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Weekly Recap: Auto execs face life in prison for recall delays under proposed legislation

The stiff punishments are part of broader transportation legislation, but clearly McCaskill has automakers in her sights.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill threw down the gauntlet this week, proposing a bill that could send auto executives to prison for life if they were found to have delayed a recall. She also wants to eliminate the limit for fines for auto safety violations, which are currently capped at $35 million.

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

2022 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid has pure electric range, near-V8 performance

Bentley is adding the new 2022 Flying Spur Hybrid as a third powertrain option in the Flying Spur family that already includes a W12 and V8 model. It’s BentleyÂ’s second hybrid vehicle, joining the Bentayga Hybrid in the companyÂ’s rollout of slightly greener vehicles. This Flying Spur PHEV is the result of borrowing powertrain components from Porsche for its powertrain components. A 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 and electric motor combine for a total system output of 536 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. The horsepower is slightly down from the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, but its 553 pound-feet of torque is identical to the Porsche from which its powertrain is derived from. This motivates the Flying Spur Hybrid from 0-60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which is just 0.1 second slower than the V8. Top speed is an impressive 177 mph. ThereÂ’s nothing slow about it. As for the electrics, Bentley is using a 14.1 kWh battery pack. Tested on the optimistic WLTP test cycle, Bentley predicts itÂ’ll have a range rating greater than 25 miles. The Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid with the same size battery pack (2020 model, because the 2021 Panamera got a bigger battery pack) is EPA-rated for 14 miles on a full charge, so we suspect the Flying Spur will be closer to this total when it receives its EPA rating. YouÂ’ll be able to choose between pure EV mode, Hybrid Mode or Hold Mode (retains current battery charge) depending on how you wish to utilize the battery charge on your drive. A new dedicated button on the interior facilitates these mode changes, and besides the necessary hybrid-specific infotainment software and cluster layout, is the only physical change to the interior. Hybrid models will be recognizable via their small “Hybrid” badge on the front fender. TheyÂ’ll also have new quad oval tailpipes and a charging port on the left rear fender. Fuel economy figures are not yet available from Bentley, but if the Panamera it shares powertrains with is any indication, we may not see massive gains by going from the V8 to the V6 hybrid. Porsche gains only 1 mpg going from the Turbo to a 4S E-Hybrid, so a similar 1- or 2-mpg bump from the V8Â’s 17 mpg combined figure seems likely. A total driving range of 435 miles is expected with this Hybrid model, which Bentley claims is the best in its lineup. Pricing isnÂ’t out yet, but Bentley says youÂ’ll be able to place an order for a Flying Spur Hybrid this summer. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for the end of 2021.