Toyota settles U.S. probe into delayed emissions defect reports for $180 million

REUTERS

Toyota Motor Corp settled a lengthy Justice Department civil probe into its delayed filing of emissions-related defect reports for $180 million, the government said on Thursday.

The government said the settlement resolved Toyota’s “systematic, longstanding violations of Clean Air Act emission-related defect reporting requirements, which require manufacturers to report potential defects and recalls affecting vehicle components designed to control emissions.” read more »

Federal rule change would exempt self-driving cars from crash standards

LA TIMES

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday it’s beginning to craft rules to “clarify ambiguities in current occupant protection standards for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems that are designed without traditional manual driver controls.”

The rule-making process would be conducted under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is to be inaugurated Jan. 20. But consumer safety advocates say new rules are needed for driverless vehicles instead of exempting them from existing regulations. read more »

VW former boss sees market manipulation charges dropped

Deutsche Welle

A German court on Friday dropped charges of market manipulation against ex-Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn as part of the automaker's emissions cheating scandal.

Judges in Braunschweig, a town in the state of Lower Saxony close to VW's Wolfsburg headquarters, announced the decision.

They said, however, that Winterkorn will still face trial in late February on another set of charges based on fraud allegations. read more »