Capital Goods Sector

L.A. Democrat Says Republican 'Science Deniers' Are Using Solyndra Solar Failure to Argue Against Clean Energy

baycitizen.orgWas Obama blinded by the wonders green jobs could do for his campaign?​Solyndra, Inc., the NorCal solar company that just blew through a $535 million loan from the federal government and is being probed by the FBI, had a lot more to lose than the money. (Hell, what's $535 million ... More >>

Johnny Cash's Demo for "I Walk the Line"! (Listen)

​Pitchfork has the tracklisting for the new compilation of Johnny Cash rarities from the very good years (1954-1969). It includes fantastic material like a '50s radio broadcast from Memphis, demos for "I Walk the Line," "Get Rhythm" and "Belshazzar," rare Sun records recordings, and versions o ... More >>

Tesla Motors Forgoes Southern California Plant; City Of Downey Calls Out Elon Musk As A Liar

Tesla MotorsTesla's Model S.​After flirting with Downey and Long Beach, electric carmaker Tesla Motors has decided to build its next manufacturing plant in Northern California, where the company is based, Downey city officials announced Thursday. City leaders expressed deep disappointment: "T ... More >>

Toyota Blames Some Customers Who Report Sudden Acceleration

​In one of the more anticlimactic communiques from corporate America this week, Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA announced that it has formed "SMART" teams to spin claims of sudden acceleration in its vehicles and blame the victims help local law enforcement uncover the causes of sudden a ... More >>

U.S. Seeks $16 Million-Plus Fine From Toyota

​The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking the maximum fine of more than $16 million against Toyota Motor Corporation for remaining silent about acceleration problems four months even though it allegedly knew about its "sticky pedal" issues, the U.S. Department of T ... More >>

Figuring Out Toyota's Acceleration Problems IS Rocket Science

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.​As smug as Toyota has been in declaring recent allegations of sudden-acceleration in its cars unfounded, it's wild to see U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announcing Tuesday that none other than NASA will be helping federal officials find th ... More >>

L.A. Could Be Ground Zero For Toyota's Legal Woes

​Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA has asked that 200 sudden-acceleration lawsuits be consolidated into one case to be heard before a federal judge in Los Angeles. According to Associated Press, Toyota lawyer Cari Dawson argued before a U.S. Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in San Diego ... More >>

After SoCal P.R. Victory, Toyota On Counteroffensive (But Still Secretive)

​We're hard-pressed to think of any other facet of life where a company that might have caused accidents worth possible millions in liability and lost sales is able to investigate itself. But that seems to be the case as Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. gets another crack at a runaway ... More >>

Report IDs Tesla Employees Killed In Plane Crash

The Tesla Roadster.​The San Jose Mercury-News on Thursday identified all three people who died when a small, Los Angeles-bound plane they were in crashed Wednesday morning in the East Palo Alto fog. According the paper, the trio of Tesla Motors employees on board included Doug Bourn, 56, a se ... More >>

Who Builds The Electric Car? Possibly Torrance

GMThe Chevrolet Volt.​In a strange reversal for Southern Californians who lamented the death of General Motors' EV1 electric car more than ten years ago, the car company announced it will invest $6 million in its Torrance Advanced Technology Center as it gears up to help the car maker produce ... More >>

Industry Titans To Discuss Fossil Fuel Alternatives For Auto Industry

Ahead of this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show, a select group of industry titans is gathering at the Hammer Museum in Westwood Tuesday to discuss alternative fuels and new technologies for the auto industry. Scheduled attendees include Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, John Krafci ... More >>

Has L.A.'s Auto Show Overshadowed Detroit and Tokyo?

In the wake of the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler, a downsized Detroit auto show that saw the likes of Nissan, Porsche and Mitsubishi pull out, and a Tokyo auto show subsequently passed up by the Detroit three automakers, is L.A.'s own annual showcase next the place to be for the auto w ... More >>

Auto Design Discussion

Today in Photographs: August 17, 1979

​Car salesmen await buyers at a Van Nuys Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. Chrysler was an American automobile manufacturer.LA Herald-Examiner/LAPL

Honda's Scary Robots Invade L.A.

Preparing the way for the debut of Honda's 49-foot version of its ASIMO humanoid, which will lead Thursday's Rose Parade, the Japanese car giant this week sent hordes of its mini-sized ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) models into Los Angeles. Having vanquished Detroit's Big Three automak ... More >>

Chrysler: DOA?

Today Chrysler announced it was shutting down all of its 30 North American manufacturing facilities for a month. Tight credit was cited, along with the fact that the Big Three car maker will be able to save lots of money by not paying people for the next month, along with not having to pay heating a ... More >>

America Without Chevys?

Driving down Vermont Avenue, you might spot, next door to the Islamic Center of Southern California, one of those alarming signs of the times that are multiplying as the economy cartwheels to a crash. It's an anonymous-looking building with a huge parking lot, whose facade simply bears the number 44 ... More >>

Who's Resurrecting the Electric Car?

Forget those poky little golf cars — the battery-powered muscle car is just around the corner

Film Reviews

6 Highs and Lows of American Automobilia

Diebold's Revenge

Steve Cooley goes after a whistleblower

6 Highs and Lows of American Automobilia

Better Mileage On Ice

Why refrigerators are more efficient than cars

Hijacked by Hybrids

Who unplugged the electric car?

Diebold’s Secret Fears

Lawyer memos warn that the voting-machine company may have violated state law

Out of Gas

Auto industry cancels plans to kill anti-global-warming bill at ballot box