Automobiles

The moment of clarity for me came Sunday, the second night of the Gooding & Co. classic car auction. On the block was a 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, as wretched and routine a hunk of Detroit iron as ever freighted down an assembly line. Spot-welded together with the craftsmanship one might expect of unsupervised political prisoners, the Monte Carlo -- with a 402-cubic-inch V8 engine and four-barrel carburetor -- was and is a sidewalk-fumigating stink bomb, with no steering or handling to speak of, and brakes that are more rumor than fact.

Hailed as a jump-start for the U.S. economy, the federal government's "cash for clunkers" gave the biggest boost to foreign automakers. Overall, auto sales in August were the highest in more than a year, according to industry figures released Tuesday. Carmakers sold more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, up 1% from the same month last year and the first year-over-year sales gain since August 2007. Much of that was a result of the clunkers program, which ran July 24 to Aug. 24 and provided hefty government rebates to consumers who traded in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient new vehicles.

Zipcar: the leaner, greener solution to the Los Angeles traffic tarantula? City officials seem to think so. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council members have paired with the Massachusetts company to expand an existing car-sharing program around UCLA and USC. Adding 12 hybrids and SmartWay-rated vehicles to the 14 Zipcars already at UCLA and the 16 at USC could limit traffic congestion, cut back on exhaust fumes and emissions, and...

The hydrogen car may have legions of fervent fans, but Energy Secretary Steven Chu apparently is not among them. Earlier this year, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist essentially zeroed government funding for the vehicles and came close to mocking their potential, saying the technology needs four "miracles" before it can become widely adopted. "Saints only need three," he said in a magazine interview. But the hydrogen car is back. On Thursday, the Senate agreed to restore nearly all the money for research that the Obama administration had proposed to cut. This year's revival of government funding is unlikely to end the dispute over the vehicles, however.

More than 1,000 Toyota and Lexus owners have reported since 2001 that their vehicles suddenly accelerated on their own, in many cases slamming into trees, parked cars and brick walls, among other obstacles, a Times review of federal records has found. The crashes resulted in at least 19 deaths and scores of injuries over the last decade, records show. Federal regulators say that is far more than any other automaker has experienced. Owner complaints helped trigger at least eight investigations into sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the last seven years.

AT&T Inc. will spend as much as $565 million to add more than 15,000 vehicles to an alternative-fuel fleet, a bid to help the environment and save money by cutting down on gasoline use. AT&T will replace passenger cars with electric hybrids and other energy-efficient models, Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said.

With the public relations image of American auto manufacturing at an all-time low, results from J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study, which reports Jaguar and Buick in the top two spots -- unseating Lexus for the first time in 14 years -- seem almost counterintuitive. Other notable statistics in the study, culled from surveys of 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles: Four of the top 10 most dependable car brands are American brands -- Buick, Mercury, Lincoln and Cadillac.

Three men were arrested this week after police found them in possession of more than 100 emblems, such as hood ornaments, that were stolen from cars parked in Irvine neighborhoods, police said Friday. The men, who were not identified, took logos from a variety of cars, including Mercedes-Benz, Mazda and BMW, parked in the central, northern and western parts of the city, said Lt. Jeff Love. Authorities urged victims who have not reported such thefts to call Officer Patrick Ryan at (949) 724-7000.

It's been all over the world--32 countries, to be exact--shuttling American presidents and foreign dignitaries to and from historic meetings. And though it has been retired from service for nearly 20 years, President Richard Nixon's limousine made one final journey here Monday. Accompanied by a roaring police detail and a pair of blue-suited Secret Service agents perched on the rear bumper, the 1967 Lincoln Continental was delivered to the steps of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace.

It's been all over the world--32 countries to be exact--shuttling American presidents and foreign dignitaries to and from historic meetings. And though it has been retired from service for nearly 20 years, President Richard Nixon's limousine made one final journey to Yorba Linda on Monday.