Maybe the world is returning to normal. Or maybe it's getting to a new normal of living with the coronavirus. Certainly there are signs of life returning to the new-car market. The opportunity to get a great lease deal while sales are lousy may be fading away.

Dealer inventories are high, retail sales are slow and interest rates are near ...Read more

If you have found yourself furloughed or are facing a reduced paycheck, and need some new wheels, you'll want a new ride at the lowest possible cost. Enter the frugal finds, the 10 least expensive new vehicles you can buy, ranked by base price of the base model. Each price includes destination charge, but excludes incentives.

All are built on ...Read more

I've been fortunate to try out a night-vision system for automotive use, the Vast by Lanmodo. New technology always intrigues me, particularly how useful it actually is and how well it gets along with a human operator.

The Vast resembles a large (8.2-inch) rear-view mirror that can be placed atop the instrument panel via an attached pad or ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As Tesla is back and cranking up production at its vehicle manufacturing plant in Fremont, Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he isn't worried about the electric carmaker abandoning California in the near future.

Newsom made his comments late Tuesday during an interview on CNBC. Newsom said he has known Tesla Chief Executive Elon ...Read more

Nearly half of Americans say they would not get in a self-driving taxi, according to a poll commissioned by the advocacy group Partners for Automated Vehicle Education. The poll, conducted online in February and March by SurveyUSA, found widespread skepticism and confusion about autonomous vehicles.

Of the 1,200 adults surveyed, 48% said they ...Read more

DETROIT -- Before sunrise on Monday, tens of thousands of autoworkers headed back to work at factories in Detroit, Chicago, Toledo, Louisville and Kansas City as the Detroit Three started building vehicles again.

Shuttered since late March because of the coronavirus, with hourly and salaried workers sheltering at home, cash-starved companies ...Read more

Q: Where is the outdoor temperature sensor on a car generally located? I ask because it appears that the temperature indicated on the dashboard does not always align with the ambient temperature. If the sensor is located under the hood, would the heat reflected from the hood elevate the true indicated temperature?

T.A., Coral Springs, Fla.

A: ...Read more

It's physically impossible to practice social distancing during a driving exam, so during the coronavirus pandemic, the state of Georgia temporarily did away with the most nerve-wracking portion of getting a driving license.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order in mid-April that waived the road test part of the licensing process...Read more

DETROIT -- Automakers and suppliers around the world are investigating ways to virus-proof their vehicles to win customers in a post-COVID-19 market.

Ideas under consideration include blasting car interiors with ultraviolet light, using foggers to spray disinfectants, upgraded air filtration systems and antimicrobial materials.

A third of ...Read more

2020 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 2500HD 4x4, sort of vs. the 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel Crew Cab: Two ways to the big boys.

This week: Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD

Price: $73,265 as tested ($9,890 for the 6.6-liter diesel engine; $7,805 for the LTZ Premium Package; $1,080 for the Z71 Off-Road and Protection Package: $545 for the Fifth Wheel hitch; and $495...Read more

DETROIT -- As the Detroit Three auto companies move to restart factory operations in North America on Monday, they're monitoring closely new reports coming from Mexico about whether auto suppliers there will be crippled by the coronavirus.

Industry analysts say what happens in the next two weeks will be crucial to Detroit.

"The U.S. car ...Read more

DETROIT -- The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 remains scheduled to start production and go on sale in 2020 despite massive industry disruption caused by the coronavirus, a spokeswoman confirmed to the Free Press Thursday.

"We are on track to deliver our all-new Ford F-150 to customers starting this fall," said Kelli Felker, Ford global manufacturing ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Thursday announced final regulations that aim to settle years of debate over how to give drivers flexibility in limits on their driving hours while preventing accidents caused by driver fatigue.

In a press call with acting administrator Jim Mullen and Secretary of Transportation ...Read more

Stay-at-home orders have meant Americans are driving less -- and many insurers are giving policyholders a break that should appear soon in the mail or on their account.

The discounts, announced by some insurance companies in early April, range from 10% to 30%.

Most insurance companies are paying the April premium rebate in May and the May ...Read more

After 18 months in which Nissan's finances cratered, its highest-profile executive became the world's most famous white-collar fugitive and its alliance with Renault began to crumble, the Japanese automaker may finally have caught a break.

Nissan's new 2020 Sentra compact sedan may be the perfect car for our uncertain times: affordable, with ...Read more

DETROIT -- The time it takes to get things done inside General Motors has been transformed during the coronavirus pandemic, as the company has shifted its resources to critical new endeavors such as ventilator production.

And Mary Barra, GM's chairman and CEO, has noticed.

"One of the things I've been impressed with is how we're able to do ...Read more