Spy Shots—2015 Nissan Murano Prototype
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:39
 murano

The shooters at KGP Photography just got their first look at the ’15 Nissan Murano, resulting in interior and exterior shots of the all-new crossover.

Styling Breakdown—Compared to Nissan Resonance Crossover Concept

Despite the camouflage, it's  apparent that the next Murano will take design cues straight from the Nissan Resonance concept crossover that debuted at the last North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The prototype shares the concept's rising belt line and the prominent side shelf that stretches from the taillights, all the way up to a roll into the front fender and hood line. Further similarities are found around the rear wheel arch, with the Murano prototype showing signs of the concept's strong swell over the rear wheel arch, which continues into the crossover's midsection.

The Resonance concept's rear surface development was very complex, and it looks to have been toned-down a bit on the Murano prototype. Still, there are more signs of the concept's inspiration in the Murano's rear-end styling, with taillights that appear to begin sweeping back upward into the prototype's C-pillar—just as it does on the Resonance concept.

The Murano prototype's front fascia appears to have a sharply chiseled grille design similar to that found on the latest Nissan Rogue. Again, the Murano prototype gets a significantly toned-down version of the concept's front fascia.

Prototype Interior

The Murano's interior reveals a portion of the crossover's center stack that is dominated by a large LCD screen at the top of the dashboard. Prominent brushed aluminum accents can be seen on interior, both on the outer edges of the instrument binnacle, and also defining the outer edges of the center stack.  

Signs of Plug-In Hybrid?

The prototype has what appears to be a circular access door hidden within the black camouflage on its front fender, just ahead of the A-pillar. There are reports of a 2.5L four-cylinder with a lithium-ion battery, providing the usual performance bump while maintaining a smaller, more fuel-efficient engine. To date, there are no reports of a plug-in hybrid system.

Production of the ’15 Murano will reportedly be shifted to Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, manufacturing plant, with a build date destined for sometime in the next calendar year.

 murano

Photo credit: KGP Photography

Canada Updates Its Tire Standards
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:34

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Transport Canada has updated its tire standards to harmonize them with counterpart standards in the United States. Canada’s Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, 1995 (MVTSR, 1995) are being revised and relocated within the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). The new standards will also allow enforcement of winter tire standards if manufacturers place the peaked mountain with a snowflake symbol on their tires. The new rules take effect on September 1, 2014. 

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Canada Updates Its Tire Standards
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:34

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Transport Canada has updated its tire standards to harmonize them with counterpart standards in the United States. Canada’s Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, 1995 (MVTSR, 1995) are being revised and relocated within the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). The new standards will also allow enforcement of winter tire standards if manufacturers place the peaked mountain with a snowflake symbol on their tires. The new rules take effect on September 1, 2014. 

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Canada Updates Its Tire Standards
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:34

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Transport Canada has updated its tire standards to harmonize them with counterpart standards in the United States. Canada’s Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, 1995 (MVTSR, 1995) are being revised and relocated within the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). The new standards will also allow enforcement of winter tire standards if manufacturers place the peaked mountain with a snowflake symbol on their tires. The new rules take effect on September 1, 2014. 

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

U.S. Forest Service Advisory Committee Issues “Planning Rule” Recommendations
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:23
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

An Advisory Committee convened by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has issued detailed recommendations on how to implement the agency’s 2012 “Planning Rule.” The Rule is the master guidance document for developing land-use plans instituted by individual forests. The 21-member committee, comprised of representatives from a wide variety of land-use stakeholders, including motorized recreation, submitted the recommendations to assist the USFS as it prepares final directives for implementing the Rule.

The Planning Rule has been a contentious subject of debate, lawsuits and court actions in recent years. Providing concise meaning to words and phrases used in the planning directives has proven a challenge. The Advisory Committee sought to find consensus.  

Topics included in the recommendations include adaptive management, National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) integration, outreach for diversity, public involvement and collaboration, social economic and cultural assessment, water, wilderness, climate change, species of conservation concern and reducing litigation. Each of these subjects are vital to the planning goals and objectives in the Rule.

The recommendations are designed to guide the USFS as it finalizes Planning Rule directives in 2014. A summary of the recommendations is available. Read the complete report.

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.
U.S. Forest Service Advisory Committee Issues “Planning Rule” Recommendations
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:23
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

An Advisory Committee convened by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has issued detailed recommendations on how to implement the agency’s 2012 “Planning Rule.” The Rule is the master guidance document for developing land-use plans instituted by individual forests. The 21-member committee, comprised of representatives from a wide variety of land-use stakeholders, including motorized recreation, submitted the recommendations to assist the USFS as it prepares final directives for implementing the Rule.

