Q: I see you recommend waxing your car twice a year. I have owned more than 30 cars in my life and have never waxed one of them. When my car comes out of the car wash, it looks has good as any of my neighbors' cars. Have you sold out to the wax companies or should I have my eyes tested?

T.C., Chicago

A: Sold out? That’s impossible. I am ...Read more

It's called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 but one of its primary goals is to fight carbon emissions by, among other things, giving Americans incentives to buy zero-emission vehicles. After passing both houses of Congress, the bill was signed Tuesday by President Biden.

Not everyone's thrilled with the end result. The auto industry and ...Read more

It's official: Dodge is ending production of the Challenger and Charger in their current form in December 2023 ahead of the launch of its all-electric muscle car in 2024.

To help customers who want one of the gas-powered vehicles with a "Last Call" underhood plaque, Stellantis NV's performance brand in October will have on its website the ...Read more

Long-haul trucking has always been a tough job that keeps drivers away from their families for days and sometimes weeks. It’s no wonder there’s a perennial shortage of them. The pool of available drivers is aging — the median age is about 46 and climbing — and the industry is struggling to attract younger people to get behind the wheel ...Read more

It was 1974 when the econobox reached American shores in the form of the Volkswagen Golf, sold then as the Volkswagen Rabbit. It ushered in any number of competitors with a similar Bauhaus-like design efficiency that flew in the face of Detroit’s fixation on baroque brougham designs. Americans did embrace efficient, sensibly sized hatchbacks ...Read more

The GMC Canyon is hitting the trail in fresh duds for 2023.

General Motors' premium midsize truck gains a longer wheelbase, new engine and more rugged attitude with an all-new, AT4X off-road trim. The upgrades mirror those found on its twin Chevy Colorado pickup (with which the Canyon shares a ladder-frame platform), but the Canyon steps up the...Read more

One of the first sports cars I rode shotgun in as a kid was the 1970 Datsun 240Z. On a race track. Red. Fat tires. Manual shifter. Inline 6-cylinder engine. Bubble headlights. Two-door fastback. Hood that went on forever. Ooooh, I loved that car. No generation of Z has measured up since.

Until now.

The redesigned seventh-generation Z sitting ...Read more

Startup electric truck manufacturer Rivian continues to see robust demand for its inaugural products, with nearly 200,000 orders in hand, and a long way to go to fill them.

Rivian announced during a second quarter earnings call Thursday it had more than 98,000 orders for its R1T pickup and R1S SUV as of June 30. Amazon, an early investor in ...Read more

Q: You recently advised to follow the owner’s manual in choosing a grade of gas. Does that advice still hold if the manual says regular is fine but, for reasons long forgotten, the owner has been pumping nothing but mid-grade over the car’s entire 17-year life? If it matters, the car is an RX330 with about 120,000 miles.

W. K., Lake Geneva,...Read more

Complaints ranging from deceptive practices and mechanical defects, to shoddy repairs and title issues propelled auto sales and repairs to the No. 1 type of complaint fielded by state and local consumer protection agencies again last year, according to an annual survey by the Consumer Federation of America.

The report from the Washington, D.C.-...Read more

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has accused Tesla of false advertising in its promotion of the company’s signature Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies.

The agency alleges the electric carmaker misled customers with advertising language on its website describing Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies as more capable ...Read more

ATLANTA — Rivian may be getting lots of tax incentives from state and local leaders in Georgia to build a massive new factory, but the company's leaders are feeling snubbed by Congress.

The U.S. Senate recently reached an agreement to reform federal electric vehicle tax credits, expanding the program overall while placing new caps on vehicle ...Read more

It’s been 14 years since Toyota offered a new Toyota Sequoia. Given its long life with little change, you can be forgiven if you forgot the model even existed. But with the Land Cruiser leaving the American market, the Sequoia now takes on its role as Toyota’s largest and most capable SUV in its U.S. lineup.

Thankfully, it’s been ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Anchored with a huge buildout of fast charging stations, Xcel Energy this week unveiled a plan to spend $300 million to greatly expand its electric vehicle presence in Minnesota.

Minneapolis-based Xcel, in a filing with Minnesota utility regulators, proposed building 730 new fast-charging stations across Minnesota during the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Illinois has joined with three other states to build a 1,100-mile EV charging circuit along Lake Michigan, creating a scenic tourism route with enough juice to get electric vehicles from fish boils in Green Bay to cherry picking in Traverse City.

The Lake Michigan EV Circuit Tour will incorporate existing charging infrastructure ...Read more

DETROIT — The American consumer has gone wild for SUVs, especially rugged SUVs. In addition to dedicated dirt-kickers like Ford Broncos, Jeep Wranglers and Toyota 4Runners, brands are now equipping mainstream SUVs with off-road packages like Ford Explorer Timberline, Subaru Outback Wilderness, and Toyota RAV4 TRD.

How bonkers is off-road ...Read more

CHARLEVOIX, Mich. — My friend Jamie wants an electric car — in particular, one with a hatchback so he can stow his bicycle for ride excursions. There are plenty of roomy EV hatches available, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y and Cadillac Lyriq. And the Kia EV6 that I just used to haul a bike here.

Electric ...Read more