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Good Samaritan pulls key from hit-and-run driver

A man in England stopped a hit-and-run driver from fleeing the scene by grabbing her keys from the ignition. On February 13, Michael Scott witnessed a crash on a busy road in Birmingham, England according to the Telegraph. He watched as a Vauxhall Astra crashed into a Porsche right in front of his vehicle. At first, it seemed like the offending driver was going to stop, but she just kept going. Luckily, Scott had his dashboard camera rolling at the time. "I was shocked when the Astra driver didn't stop, and just carried on accelerating up the road," Scott told the Telegraph. "I thought the driver was trying to do a runner, so when the car in front of me moved off I managed to speed up and block the Astra in. Scott rushed ahead of traffic to cut off the Vauxhall in a turn lane a few hundred feet from where the crash originally occurred. The running driver then maneuvered around Scott, but was blocked by another car from making a clean getaway. Scott then nabbed the driver's keys to keep her from fleeing again. "I was in a rush so I couldn't stop, but I gave her keys to the Porsche driver and left," Scott told the Telegraph. "I contacted the police to let them know I had footage of the incident too." When police arrived they found both drivers were unhurt, though the Porsche will probably need some expensive repairs. The fleeing driver was charged with drinking and driving and is currently out on bail.

CARB has 20 days to confirm VW's 3.0-liter TDI emission fix

VW's diesel scandal has been in the headlines since last September, but solving the problem it proving difficult. Volkswagen Group has submitted a proposal to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fix about 85,000 vehicles with the 3.0-liter diesel V6 in the US, Reuters reports. CARB now has 20 business days to test if the plan actually reduces emissions. If accepted, VW could finally begin a recall and end the stop sale on vehicles with these engines. In a statement, CARB pledged to, "respond following a thorough and complete review to make sure the plan addresses the presence of the illegal defeat device and follows the necessary environmental, vehicle and public health and safety regulations." Neither CARB nor the EPA outlined the proposed repairs, but Porsche CEO Oliver Blume already suggested the fix for the engine in the diesel Cayenne. Examples from 2013 and 2014 allegedly need a new catalytic converter and software update, and those from 2015 and 2016 only need the improved code. It's not yet clear whether this procedure would work for all models with the 3.0 TDI. While the EPA issued the notice of violation against VW's 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel in September, the first one for the 3.0-liter V6 came in early November. By the end of the month, the agency broadened the scope to about 85,000 vehicles, including some examples of the VW Touareg, Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, and Porsche Cayenne. The affected companies issued stop sales on new models with the engine. Audi eventually admitted to regulators that it didn't disclose three auxiliary emission control devices in the powerplant's code and promised to develop a software update to fix the problem. CARB gave the automaker 45 business days to submit the proposed solution. If accepted, this repair would allow VW Group to end part of the emissions scandal, but there's no guarantee the regulators consent to this solution. Just a few weeks ago, CARB looked at the automaker's plan to fix the 2.0-liter TDI and rejected it, claiming a lack of detail.

Russian President Putin's new limo makes debut ahead of 2017 production

What's the best way to ignore an international money-laundering scandal that's allegedly revealed your link to $2 billion in off-shore accounts? Why yes, you get a new car. While information from the so-called Panama Papers is still being uncovered, Russian President Vladimir Putin's new Russian-made ride has been unveiled. Unlike US President Barack Obama's Cadillac-badged Beast, Putin's Kortezh will be available to any Russian that has the means. A total of 5,000 will be built in four different styles – limo, sedan, SUV, and minivan – although only 200 will roll off production lines next year, Sputnik News reports. Deliveries are expected to start in late 2017, while assembly will carry on through 2020, the Moscow Times reports. Commerce and Industry Minister Denis Mantrurov confirmed that Porsche has been brought in to help develop the Kortezh's powertrain. Whether that engine ends up being the turbocharged V12 we reported on way back in October 2014 isn't clear, though. Regardless of what's sitting under that long hood, we're betting it's going to be extremely powerful. Putin will likely take delivery of the Kortezh in 2017. Related Video: