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Friday, February 27, 2015

Speak Up for Safety (and Money)! Senate Committee Recommends Payouts to Auto-Industry Whistleblowers

The 2008 Cobalt is one of the GM vehicles affected by the company's massive ignition-switch recall.

In the wake of the Takata airbag debacle and the GM ignition-switch mess, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has drafted a measure to incentivize auto-industry whistleblowers. The Senators posit that employees who speak up about safety defects should receive up to 30 percent of any federal fines eventually imposed. Whistleblowers would be rewarded for sharing original information on product defects or reporting violations to the U.S. DOT or Department of Justice. If this bill waddles its way through the maze on Capitol Hill, corporate citizens with a sense of responsibility could look forward to some serious paydays.

Presumably due to the significant quantity of egg on the industry's face in the wake of the two recent product scandals, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supports the bill, according to Reuters, suggesting that it could motivate employees to report problems internally, rather than sweep them under the floormats.

The bill has yet to be scheduled for a Senate vote, after which it would need to pass muster with the House of Representatives before seeing the President's desk. It does, however, seem like an easy political win, especially since it has the support of the auto industry. Who votes against safety?

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Startech Somehow Gets Carbon Fiber to Stick to the Jaguar F-Type Like Magnets

The Jaguar F-type is already impeccably handsome—all crouched down in a prowl of potential energy ready to pounce at a moment's notice. But what if you want more? More attitude, more downforce, more blessed carbon fiber? European tuning house Startech has you, and your F-type, covered—in scads of carbon fiber.

The oddly named Startech Refinement package brings, basically, all of the carbon fiber you could ever want to festoon your Coventry cat. Starting at the front, Startech replaced the lower front bumper with a deeper, more pronounced bottom lip, trailing into aerodynamic features ahead of the front wheel openings that Startech says will reduce front axle lift at speed. Hood scoops and side-view mirrors are similarly bedecked in the miraculous woven material.

The front fenders are entirely new panels, constructed from—naturally—carbon fiber, and featuring a carbon fiber strake aft of the front wheel opening that "suggests an air outlet." Air, it seems, does not follow this body feature's suggestion. The F-type's flanks are equally carbon-fiber-ized, with deep rocker-panel extensions that flow up into a swoop just ahead of the rear wheel opening.

Out back, Startech binned the factory rear bumper insert in favor of—you guessed it—a replacement that positively gleams with the woven mystery of carbon fiber. The add-on features daisy-drilled quad exhaust tips to channel the aural assault of, one hopes, the supercharged V-8 of the F-type R. A central rear LED fog lamp evokes the lighting conventions of Formula 1 racers.

The look is all pulled together by a suitably massive set of 21-inch wheels. The custom Startech Monostar S forged wheels, 9 inches wide with 255-width tires up front, 10.5 inches at the back wearing 305 rubber, were designed specifically for the F-type, with a delicious amount of concavity especially at the rear.

Inside, Startech saw fit to ensconce the Jag's occupants in floor-to-ceiling diamond-stitched leather, presumably because the tuning house couldn't find a way to fashion upholstery out of carbon fiber. Startech says the customer's choice of wood or, yes, carbon fiber trim can be selected for the center console, and the door sills wear the by-now-expected electroluminescent scuff plates with an illuminated Startech logo.

Startech hasn't yet set a price for all this weapons-grade material madness, though the hot-rod house says the full kit can be fitted to any coupe or roadster variant of the F-type. The full kit will be on display at the Geneva Auto Show next week. As for what we'd fit it to? Might we suggest the 623-horse Hennessey HPE600 F-type R?

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Startech Somehow Gets Carbon Fiber to Stick to the Jaguar F-Type Like Magnets

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Two Cute: Tiny Jeep Renegade Concept Gets Even Tinier Matching Trailer

Aww, look! Jeep gave its tiny-tot Renegade a little trailer and sent it to Geneva to melt Europeans' hearts! Okay, so Jeep did a little bit more than simply add a lookalike trailer to its newest small crossover and send it up to Switzerland for one of Europe's biggest auto shows. It also painted the duo with a compelling "brushed steel livery" and gave it a bumpin' sound system. The result is the Renegade Hard Steel.

We certainly dig the Jeep Renegade Hard Steel's look—silver with matte-black trim and wheels is tough to beat—and the trailer is amazing. The unit unfolds to reveal a giant touch screen loaded with a version of Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment system as well as a bunch of speakers (although we're a bit confused as to why the trailer has a fuel door). As for what's pulling the trailer, the Renegade Hard Steel, it's based on the Trailhawk and thus gets all-terrain tires, a raised ride height, and a natty roof rack. Inside, Jeep covered the seats with Frau leather, and there are brushed-steel accents matched to the exterior theme.

A collaboration between Jeep, Mopar (Chrysler's parts and accessories arm), and the Fiat-Chrysler Style Center, the Renegade Hard Steel is intended to show off potential Mopar accessories. We certainly hope the endearing little trailer becomes one of those accessories, because we'd tow that home in a heartbeat.