Automotive
/Home & Leisure

Auto review: 2023 Kia Niro EV surfs long waves on its cool urban vibe
I like traveling to California. I enjoy the warm weather, cool architectural vibe, surfing the waves, and of course, imbibing all of the latest electric cars. When I’m tired from a day in the sun, I grab dinner on a restaurant patio before cruising the Pacific Coast Highway with windows and sunroof open. If I lived there, I’d drive the 2023 ...Read more

Larry Printz: Volvo's all-electric 2024 EX30 is its fastest SUV -- and its smallest
MILAN, Italy — As Southern soul chanteuse Bettye Swann’s recording of “Little Things Mean a Lot” played, Volvo Cars rolled out its newest battery-electric sport utility vehicle, the 2024 Volvo EX30. It’s not only the company’s smallest SUV, it’s also its fastest, with a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds.
“It was designed to be driven...Read more

Auto review: 911 Targa 4, one heck of a machine
Auto manufacturers love to extend the life of a current model in the fleet, and sometimes that's a good thing.
For Porsche, it’s stellar. In Grasso’s Garage this week, it’s all about 911! No this isn’t an emergency, but it should be, because the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is an amazing machine.
Wrapped in familiar GT Silver Metallic, the...Read more

GM joins Ford in gaining access to Tesla's charging network
General Motors Co. reached a deal Thursday to gain access to Tesla Inc.'s network of electric vehicle chargers, joining its crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. in an industry-changing tie-up intended to speed consumer adoption of battery-powered vehicles.
By turning the EV market leader from foe to friend, both of the Detroit automakers are adding ...Read more

Recyclers are rapidly prepping for auto battery bonanza
WIXOM, Michigan — The recycling of electric vehicle batteries might be a newer business, but preparations to reach its full potential are in full swing — including at a facility in Metro Detroit.
North Carolina-based Cirba Solutions, a company formed in 2022 after the merger of Heritage Battery Recycling, Retriev Technologies and Battery ...Read more

Auto review: Buick Encore GX is a big style statement in a small package
CHARLEVOIX, Michigan — The new 2024 Buick Encore GX may be petite. But it has presence.
Parked in the middle of downtown Charlevoix over a busy Memorial Day weekend, the premium brand’s entry-level compact SUV turned heads. “Never seen that before. What is it?” said one passerby. “That’s a Buick?” said another, echoing the brand�...Read more

Ford on track to produce 150,000 F-150 Lightnings, lowering customer wait times
Ford Motor Co. is on track to reach its 150,000-unit production goal on the electric F-150 Lightning this year and giving the largest production increase to the XLT trim customers have been waiting for, the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Thursday.
Customers wanting the $64,474 Lightning XLT can order one today from a local Ford dealer ...Read more

Congress tries to save AM radio as automakers threaten to pull the plug. Chicago listeners may have a lot riding on the outcome
When Ford announced it would stop installing AM radios in its vehicles this spring, it generated so much static among station owners, listeners and legislators that the automaker quickly reversed course.
But with Tesla and a growing number of EV manufacturers banishing the original car radio from their high-tech digital dashboards and into the ...Read more

Consumer Reports pushes for free automatic crash notification in vehicles
WASHINGTON — Consumer Reports is launching a campaign to pressure automakers to include free technology in vehicles that calls emergency responders in case of a crash.
Most automakers provide this technology in new vehicles, the safety advocate says, but charge $100 per year or more to enable it.
The effort is aimed at General Motors Co., ...Read more

Automakers tell Congress: Don't make us keep AM radio
WASHINGTON — In an era when companies are building driverless cars and 30-inch infotainment screens, the auto industry found itself in Congress on Tuesday fighting over technology that's a little more old school: AM radio.
Bipartisan lawmakers are considering requiring automakers to keep AM radio in all new vehicles as some companies — ...Read more

