acceleration...and the number is now 89. That's from 2000 to 2009 and jumps from the 52 reported earleir this year.

No, they're not new deaths...again, the cutoff is 2009...they're deaths that the feds think maybe had something to do with Toyotas roaring off on their own.

The Washington Post has the full story, but the Cliff's Notes are these:

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  Toyota can't find an electronic problem causing the cars to accelerate.

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  The Feds are insisting that they do.

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  NHTSA wants desperately to look tough and on top of the issue. Or as Mel Brooks said in Blazing Saddles,

The elephant in the room...that NHTSA doesn't want to talk about for fear of looking less than agressive and Toyota's tip-toeing around because it's bad PR, even if it's the truth?

The vast majority of properly investigated cases of supposed unintended acceleration turn out to be drivers standing on the gas when they thought they were standing on the brake.

And, as my Memo From Michael April 17 shows, none of the highly publicized incidents this year have done anything to disprove that or to even suggest an electronics issue.

Between NHTSA's agenda above, Toyota's fear of insulting consumers (Audi told the truth in the mid-80s and it very nearly put them out of business in America) and the mainstream media's breathless acceptance of every every claim of  "my car tried to kill me" (followed by far less urgent follow-ups reporting driver error), it will be a a long time before most Americans figure out what's happening.

When Fans Go Berserk

Hey, we love Top Gear as much as the next guy...but this UK family spots Clarkson, May, et al on the road, speeds up, brings out the video camera and...well...let's just say you HAVE to watch this...make sure the sound is on...and the next time your kids are embarrassed by you, show them just how much worse it could be:

Dodge's New Minivan Commercial

I'd have kittens if I were a Dodge exec and the ad agency brought me this.  Yeah, I know they're swimming upstream with Toyota's "Swagger Wagon" spot for the Sienna:



And even, for that matter, the "punch dub" spot VW managed to whip up for its really-a-dodge-caravan Routan:




But dear Lord....some spots just shouldn't get past the storyboard stage...and sorry, Dodge...you've got one right now.

What's Better: "Leadership" or "Excellence"?

GM's ditched its logo from the flanks of its cars and from its advertising. And though you'd have to be of a certain age to recall,  it was once associated with a slogan: "GM. Mark of Excellence".




Well, now Cadillac has put distance between itself and GM in its advertising, yet somehow comes up with a tag line that's derivative of the "Mark of Excellence".



Which begs the question: When spending $40-50K for a midsize luxury sport sedan, do you want "leadership" or "excellence"?  My take: Excellence, thank you very much. And Cadillac's old positioner "Standard of the World" strikes me as promising more of what they need to build if they intend to actually play in BMW, Audi and Mercedes' ballgame.

Oh...and there's this: A big hat tip to Peter DeLorenzo at Autoextremist, who points out that the new Cadillac ads are from the same agency that did this Jaguar spot. See if you can spot the similarities.

On second thought, try to find some differences. It'll take less time.

VIDEO: Man Saves Son From Car By Using Own Body As Shield

And that child will always be able to say his dad's his hero.

VIDEO: Consumer Reports Re-Tests, Blesses Lexus GX 460

Alright, "blessing" is too strong a term. "Lifting the curse" is probably a better way to put it. After all, a month of being labelled a "Don't Buy" by Consumer Reports is the nearest thing to a kiss of death the automobile industry knows.  But it's all better now, right?

V-O-L-V-O....V-O-L-V-O...My Volvo

I love the 80s-era Volvo 240.

I don't love rap.

But.....this is pretty good. And very refreshing after the parade of Bentleys and Lambos in rap videos.

His name is Grynch.

(WARNING: Explicit lyrics. Hey, it's rap)

Worst Parking Job Ever. Here Comes The Judge.

                        

Six months and a few hundred thousand pageviews later, the authorities have sentenced the woman seen in the video above parking her car on....well, two other cars.

Tripta Kaushal was arrested on the evidence of that video back in October. But the wheels of justice turn more deliberately than those of her SUV, so it's only this week that the judge brought the hammer down.

A $500 fine for leaving the scene and failing to report the accident, restitution to the owners of the two cars she damaged, six months probation and she's not allowed to drive between 7PM and 7AM.

Do we really think low light was the issue here?

And yes, she's driving a BMW X5. Now, just imagine what the media would have said about the video if it had been a Toyota.

VIDEO: First In-Car iPad Installation

SoundMan Car Audio in Santa Clarita, California wasted no time in installing an iPad. And you can see how they did it.  Pretty slick, if you ask us.

VIDEO: Speed Camera Van Tarred And Feathered

Posted last night on YouTube. Poster says it's Phoenix and those are Arizona temporary tags. The vehicle's unmarked, but it's new (the temp tags).

Could be legit...but it's also April Fools' Day.

A civilian employee in one of these vehicles with DPS markings was killed about a year ago when someone pulled up and opened fire. The suspect is on trial now.

CHP Officer On Mulholland: "Go Ahead, Make My Day." Motorcyclist Obliges.

Really kinda speaks for itself, doesn't it?

NSFW (Not Safe For Work) Safe Driving Promos

If you told me the above was a documentary about what's behind a lot of sudden acceleration claims from Toyota Prius drivers, I wouldn't argue.

But it's actually one of several safe driving spots from Australia, targeting young, distracted drivers and being just a bit rude to cut through the clutter. See the rest here.

Consumer Reports Demonstrates Stopping Distance Difference With Brake Override

Brake override cuts the gas when you apply a certain amount of pressure on the brake. There's a push to make it mandatory, thinking that it will help end cases of unintended acceleration. Never mind that most of those cases thus far have shown that the drivers weren't on the brake at all, but instead standing on the gas pedal.

Well, Consumer Reports says whether your acceleration is unintended or not, brake override cuts the stopping distance of your car...which is a good thing.

And, because they know we worry...CR also says brake override won't affect "enthusiast driving".

Bentley Mulsanne Paint: This Ain't MAACO

When the sticker starts at about $300,000 and you're offering 115 different paint colors, you tend to obsess. Here's a video from Bentley that shows why it takes 86 hours to paint a Mulsanne:

VIDEO: Audi Explains A7 Four-Door Hatchback As A "New Class" Of Car

Well, we'll give it this...it's a heck of a lot prettier than the upcoming BMW 3-series four-door fastback.

Lexus CT200h Premium Compact Hybrid A Go

Last month, the Geneva Auto Show, next year, your dealer's showroom.

The Detroit News is reporting that Lexus will launch the CT200h hybrid early next year.

It will be Lexus' second compact hybrid. Read our take on the HS250h here, and Prius owners are talking about the video above and the car in it on the PriusChat forums, and there's a second thread about it as well.

GM Sues Corvette Replica Maker

GM's not thrilled that you can buy a $90,000 replica of the '63 Corvette Grand Sport, of which five were built. So they're suing Mongoose Motorsports, the replica maker.

Full story from The Detroit News.

UPDATE: UK Trucker With Renault On His Front Bumper

SKYNews has confirmed that the video is real and that the trucking company, Arclid Transport, is investigating. Arclid tells SKY that the woman driving the Renault Clio "got out and walked away".

And thanks also to the wonders of YouTube, we can show you exactly how such a thing can happen. Press play on this video: