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Tesla pursues building a new US Plant with China's dominant battery maker

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla Inc. is looking to build a battery plant in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter, in what would likely be a controversial arrangement with China’s dominant electric-vehicle battery manufacturer.

The EV maker discussed plans involving Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. with the White House in recent days, said the...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Motormouth: Check engine light on for years

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: I never thought I’d be writing you with an issue – but here I go. I own a 2011 Suburban. The check engine light has been on for more than 3 years. The issue (code) identifies it as an “oil pressure sensor” fault. I can clear the code, turning off the check engine light, only to have it come back on the next day. Two years ago, when my...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

UAW VP: 'We have to start punching back' to save Jeep plant in Illinois

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — A vice president of the United Auto Workers made an impassioned call Tuesday to save an indefinitely idled Jeep plant in Illinois on day two of the Detroit-based union's bargaining convention.

"The only thing that matters is that we decide to stay together," said Rich Boyer, UAW vice president and the head of the Stellantis ...Read more

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/TNS

With thefts still high, California Prius drivers wait months for new catalytic converters

Automotive / Automotive News /

When the catalytic converter was stolen from Vanessa Reimer's Toyota Prius in Long Beach, California, she thought the repair would be a simple one, taking a few weeks at most.

Then her local dealership delivered the bad news: The replacement part could take six months to arrive. Reimer, who is pregnant, may have a baby before her Prius has a ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

3M's next mission: Extending the travel range of EV batteries

Automotive / Automotive News /

Pick any electric vehicle on the street. From the battery pack to the panel display, 3M's products are all over it, even if you won't find the company's logo anywhere.

The company is leveraging its history in the auto industry to get a slice of the fast-growing electrification market. Carmakers come to the seasoned Maplewood-based conglomerate ...Read more

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Auto review: 2023 Lucid Air soars past the luxury EV market

Automotive / Automotive News /

Wow.

Of the thousands of cars, trucks and pickups I have reviewed in 28 years, there are few that have elicited that short, simple declaration. But it aptly sums up the week I spent with the Lucid Air Grand Touring.

Designed in California and built in Arizona, the Air Grand Touring throws down the gauntlet against the industry’s finest ...Read more

Jim Frenak-FPI Studios/GMC/TNS

Auto review: Hummer EV Pickup is unfathomable

Automotive / Automotive News /

The name Hummer is no secret in the automobile industry, but one that has gone dormant for many years. With the elimination of Hummer in the GM organization back in the 2000s, the big and brawny gas guzzler fazed itself right out of business. In 2022, that changed as GM needed to evolve something extravagant to introduce into the EV market, and ...Read more

Stellantis/Stellantis/TNS

Auto review: Affordable Hornet GT brings Dodge sting to compact SUVs

Automotive / Automotive News /

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — You know it as soon as you grip the steering wheel on the Dodge Hornet. This SUV wants to play.

Direct, weighted and rooted to the road, Hornet’s steering was a carving tool in my hands as I rushed the twisties up the Blue Ridge Parkway southeast of Asheville. The scenery was stunning, but the compact SUV offered...Read more

Ford teases 'Project T3,' next-gen electric pickup to be built in Tennessee

Automotive / Automotive News /

"Trust the Truck."

That's the saying behind the code name of the next-generation F-Series truck Ford Motor Co. will build at its under-construction, $5.6 billion mega-campus in West Tennessee. The Dearborn automaker on Friday offered its first teaser on the product that will be built at BlueOval City, revealing that it is codenamed 'Project T3....Read more

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Ford reveals EV losses as it rolls out new financial reporting

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. is set to lose $3 billion on its electric vehicle business this year — but it expects losses to reverse in the coming years as volumes of plug-in vehicles grow.

In the meantime, billions of dollars in profits from internal-combustion engine and commercial vehicles are bolstering the Dearborn automaker's financial results, ...Read more

Stellantis/Stellantis/TNS

Challenger SRT Demon 170 is 'new pinnacle of factory-backed crazy' in Dodge 'Last Call'

Automotive / Automotive News /

An up to 1,025-horsepower Dodge Challenger Demon that can travel the quarter mile in under nine seconds and requires the signing of a waiver to purchase marks the end of the Hemi-powered muscle car as the brand moves into a new era of performance.

