2005 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Leather Rear A/c Heated Seats Four Wheel Drive on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bosch fined $57.8 million by DOJ for price fixing and bid rigging

The US Department of Justice has been investigating bid rigging and price fixing among automotive parts suppliers for years, and so far the agency has leveled nearly $2.5 billion in fines against 34 companies. The latest business to be caught in this ongoing crackdown is Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch), the world's largest independent auto component maker, and it agrees to pay a $57.8 million criminal fine to the Feds. According to the DOJ, Bosch has agreed to plead guilty to pricing fixing and bid rigging for spark plugs and oxygen sensors supplied to the former DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors. The rigging is said to have occurred between January 2000 and July 2011. Bosch also allegedly played foul with starter motors sold to Volkswagen from January 2009 until at least June 2010. Bosch and other companies allegedly conspired on the pricing for bids to submit to automakers, and sold the parts at noncompetitive prices. The DOJ filed a one-count felony charge in US District Court for these actions. The company's plea is still subject to court approval, though. Bosch is only the third European company to be charged in this investigation, according to the DOJ. So far, many of the fined businesses have been from Japan, including Takata, NGK and others. Some execs have claimed price-fixing has been the standard operating procedure in the auto parts industry for a long time. Robert Bosch GmbH Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing and Bid Rigging on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars Robert Bosch GmbH, the world's largest independent parts supplier to the automotive industry, based in Gerlingen, Germany, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $57.8 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for spark plugs, oxygen sensors and starter motors sold to automobile and internal combustion engine manufacturers in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today. According to the one-count felony charge filed today in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, Bosch conspired to allocate the supply of, rig bids for, and to fix, stabilize and maintain the prices of, spark plugs and oxygen sensors sold to automobile and internal combustion engine manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company and Andreas Stihl AG & Co., among others, in the United States and elsewhere.

Next SVT Mustang may axe Shelby name, go naturally aspirated

Following our first glimpse at the 2015 Ford Mustang out on the road, the fine folks at Road and Track have divulged some details on what the Blue Oval's next pony might have in store. We've already seen that the car will get some very sleek, Evos-inspired design cues, and an independent rear suspension is indeed in store. These new details, however, concern the muscle car's beating heart.
For starters, the base Ford coupe is expected to carry on with V6 power, likely from the same 3.7-liter unit found in today's car. From there, R&T says the next step up will be a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, likely displacing 2.3 liters, putting out as much as 350 horsepower. Of course, a Mustang wouldn't be a Mustang without V8 thrust, and R&T states that the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 will continue on into the 2015 car, making something like 450 horsepower.
But it's at the high end of the Mustang range where things will, reportedly, get very, very interesting. Road & Track claims that the top-shelf 'Stang will likely lose the supercharger from its engine, producing a metric crap-ton of naturally aspirated grunt instead. Additionally, the SVT-fettled Mustang will likely be dropping its Shelby moniker, in favor of "a name you're familiar with," according to the magazine (you know, like, Cobra).

New York Mets outfielder turns spring training into his personal car show

New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is known for his wide range of talents. He can hit for power, average, has good speed, and is solid in the field. His car collection is equally versatile and diverse, and it's been on display this week at spring training. Every day has brought a different car, and it has his teammates and the media atwitter. Cespedes rolled up Wednesday to the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie in a Lamborghini Aventador. It's black with blue trim. Anthony DiComo with MLB.com tweeted this: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted the Lambo has a custom exhaust that cost $80,000 and shoots out flames. Of course, that's already old news. His Alfa Romeo showed up today, too. Apparently Mets infielder Wilmer Flores has been driving it. That's an ultra-rare 8C Competizione, brought to you by Robert Brender of SNY.TV. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Italian delights are stunning, but his Tuesday arrival was arguably the craziest: a Polaris Slingshot. DiComo captured this. It's customized with gaudy wire wheels, red accents, and Cespedes' No. 52 on the hood. Subtle. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Only in this fleet would Monday's ride appear pedestrian. It was 'only' an F-250. It was raised on huge wheels, had a custom grille, and towered over that Maserati behind it. Jon Santucci of Scripps newspapers observed it. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. At this rate, we should probably skip Geneva and get credentialed for Mets spring training. Cespedes signed a three-year $75-million contract with the Mets in the off-season. He's also played for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers. Related Video: Image Credit: Getty Images Celebrities Design/Style Ford Lamborghini Performance baseball