Motormouth: Proper tire pressure
Q: I brought my 2018 Audi A3 to the dealer needing a new tire. I learned when I picked up the car that they filled the tires to 35 psi. The sticker inside the driver’s door recommends 41 psi. I asked the service rep why the discrepancy and he told me the lower pressure will give a smoother ride and less tire wear. So why does Audi recommend 41...Read more

Stellantis wants to become world's top light-commercial vehicle company
The maker of Ram, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler vehicles has set its sights on becoming the world's top light-commercial vehicle company, but it's going to face some major obstacles to get there, experts say.
Seeking to double its revenues by 2030 to more than $320 billion (300 billion euro), Stellantis has identified commercial vehicles as one of ...Read more

GM to invest $1 billion in Flint operations for next-gen heavy-duty truck production
FLINT, Michigan — General Motors Co. will invest more than $1 billion in two of its plants in Flint to prepare for production of next-generation heavy-duty trucks, the Detroit automaker announced Monday.
Some $788 million will go to Flint Assembly, which assembles the Chevrolet Silverado HD, the GMC Sierra HD Denali and GMC Sierra HD, ...Read more

Strong truck sales lift Ford's May results
Ford Motor Co.'s sales rose 10.7% year-over-year in May, boosted by strong sales of the automaker's flagship F-Series truck line and amid big gains industrywide.
The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker sold 170,933 vehicles in the United States across its Ford and Lincoln brands in May, up from 154,461 in May 2022, according to figures released ...Read more

Auto review: Silverado ZR2 is in a league of its own
Chevrolet enters Grasso’s Garage this week with its 1500 Silverado, but not just your typical half-ton work truck, the Silverado ZR2.
With a base price just under $70K, the ZR2 boasts a ton of standard features for off-road needs. General Motors, Chevrolet’s parent company, had no choice but to build a monster similar to competing ...Read more

Auto review: Genesis GV60: High-tech gadgets with an extra boost
Genesis has installed an amazing array of cutting-edge technology into its 2023 GV60 Performance crossover, and it should be at the top of this review. But when a carmaker puts a yellow BOOST button on the steering wheel for an acceleration jolt ... well, that’s impossible to resist.
Push the button and prepare for a 10-second throttle thrill...Read more

Tesla price war padded by $1.8 billion windfall from Biden's IRA
Elon Musk is getting more firepower for his electric-vehicle price war thanks to President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation.
Tesla Inc. and its battery partner are poised to receive about $1.8 billion in production tax credits this year under the Inflation Reduction Act, according to forecasts from researcher Benchmark Mineral ...Read more

Self-driving delivery trucks are already on North Texas highways. How safe are they?
For anyone who likes to complain about North Texas drivers, it might sound alarming to know that soon they will be sharing the highways with transport trucks that don’t have a driver at all.
The Metroplex has quietly become the new frontier for the development of autonomous trucking, with several companies from around the world setting up ...Read more

Auto review: A new name highlights notable changes in this revised all-electric Audi
It’s been five years since Audi introduced the E-tron, during which it’s been known as the E-tron SUV, even as other E-tron models debuted. It didn’t make much sense. It’s like naming your dog Dog.
Given that Audi expects to offer more than 20 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2026, at which point it plans to no longer market vehicles...Read more

Auto review: Quirkbox quirk-off: Kia Niro vs. VW Golf GTI
Amid the sea of SUVs in today's market there are a few rebels. With unusual designs, features, accessible pricing and different personalities, they defy convention.
Call them quirkboxes. Two new entries for the 2023 Quirky Qar Qlub are the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro and manual-transmission Volkswagen Golf GTI.
While aimed at different audiences, ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Congress tries to save AM radio as automakers threaten to pull the plug. Chicago listeners may have a lot riding on the outcome
- Automakers tell Congress: Don't make us keep AM radio
- Ford on track to produce 150,000 F-150 Lightnings, lowering customer wait times
- Auto review: A new name highlights notable changes in this revised all-electric Audi
- Consumer Reports pushes for free automatic crash notification in vehicles