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Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Toyota to shift production of truck from Mexico plant to Texas

Automotive / Automotive News /

Toyota Motor Corp. is moving production of its popular Tacoma midsize truck from a plant in Mexico to San Antonio as part of a $3.6 billion investment in the Texas facility.

The Japanese carmaker will build a second production line in San Antonio, where it currently makes full-size pickups and SUVs, and add some 2,000 new jobs by 2030, it said ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California is bringing back EV rebates. This is how to get one

Automotive / Automotive News /

LOS ANGELES — Nearly a year after the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax incentive for new electric vehicles, California is stepping in to try to motivate buyers to go electric.

Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $135 million in his new state budget to provide incentives for new and used EVs. Participating automakers will match the funds.

...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

The moment tensions erupted between UAW's Fain, federal monitor

Automotive / Automotive News /

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and the federal watchdog overseeing the union got into an extraordinary exchange two years ago in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war — a meeting that Fain now claims led to the monitor launching an investigation into him.

The expletive-laden discussion from February 2024 — details of which have never ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

First recorded Tesla Semi crash kills two people in Nevada

Automotive / Automotive News /

An electric Tesla Semi truck crashed into two vehicles in Dayton, Nev., over the weekend, killing two people and raising questions about the truck's safety features.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office responded to a major collision around 7 a.m. on Sunday at the intersection of Highway 50 and Traditions Parkway about 40 miles east of Reno, the ...Read more

Toyota/Toyota/TNS

Auto review: Updated Toyota bZ offers better range, recharging, and price

Automotive / Automotive News /

You may think EVs are expensive with limited range. Understandable, but what if there was an electric crossover that cost little more than a comparable gas-powered model? And it comes from an automaker renowned for battery and motor technology? Check out the 2026 Toyota bZ.

As with the similar Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ, the bZ did not get ...Read more

Ford/Ford/TNS

Auto review: The 2026 Ford F-250 Super-Duty Platinum Crew Cab: Because moderation is for hatchbacks

Automotive / Automotive News /

There it sits, like an industrial-strength rhinoceros in bespoke loafers, the 2026 Ford F-250 Super-Duty Platinum.

Gleaming like a petrochemical baron’s wedding band, it’s not merely a truck. It is a rolling steel-and-leather declaration that you have something towable, be it a boat, camper, or trailer. This is a machine conceived without ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Yukon Denali Ultimate gets pricey, but tops the charts

Automotive / Automotive News /

GMC and their flagship Yukon brings all-around excellence with this week’s tester, the 2026 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate.

This cousin to the Chevrolet Tahoe provides all of the space, comfort, style and luxury anyone could want.

In 2026, GM worked wonders on its existing fleet and added nice trim levels to keep the competition always thinking ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Wheelin' the Chevy Trax, Detroit's most affordable model

Automotive / Automotive News /

STRATFORD, Virginia — With bold styling, peppy performance and more rear legroom than an Audi Q7 for goodness sake, the $23,495 Chevrolet Trax is the most affordable SUV from a Detroit automaker. By a country mile.

But, admit it, the problem we have with entry-level models is the wheels.

Wheels? They look more like they were pulled off the ...Read more

Andy Morrison/The Detroit News/TNS

Ram's pickup sales surge boosts Stellantis in second quarter

Automotive / Automotive News /

Stellantis NV's U.S. sales surged 6% in the second quarter thanks to the growing popularity of its Ram pickups as well as its refreshed Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

But even as Ram sales grew 11% and Chrysler boomed by 80% year-over-year, the automaker's other two core domestic brands struggled over the last three months. Jeep sales slumped 5% ...Read more

David Guralnick, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

General Motors claims No. 1 US vehicle sales spot in recent months

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors Co. sold the most vehicles of any automaker in the United States over the past three months despite a drop in sales compared to last year, the company said Wednesday.

