government:

Bargain Rolls-Royce Phantom?

You’ve seen those ads for selling “government surplus,” or auctioning off “seized property.”

And you’ve taken them with more than a grain of salt. Rightly.

But, just to keep you up to date, sometimes something interesting does come up for sale at one of those government auctions.

Like a 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Auctioned by the United States Department of Treasury at a seized property auction in Miami last Wednesday.

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Porsche continue legal action against the Lord Mayor of London

Yesterday Porsche GB continued their legal action against the Mayor of London’s decision to increase the congestion charge from £8 ($16) to £25 ($50) for vehicles with CO2 emissions of over … Even residents within the congestion charge zone will see their payments jump from £0.80 ($1.60) to £25 ($50).

Porsche continued their action by pushing forward their judicial review and have asked for it to be fast tracked in the hope of a decision before the charge is imposed.

Commenting on the filing, Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, said, “Not only is this new tax on motorists unfair, it is also a disproportionate and illegal use of power by the mayor. The Porsche case is about protecting London and Londoners from a new tax that will not only fail to reduce CO2 emissions in central London, but also increase congestion and damage air quality.”

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Porsche makes formal application in order to challenge London’s Mayor

According to Porsche, an official letter sent by TfL and Mayor Ken Livingstone revealed the fact that the request for changing the proposed introduction of a new £25 charge on some vehicles entering London has been rejected. Since the only way to convince them that they are wrong is only the Law Courts, Porsche decided to request a juridicial review.

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China lays down standards for "small displacement" cars

The Chinese government has laid down a set of regulations to define what exactly a small displacement car is. The standards are also part of a bigger plan to give more preference for ‘green’ cars in the forthcoming years.

China’s National Development and Research commission (NDRC) have set standards for fuel economy, emissions and car size. This move is aimed to encourage Chinese car makers to upgrade to higher environmental protection standards and in the process, manufacture eco-friendly cars.

The following rules are to be followed by the manufacturer if their car has to be classified under small cars, which will enjoy tax benefits and other preferential policies.

Fuel Economy

For cars weighing from 1660kg to 1770kg, the car has to use less than 9.3 litres of fuel per 100km of travel. Cars weighing from 2180kg to 2280kg must use less than 11.07 litres of fuel per 100km of travel to boast benefits.

Emission Standards

All cars must meet Euro 3 tailpipe emission standards.

Car Size

To meet criteria, small displacement cars must be no longer than 4.2 meters in length and for hatchbacks, cars must be no longer than 4.0 meters in length.

Was there a secret deal?

Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency refused the request of the state of California to set its own automotive CO2 emissions standards. The Administration explained the decision, saying that allowing states to set their own C02 standards was not necessary in light of the effect on CO2 levels which would inevitably flow from the new, higher fuel mileage standards just adopted by Congress. California’s Governor – the former H1 driver Arnold Schwarzenegger – has said that (...)
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What are they waiting for?

As a political battle, it was great theatre. Harry Reid and Nancy Pellosi, respectively the Democratic leaders in the Senate and the House, are now in the process of wrapping up an energy bill – on exactly the terms dictated by the President. Which is not good news. They were fighting over imposing new taxes and regulating utilities. The car battle was lost three weeks ago. By a one vote margin, the Senate yesterday refused to adopt an energy tax increase as a part of the (...)
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Energy bill fails in Senate by one vote – Reid and his crowd to try one more time

As a political battle, it is great theatre. Harry Reid and Nancy Pellosi, respectively the Democratic leaders in the Senate and the House, are in the process of kissing George Bush’s feet. The only question is whether they curtsey or genuflect. By a one vote margin, the Senate today refused to cut off debate on the energy bill – the one that raises fuel mileage standards for cars. But, don’t cheer just yet. It’s a war over the desire of the Democrats (...)
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Fuel Economy standards bill still in trouble

Having postponed a vote on the measure from last week, Democrats in the United States Senate plan to hold a vote on the measure tomorrow. Since being passed in the House, the bill has been changed in the Senate to eliminate a renewable energy requirement for electric utilities which was opposed by the White House. However, Senate Democrats have refused to remove a tax increase that is part of the measure. The White House has said that inclusion of either the tax increase or the (...)
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Energy bill passes House – may have trouble in Senate

Without making any of the changes demanded by the Administration, the House of Representatives yesterday passed by a vote of 235 to 181, the energy bill that, among other things, mandates a 35 mpg fuel economy standard by 2020. But, from there, the measure’s future is less than certain, despite the surrender of Detroit and Toyota to the liberal wing of the Democratic party in the House. The bill is considered certain to face a filibuster in the Senate, and it is doubtful that (...)
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Pelosi to try cramming fuel bill through

House Speaker Nancy Pellosi is expected to try to shove the energy bill through the House as early as today, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. Pelosi has apparently decided that she’d rather have a confrontation with the White House than attempt to meet its objections to the measure. Just yesterday, the President criticized Congress for passing another law which he’d said he’d veto, rather than working to achieve a compromise. But, Pellosi’s (...)
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