The Planning Rule has been a contentious subject of debate, lawsuits and court actions in recent years. Providing concise meaning to words and phrases used in the planning directives has proven a challenge. The Advisory Committee sought to find consensus.  

Topics included in the recommendations include adaptive management, National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) integration, outreach for diversity, public involvement and collaboration, social economic and cultural assessment, water, wilderness, climate change, species of conservation concern and reducing litigation. Each of these subjects are vital to the planning goals and objectives in the Rule.

The recommendations are designed to guide the USFS as it finalizes Planning Rule directives in 2014. A summary of the recommendations is available. Read the complete report.

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.
U.S. Senators Offer Proposals to Overhaul Business Provisions in Tax Code
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:19
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As part of a continuing effort to revise the American tax code, the leadership of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has released a proposal to address reforms to cost recovery and tax accounting laws. Earlier this year, the committee began a thorough review of the tax code to modernize the system and create simpler rules for small businesses. The latest draft proposes reforms that will more accurately measure business income, lessen burdens on business owners and raise enough revenue from corporations over time to significantly reduce overall corporate tax rates.

Highlights of the draft include reducing the number of major depreciation rates from 40 to 5, requiring businesses to deduct the cost of research and development (R&D) and 50% of advertising expenses over five years, simplifying accounting rules to lessen the costs of tax compliance and enforcement, and repealing the “last in, first out” (LIFO) inventory accounting method. Lawmakers would permanently increase Section 179 expensing to $1 million and expand the definition of qualifying expenses to include all pooled assets, research and experimental expenditures, advertising costs and qualified extraction expenditures. The committee is also considering permanent expansion of the R&D tax credit, set to expire at the end of 2013.

The committee has released a summary of the most recent proposal and the complete discussion draft for public review. For more information, please contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org. 
U.S. Senators Offer Proposals to Overhaul Business Provisions in Tax Code
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:19
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As part of a continuing effort to revise the American tax code, the leadership of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has released a proposal to address reforms to cost recovery and tax accounting laws. Earlier this year, the committee began a thorough review of the tax code to modernize the system and create simpler rules for small businesses. The latest draft proposes reforms that will more accurately measure business income, lessen burdens on business owners and raise enough revenue from corporations over time to significantly reduce overall corporate tax rates.

Highlights of the draft include reducing the number of major depreciation rates from 40 to 5, requiring businesses to deduct the cost of research and development (R&D) and 50% of advertising expenses over five years, simplifying accounting rules to lessen the costs of tax compliance and enforcement, and repealing the “last in, first out” (LIFO) inventory accounting method. Lawmakers would permanently increase Section 179 expensing to $1 million and expand the definition of qualifying expenses to include all pooled assets, research and experimental expenditures, advertising costs and qualified extraction expenditures. The committee is also considering permanent expansion of the R&D tax credit, set to expire at the end of 2013.

The committee has released a summary of the most recent proposal and the complete discussion draft for public review. For more information, please contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org. 
U.S. House Committee Approves Bill to Combat Patent Trolls
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:16

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The House Judiciary Committee approved a SEMA-supported bill (HR 3309) to address patent troll litigation. The bipartisan vote was 33–5. At issue are frivolous lawsuits asserting that a company or individual is infringing a patent. The entity making the assertion is usually seeking licensing fees but not actually manufacturing a product or supplying services. The allegations are frequently associated with common technologies or business practices rather than a single patent. The lawsuits have exploded in recent years costing small and large businesses billions of dollars. Many companies have settled rather than fighting the cases, allowing the patent trolls to secure funds to pursue other parties.

In a separate action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a study to address the problem. Among other actions, the FTC might recommend that specific allegations be included in so-called demand letters that patent holders send to alleged infringers in order to create a public database and improve transparency of the allegations being pursued.

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

U.S. House Committee Approves Bill to Combat Patent Trolls
Wed, 11/27/2013 - 10:16

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The House Judiciary Committee approved a SEMA-supported bill (HR 3309) to address patent troll litigation. The bipartisan vote was 33–5. At issue are frivolous lawsuits asserting that a company or individual is infringing a patent. The entity making the assertion is usually seeking licensing fees but not actually manufacturing a product or supplying services. The allegations are frequently associated with common technologies or business practices rather than a single patent. The lawsuits have exploded in recent years costing small and large businesses billions of dollars. Many companies have settled rather than fighting the cases, allowing the patent trolls to secure funds to pursue other parties.

In a separate action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a study to address the problem. Among other actions, the FTC might recommend that specific allegations be included in so-called demand letters that patent holders send to alleged infringers in order to create a public database and improve transparency of the allegations being pursued.

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.