For $96,666 plus destination and other fees and the notarized disclosure, speed enthusiasts can ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: What is function of steering angle sensor?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: I am an owner of a 2010 Equinox with 70,000 miles. After replacing all four struts, we had a wheel alignment done. The vehicle had a left pull after the alignment. My mechanic switched two front tires left to right. Vehicle still pulls left. I recently read that the steering angle sensor needs to be reset after an alignment. Is this true? I ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: '23 Santa Cruz competes in small truck market

Automotive / Automotive News /

As small trucks are becoming more popular, manufacturers are on their tippy toes trying to conquer every last consumer while packing their pickups with lots of bang for the buck.

In Grasso’s Garage this week, Hyundai delivers its new-to-market Santa Cruz. Our Limited AWD Hampton Gray tester was really an enjoyable experience. It sits low to ...Read more

Nathan Leach-Proffer/Lexus/TNS/TNS

Auto review: The 2023 Lexus RZ 450e is good, but is it good enough?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Naysayers have criticized Toyota and Lexus for not getting into the electric vehicle space as quickly as some of its rivals. Yes, EV market share in the U.S. nearly doubled last year to 5.6 percent from 3.1 percent. But that still leaves nearly 95% of U.S. consumers choosing cars powered by gasoline. So, it seems that Toyota does have time to ...Read more

AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla turns Twitter into $44 billion communications apparatus

Automotive / Automotive News /

Before Elon Musk was cutting deep at Twitter, inspiring legions of Silicon Valley bosses to take more unsparing approaches to running their companies, the chief executive officer of Tesla swung the axe on the car company’s small public relations team.

It was late 2019, and Tesla had just steered through a rough patch of production hell, ...Read more

Grant Jefferies/Bradenton Herald/TNS

Are you irked by slow drivers in the left lane of the highway? This Florida bill is for you

Automotive / Automotive News /

We’ve all seen them: the drivers who cruise in the left lane on the highway, too often driving below the speed limit.

Now a Florida lawmaker wants to alleviate this nuisance by making it easier for police to ticket errant drivers.

Currently, state law says motorists in the left lane on a highway have to move over if they know, or reasonably ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: The N-spired Hyundai Elantra N is a tattooed terror

Automotive / Automotive News /

HELL, Michigan — Hell has frozen over, but the roads are clear.

So I took my 2023 Hyundai Elantra N tester out for exercise on my favorite Michigan curves. On summer tires. In the middle of February. Hyundai’s hellion is more proof that pocket rockets are the best all-around cars in autodom. Though I may, ahem, put all-seasons on the N were...Read more

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/TNS

Thefts of Kias, Hyundais in Colorado chase away auto insurance companies

Automotive / Automotive News /

With car thefts spiking in Colorado the past few years, three auto insurance carriers are now declining to cover certain vehicles, leaving at-risk owners with fewer options.

Allstate, State Farm and Progressive are passing over new owners of some Kia and Hyundai vehicles, as thieves steal those cars at higher rates. In 2021, Colorado held the ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: Repair bill sticker shock

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: I took my 2007 Lexus LS 460 to the dealer when the "check engine" light came on. They diagnosed it as a misfire on cylinder No. 4. After investigating, they attributed the misfire to a wire that had been chewed by a mouse. I was told a new wiring harness would cost $1,200 but they could repair the wire for $400. I authorized the repair. Their...Read more

Nicolas Asfouri/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla accused in consumer suit of monopolizing repairs, parts

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla Inc. was sued by customers who claim they’ve been forced to pay exorbitant prices and endure long waits to repair their cars due to the company’s monopolization of replacement parts and maintenance and repair services.

The antitrust class action was filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court on behalf of Virginia M. Lambrix, who ...Read more