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GM wants to soften blow of layoffs for workers at closed plants
In an effort to ease the blow to the 14,000-plus employees faced with losing their jobs at General Motors, CEO Mary Barra is revealing a plan for assistance.
The plan, though, in part offering affected workers a shot at open jobs at GM's other plants, rings hallow with GM's UAW leadership.
GM said it has 2,700 open jobs at various factories ...Read more
Under the Hood: Does flashing D light indicate transmission trouble?
Q: I bought my friend's one-owner, well-maintained 2005 Honda Pilot with 138,000 miles on it. It runs really nicely, but while I was driving it recently the Drive (D) transmission indicator light started flashing. I pulled over and found the trans fluid to be full, clean and smelling fine.
The flashing D light went out soon after and hasn't ...Read more
Ford and Volkswagen explore a partnership, but deny there's a merger
Henry Ford II passed up the opportunity to get Volkswagen for nothing.
After World War II, the victors divided Germany into pieces, and the British found themselves with the region that housed the auto factory. They offered it to the eldest son of Edsel Ford in 1948.
"I don't think what we're being offered here is worth a dime," said Ernest ...Read more
Auto review: Hyundai updates its Elantra sedan for 2019, adding technology, safety
The compact Hyundai Elantra sedan, now in its sixth generation, gets a thorough redesign for 2019, inside and out, including more standard technology features, along with a new infotainment system and additional active safety features standard on more trims.
Exterior styling is upgraded with a wider grille featuring horizontal slats, and deep-...Read more
Donald Trump tears into GM: Mary Barra's decision was 'nasty'
President Donald Trump again attacked General Motors and its CEO, Mary Barra, over its plans to cut 14,000 jobs.
"I don't like what she did," Trump said during an interview with Fox's Harris Faulkner. "It was nasty. Ohio is going to replace those jobs in two minutes."
GM on Nov. 26 announced it was closing five factories, including Lordstown ...Read more
Why these 4 GM plants should be worried about closure risk
Hourly workers at four more General Motors factories have reason to worry.
Two assembly plants in Michigan, one in Kentucky and one in Kansas are operating far below their production capacity.
Industry experts and some in the UAW warn that the factories need more vehicles to build or they could face a similar fate as the three assembly plants ...Read more
All-new Ford Ranger touts combined fuel economy of 23 mpg
The new Ford Ranger isn't trying to compete with the Toyota Prius on gas mileage, but Ford is touting new midsize pickup for its fuel efficiency.
Powered by a standard 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Ranger has an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 21 mpg in the city, 26 on the highway and 23 combined for its two-wheel drive ...Read more
Connecticut judge says Tesla illegally sold cars from Greenwich gallery
A Superior Court judge has ruled that Tesla was engaging in illegal sales out of its Greenwich, Conn., gallery in another local setback for the California electric car maker.
In the judgment last week, Judge Joseph M. Shortall wrote: "If Tesla was not engaged in the business of selling motor vehicles at the gallery, it's difficult to see what ...Read more
UAW grows prepare for war as workers head into wage talks
Autoworkers say they're feeling unappreciated these days. They made wage and benefit sacrifices when times were bad. Now, after record sales, layoffs loom.
The shocking announcement by General Motors last month to close four U.S. factories was seen, in part, as a message to the UAW to prepare for cost cuts during next year's worker contract ...Read more
Under the Hood: Fixing conductive stripes in defogger system
Q: My rear window has a strip of glass that doesn't defrost like the rest of the window. It bugs me because it's right in my view behind the car. What can be done to fix this?
--Irlinda M.
A: It sounds like one of the slender printed conductive stripes on your rear glass has been scratched, severing its electrical conductivity. It's possible, ...Read more
Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500 will get 3D-printed brackets for brake lines
Small black brackets such as the one in Harold Sears' hand on Tuesday will find their way onto the 2019 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500.
The bracket, and how it was created, rather than the car itself, which will be shown in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, was part of the reason Sears was talking to a group of ...Read more
Vehicle infotainment systems are awful. That's why Volvo is handing the job to Google
As the years go by, it gets harder to tell one car brand from another. Optimal aerodynamic design produces similar shapes. Engine technology is highly reliable and advanced in ways that most consumers don't understand, or don't care to understand. For automakers, finding ways to differentiate their products is harder and more important than ever...Read more
Auto review: 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt: Better, faster, more
Of the more than 100 new vehicles I've driven this year, the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt might be my favorite. I wish I could leave it at that, then channel some Steve McQueen icy blue stare and you'd just accept its greatness as truth and we could all do our own high-speed stunts while chasing two hit men in a Dodge Charger on the hills in and ...Read more
Auto review: GMC Sierra AT4 pickup is loaded with premium features
MARSHALL, Mich. -- Brawny, lifted and loaded with premium features, the 2019 GMC Sierra AT4 pickup is a 4WD specialist and a peek into the future of General Motors' upscale truck brand.
A fleet of AT4s easily negotiated an off-road course at Eaton Corp.'s challenging 600-acre proving ground 100 miles west of Detroit on a cold December morning, ...Read more
Larry Printz: Lexus looks to be at the forefront of cutting-edge car design
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- To walk the aisles of DesignMiami/, a global design forum for creators, curators, collectors and critics, is to be amazed.
Want to buy a new chair? How about one made of chain link or flat slabs of wood? If that's not your choice, perhaps you'd prefer one made of foam and decorated in what could only be described as ...Read more
Reports: Fiat Chrysler to open new assembly plant to build SUVs in Detroit
DETROIT -- Fiat Chrysler plans to open a new assembly plant in Detroit to build SUVs, according to published reports.
Rumors have abounded for weeks about FCA's plans in the city, but company officials have declined comment.
The Detroit News, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that the company plans to "revive Mack Avenue Engine II, ...Read more
CEO Mary Barra tells members of Congress: GM must move forward
WASHINGTON -- General Motors CEO Mary Barra told members of Congress upset about impending layoffs Wednesday that while she understands that the federal government spent billions on saving the company a decade ago, she must look forward to positioning the company for growth.
"We are in an industry that is transforming faster than I've seen in a...Read more
Tesla becomes collateral damage in the China-U.S. trade war
China is crucial to Tesla's future. So it's not surprising that the trade war is hitting the company hard.
China is Tesla's largest market outside the U.S., accounting for about 10 percent of total revenue in the first three quarters of 2018 -- and the Model 3 isn't even available there yet.
The company sold about 15,000 of its more expensive ...Read more
Motormouth: Smacking the engine won't fix that noise. For long, anyway
Q: I have what you might call a classic vintage car, a 1988 Lincoln Town Car. When I was returning from the store about a month ago, I heard a loud screech from the engine. I turned the key off, but it kept screeching. About a quarter mile later, the noise stopped. I had it towed to a shop where they replaced the starter and solenoid and ...Read more
If Detroit-Hamtramck plant closes, autoworkers won't be the only ones hurting
DETROIT -- Gamil Aljohaim knows the workers at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant by the vehicles many of them drive, mostly pickups.
In the days after General Motors announced what has been interpreted as a looming shutdown at the plant and four others in North America, including the Warren Transmission Plant, Aljohaim said he saw fewer of ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Why these 4 GM plants should be worried about closure risk
- Under the Hood: Does flashing D light indicate transmission trouble?
- Reports: Fiat Chrysler to open new assembly plant to build SUVs in Detroit
- Auto review: Hyundai updates its Elantra sedan for 2019, adding technology, safety
- Vehicle infotainment systems are awful. That's why Volvo is handing the job to Google
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