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Judge denies bail for men accused of sneaking Carlos Ghosn out of Japan

BOSTON — Two American men wanted by Japan on charges that they helped sneak former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of the country in a box have again been denied release from a U.S. jail. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on Friday rejected a bid to free Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, and his 27-year-old son, Peter Taylor, on bail while they fight their extradition to Japan. Talwani said a magistrate judge properly found the two men to be a risk of flight. “While the Taylors may well seek to remain in the United States to fight extradition through available legal channels, they have also shown a blatant disregard for such safeguards in the context of the Japanese legal system and have not established sufficiently that if they find their extradition fight difficult, they will not flaunt the rules of release on bail and flee the country,” Talwani wrote. An attorney for the Taylors declined to comment Saturday. Their lawyers have said the men have no plans to flee and argue their health is at risk behind bars because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Taylors have been locked up in a Massachusetts jail since their arrest in May. Authorities say the Taylors helped smuggle Ghosn out of the Japan on a private jet while he was on bail and awaiting trial on financial misconduct allegations. With former the Nissan boss hidden in a large box, the flight went first to Turkey, then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions. Ghosn has denied allegations that he underreported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. The Taylors have not denied helping Ghosn flee, but argue they can't be extradited. Among other things, they say that “bail jumping” is not a crime in Japan and, therefore, helping someone evade their bail conditions isnÂ’t a crime either. In a court filing on Friday, federal prosecutors urged Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell to rule that the men can be legally extradited. The U.S. Secretary of State will make the final decision on whether they will be handed over to Japan.

Europe on track to buy more PHEVs than hybrids by 2019

LMC Automotive, formerly the forecasting division of J.D. Power & Associates, predicts that plug-in hybrids will sell better than conventional hybrids by 2019. By 2021, it envisions PHEV sales at 600,000 units yearly compared to 325,000 standard hybrid sales, and by 2024 PHEV sales are expected to account for 1.2 million sales every year. Part of LMC's prediction is based on a few factors, such as that it believes "electric-only operation will come to be seen as a true luxury characteristic and will be prized sufficiently to command significant premiums." Certain PHEVs are helped in countries like the UK and The Netherlands by generous incentives or other perks, like avoiding inner London's congestion charge, that allow them to address their price differences compared to standard offerings. And the number of PHEVs on the market will soon eclipse regular hybrids, coming from makers across the spectrum. Volvo has twice recently, and only belatedly, learned of the popularity of PHEVs: in 2013 it had to triple production of the V60 PHEV, and just this month it said demand for its XC90 PHEV is four times expectations. The Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid is outselling the traditional hybrid Panamera by more than seven-to-one. And then there's Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Europe's best-selling PHEV with 19,855 units, a volume more than three times larger than the second-best seller. Although LMC sees hybrid growth slowing, they're still doing well. Toyota and Lexus build the top-five selling traditional hybrids in Europe, combining for 72 percent of European sales, with the new Auris and Yaris hybrids alone selling 123,506 units in 2014. For LMC's forecast to come true, Europe will need a spectacular change in buying habits, since the top ten conventional hybrids tallied 175,847 sales in 2014, and the top ten PHEVs rang up 36,138 sales. Featured Gallery 2015 Volvo XC90 T8 View 14 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Green Mitsubishi Toyota Volvo Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales toyota auris hybrid toyota yaris hybrid

Final edition Mitsubishi Evo X arrives next June as 5MT GSR

Jalopnik recenly held an online Q&A session with Don Swearingen, an executive vice president at Mitsubishi Motors North America. If you're into Mitsu you should peruse the whole thread because questioners jumped all over the subject map, asking about getting the Delica here (not going to happen) and a new Montero (another concept presaging production is coming to the Chicago Auto Show next year), the company's fleet vehicle stance (they kill residuals, Mitsu isn't interested), and a Mirage racing series (right now it doesn't make sense). But for any enthusiast, every question not dealing with a new Lancer Evolution XI is merely a side dish. On that note, Swearingen took his turn ringing the death knell for the Evo series, saying "There are currently no plans for an Evo XI," which is kinder than his words at the LA Auto Show when he told Motor Trend, "Its time has come and gone." Nevertheless, he gave us a few more details on the final edition Evo Special Action Model that Automotive News reported on three months ago: it will be a GSR five-speed with "More horsepower, some suspension tuning, and some bits pieces that are still being finalized. Around 2,000 units will be available." Those of you hoping for a spiffier interior or a massive curb weight diet won't take much solace from that, but the 2,000 or so buyers who get to drive the hommage to The Once and Future King probably won't mind.