The Detroit automaker sold close to 32,000 fewer vehicles in the past three months compared to the same time period last year. Rivals including Toyota Motor Corp. ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Detroit carmakers mostly miss out on demand boom for hybrids

Automotive / Automotive News /

Fuel-sipping hybrids have become some of the hottest vehicles on the lot this year as gas prices hover near $4 a gallon.

The problem for Detroit’s automakers is that they don’t have many to offer.

Hybrid sales likely rose more than 9% during the first half of the year, compared with a roughly 3% decline in overall U.S. auto sales, ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford recalls certain F-150s, SUVs over risk for damage to park system

Automotive / Automotive News /

A new recall from Ford Motor Co. is affecting hundreds of thousands of pickups and SUVs over concerns about potential damage to the vehicles' parking system, and it could be months before a remedy is available.

The recall affects certain 2018-2021 Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs, 2020-2021 Explorer and Lincoln Aviators and 2021 F-150...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Tesla settles lawsuit over deadly crash involving full self-driving

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla Inc. has quietly resolved a lawsuit stemming from a fatal 2023 crash that precipitated a defect investigation into the carmaker’s automated-driving technology.

The collision involved 71-year-old Johna Story, who had stepped out of her vehicle on an Arizona highway to help direct traffic around cars that had already crashed due to ...Read more

Breana Noble, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Carmakers face pain as buyers face aging lineups, report warns

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — Consumers may be returning to dealer showrooms over the next couple of years to look at new vehicles that have few changes, as an electric vehicle "head fake" contributed to product delays, a former Bank of America Securities analyst said this week.

Profitability should pick up in the latter part of the decade, though, as new ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Cadillac VISTIQ is the all-electric baby Escalade

Automotive / Automotive News /

Let’s examine the VISTIQ, a new nameplate in Cadillac's EV fleet packed with 300 miles of fully electric range.

A smaller model of the successful Escalade IQ, our tester, a 2026 Cadillac VISTIQ AWD Sport, showed off its sportiness. Wrapped in Opulent Blue Metallic, a bright and formal version of Royal Blue, this Cadillac was a sight to behold...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Road trippin' in the Infiniti QX80 Sport mega-ute

Automotive / Automotive News /

INDIANAPOLIS — It's construction season in the Midwest, and there’s no better way to navigate it than in a mega-ute. Not in a sedan (WHUMP! Those road seams are harsh). Not in a compact SUV (YIKES! Those semis are huge!). Not in a sport scar (YIKES! Those road seams are harsh and those semis are huuuuge!).

In a mega-ute. Like my 2026 ...Read more

Slate/TNS/TNS

Auto review: The anti-Tesla? Bezos-backed Slate wants to sell you less car for less money

Automotive / Automotive News /

For decades, Detroit has operated on a simple premise: bigger vehicles, more features, higher prices. Trucks and SUVs that once prioritized utility have steadily evolved into rolling luxury suites packed with screens, software, and ever-expanding sticker prices. Affordability, meanwhile, has become increasingly elusive.

Which is what makes ...Read more

Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Watchdog accuses UAW's Fain of 'preferential treatment,' retaliation

Automotive / Automotive News /

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain has exhibited a "recurring pattern of retaliation" and "abused the authority of his office" with matters involving his fiancée and her sister, according a new report from the union's court-appointed watchdog, who Fain in response accused of "playing political games and abusing his power."

Neil Barofsky,...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford sees big improvement in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford was the mainstream auto brand with the highest initial quality in J.D. Power's latest study, a milestone for the Dearborn automaker's years-long effort to turn around its quality issues whose warranty and recall costs weighed on its balance sheets and reputation.

Ford jumped from below average last year to third overall in the survey ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Toyota threatens GM's sales crown as US hybrid demand surges

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors Co. is facing an uncomfortable reality: Toyota Motor Corp. has a shot at taking the U.S. sales crown once again thanks to growing demand for its gasoline-electric hybrids.

The Japanese automaker is expected to increase its market share to 15.8% in the first half of this year, while GM’s share may tumble by almost 1 percentage ...Read more