OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — If you FOMO on BEVs but still must emit CO2 for trips, PHEV may be your GOAT.

Translation: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) are the new fashion statements as luxury customers face the drawbacks of BEVs (battery electric vehicles) yet still require electric for moral or convenience reasons. Two of the latest ...Read more

If the world of automotive engineering is a symphony, then McLaren is surely its lead violinist — sharp, precise, and at the front of the pack. Enter the 2025 McLaren Artura Spider, a drop-top interpretation of the brand’s plug-in hybrid supercar.

This isn’t just a roofless Artura. No, this is McLaren flexing its engineering muscle and ...Read more

As the electric vehicle market is still in full swing, Volvo rises to the top with the release of its compact SUV, the EX40. This year, Grasso’s Garage has tested the XC60 and XC90 in both hybrid forms and absolutely loved everything about them. The EX40, a full electric compact SUV, was certain to be a fun one.

On the interior, we noticed ...Read more

Tesla Inc. hasn’t done enough to protect against drivers misusing its Autopilot system, a safety expert testified at a trial over a 2019 fatal collision.

Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University, told jurors in Miami federal court that the Tesla owner’s manual, which contains critical warnings about how...Read more

Q: I'm writing about your recent column where you answered a PHEV break-in period question. Oh, no: You wrote "...2,000 and 4,000 RPMs."

"RPM" is already plural! Revolutions per minute. Argh. As a mechanical engineer, I see this all the time, even in technical literature; it's an epidemic! Thanks for your consideration and your great column.

...Read more

Stellantis NV's new CEO Antonio Filosa continues to tweak his North American leadership team, with the latest move bringing back veteran sales executive Jason Stoicevich to work with regional dealers.

Stoicevich had briefly been the American sales chief last year before departing for personal reasons. After a stint as a vice president at ...Read more

Nearly 600 manufacturing Daimler Truck North America employees are temporarily losing their jobs in the Charlotte, North Carolina, region.

Daimler Truck North America is temporarily laying off 573 workers update in Gaston County, according to a N.C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act report filed Friday with the North Carolina ...Read more

New, cheaper batteries for electric vehicles will be made in Tennessee as part of a partnership between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution, the companies said Monday.

Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between GM and LGES, plans to upgrade its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant later this year to produce lithium iron phosphate cells beginning ...Read more

Ford Motor Co. has struck a deal with a German labor union that includes protections for more than 10,000 workers at its Cologne plant and voluntary job reductions as the Dearborn automakers struggles with selling electric vehicles in Europe.

Ford has approved the negotiation results that would offer job security to its employees, and IG Metall...Read more

Maybe you didn’t notice, but Chrysler celebrated its centennial last month.

Of course, unless you’re considering the purchase of a 2025 Chrysler Voyager or Pacifica minivan, you probably haven’t thought about the brand much. In 2024, Chrysler sold 124,684 units, consisting of Pacifica and Voyager minivans alongside a handful of leftover ...Read more

If anyone wondered why the Sorento hybrids were left out of Kia’s midcycle refresh last year, the carmaker wasn’t playing favorites. Those hybrids join the others with the new look and extra goodies for 2025.

The Sorento hybrid and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric) now have the same bolder styling, attractive cabin laden with new tech features...Read more

Tesla Inc. will open its first showroom in India on Tuesday and begin deliveries as early as next month, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Elon Musk-led electric vehicle maker looks to tap potential demand in the third-largest automobile market to counter slowing sales elsewhere.

The opening of the Mumbai showroom will mark ...Read more

OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — It was a looooong Michigan winter this year with bitter temperatures, record snowfalls and chilly May days. In the South where I grew up, we hail the first songbird of April spring. Here in Michigan, I look for the first convertible of June summer.

It arrived in my driveway as a Mazda MX-5 Miata.

What a joy this ...Read more

When buyers are in the market for a vehicle that can move a lot of stuff, they tend toward options that can handle the capacity while not breaking the bank. The Chevrolet Traverse and even the KIA Telluride come to mind, but a perennial favorite has been the long-lasting Ford Explorer. In Grasso’s Garage this week, we review a beautiful 2025 ...Read more

Cadillac will need to "make adjustments" in response to President Donald Trump signing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminating an up-to-$7,500 tax credit for electrified vehicles, the luxury brand's global vice president said Thursday.

After Sept. 30, the tax credit no longer will be available. The budget cut comes as John Roth said the ...Read more

Q: ​I had a beautiful VW Scirocco that used oil at an increasing rate. Finally, a VW mechanic told me that the problem was probably the valve seals. He took out the seals and they looked like bacon bits. The new seals looked like big gray Cheerios. Oil consumption went from a quart every 300 miles to a quart in 2,500 miles. Later VW did a ...Read more

Prices of vehicles in China are in a downward spiral, say experts who expect the circumstances to usher in industry consolidation and create opportunity for legacy automakers while tariffs are in place.

The average car retail price in China has fallen nearly 20% in the past two years, with the cuts accelerated for electric vehicles and other ...Read more

Waymo has arrived in Philly.

But you can’t catch a ride in one of their driverless cars just yet.

Philadelphia is one of more than 10 cities where human autonomous-technology experts will be taking Waymos on summer “road trips,” allowing the cars “to get to know the city,” spokesperson Sandy Karp said in a statement.

The testing ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens will introduce a bill this week urging the federal government to play a more active role in reducing U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals.

“This bill is about real results. It will lower costs and create jobs by bringing mineral production back home, supporting Michigan workers, and ...Read more