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Larry Printz: Feel that chill? It's time to assess your ride
The chill is on, and soon snow will be falling in most of America. Certainly, TV news anchors will be happy, for this gives them the chance to stand outside in a blizzard, where they will prattle on about something you could figure out by looking out the window. With mock seriousness, they'll convince you it's as life threatening as a nuclear ...Read more
Auto review: When is a good electric car not a good car? Meet the 2018 Jaguar I-Pace
Transcript of a hands-free phone call while testing a vehicle:
Me: Paul? You free?
A: I have a minute before a conference call.
M: I want to check what you think of the Jaguar I-Pace. I'm driving one, and I hate it so much I want to crash it into a wall.
A: What? I loved that vehicle. I'll call you back in half an hour.
Paul is Paul ...Read more
Movement rises to keep humans, not robots, in the driver's seat
Car enthusiast McKeel Hagerty's future changed in March 2017.
He was at a car event in Vancouver, British Columbia, when a stranger involved in developing self-driving cars took Hagerty by the elbow, looked him in the eye, and laid forth the future.
" 'I'm putting you out of business,' he said to me," Hagerty recalled. "He said, 'I'm serious. ...Read more
Ford and Volkswagen flirting with relationship possibilities
Auto industry observers say Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen would be an ideal marriage as the two carmakers engage in serious discussions about a potential partnership with unlimited potential.
"Something big is brewing," said John McElroy, Autoline.tv host and longtime industry analyst.
"Look, if it isn't, (Ford CEO) Jim Hackett can't survive. ...Read more
Top Ford exec wants automaker to be like Apple, Marriott
DETROIT -- As unhappy customers dominate social media to share horror stories, companies including Apple, Amazon and Delta Airlines have named top executives to eliminate problems -- and Ford Motor Co. has taken notice.
"We can see where the customer pain points are and improve them. We are going to have a laser focus," said Elena Ford, who on ...Read more
Trump lifted ethanol restriction in gasoline. Here's what it means for your car and more
President Donald Trump was in Iowa this week to announce he would lift a key restriction on the year-round, expanded use of ethanol in gasoline.
The setting was not accidental. Most ethanol still is produced from corn and Iowa leads the country in both corn and ethanol production. Iowa also hosts the first presidential primary contest.
Trump ...Read more
This electric trike could be the future of mobility
Imagine a ride with the open-air freedom of a motorcycle but the overhead frame of a car. Now put it on three wheels, ride in it silence and plug it in when the day is done.
This is the premise of the Arcimoto FUV, the latest innovation in the burgeoning mobility segment.
The three-wheeled electric motorcycle seats two, has a 70- or 130-mile ...Read more
Mark Phelan: SUVs hit sweet spot, make older drivers feel younger
It's easier to get in and out of a vehicle with seats about two feet off the ground, said Keith Knudsen, Ford vehicle architecture manager.
That's the emerging sweet spot as a wave of SUVs replaces traditional sedans as America's best-selling vehicles.
And so the automaker shift from sedans to small SUV-type vehicles could pay off in a big way...Read more
Ram outsells Chevy Silverado — for the moment, anyway
Fiat Chrysler's Ram pickup reportedly outsold Chevrolet's mighty Silverado in August and September, but the balance of power in the Detroit Three's 100 Years War for pickup leadership hasn't changed as the automakers roll out all new versions of their best-selling vehicles.
Shoppers' opinion of the Ram 1500 has been gaining on the Silverado as ...Read more
Why full-sized pickups save more fuel than the Prius
The new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 pickups will reduce gasoline consumption and greenhouse emissions more next year than the Toyota Prius hybrid, despite the little hatchback's gaudy 52-mpg fuel economy rating.
Sound crazy? Blame math.
The Prius revolutionized the auto industry, but it sells in puny numbers compared with full-size ...Read more
Under the Hood: Heavy hauling requires picking suitable tires
Q: I'm considering new tires for my GMC 2500 and want to plan ahead for possible RV usage. This may be either a trailer, fifth wheel or large camper -- jury is still out. What advice do you have for me to consider regarding strength and sizes?
-- Larry M.
A: It's great to plan ahead like this! You'll be looking at LT (light truck tires) and ...Read more
Auto review: Hyundai Kona is not too bold, not too bland
At first sight the all-new Hyundai Kona in lime green made me look twice to see if what I was seeing was really real. This lime-green subcompact crossover had so much body cladding over the wheel arches and fenders that it evoked the big ugly known as the Pontiac Aztek.
But -- you knew there was a but coming -- during a longer look without ...Read more
N.J. considers a consumer bill that only car dealers love
A bill that quietly passed the New Jersey Senate in July would drastically curtail legal remedies for consumers suing car dealers.
The bill, backed by South Jersey Democrats and legislative leaders, would slash attorneys' fees in consumer fraud cases against auto retailers, including those brought by the state attorney general. It would also ...Read more
Elon Musk's jab at the SEC staggers Tesla on Wall Street
When Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk speaks, Wall Street listens. And on Friday, Wall Street showed what it thought of Musk's latest words.
And it wasn't good.
Tesla shares fell 7 percent, to close Friday at $261.95, as investors assessed Musk's Thursday Twitter rant in which he made fun of the Securities and Exchange Commission and then took ...Read more
Toyota issues a safety recall for 2.4 million Prius, Auris hybrids to fix a defect in their electronics
Toyota said Friday that it is recalling 2.4 million hybrid-electric cars, mostly Prius models, around the world to fix an electronic defect that cause the vehicles to suddenly lose power that could "increase the risk of a crash."
The recall in the U.S. includes various Prius models that were built from 2010 to 2014, the same cars that were ...Read more
Under the Hood: Breaking in your brakes
Q: I recently had brakes done on my Acura and was told by the service advisor to drive gently for the first hundred miles or so. A friend told me this is all wrong and I should have done a half dozen or more hard stops to "heat cycle" them before normal driving. Who is right?
--Jill D.
A: This is a controversial subject, as the recommended ...Read more
Auto review: This Chevy Suburban RST can haul so much more than people
The 2019 Chevrolet Suburban RST is so far removed from the Chevy Suburbans of the past that it is a different classification altogether: the performance full-size SUV. If you can have performance trucks, why not giant SUVs?
The Suburban has been suburbing families and their stuff since 1935, making it the longest running nameplate in continual ...Read more
Pickups are pricing out the average new vehicle buyer
Truck enthusiasts Ernest Johnson and Mike Herron couldn't be more different.
Johnson, 80, lives in Pontiac, Mich. He retired from General Motors in 1999 where he drove a tractor-trailer delivery truck for 35 years.
Meanwhile, Herron, 65, lives in Durant, Okla., about 50 miles north of Dallas. He owns four businesses and is a real estate ...Read more
Auto review: 2019 Ascent is the Subaru families have been waiting for
Subaru's legion of loyal owners -- many of them golden retrievers, if the brand's commercials can be believed -- patiently awaiting a family-hauling three-row SUV will welcome the 2019 Ascent, but the seven- or eight-seater doesn't take up immediate residency at the head of its class, like other recent Subarus.
Still there's plenty to like ...Read more
Pedestrian deaths decline, but 2017 was still the 2nd worst year in decades
Fewer pedestrians died in 2017 than the prior year, but despite the drop, the number of those killed walking on and along America's roads last year still ranked as the second-deadliest year for pedestrians in decades.
The decrease to 5,977 pedestrian deaths came as overall traffic fatalities also dropped for 2017 by 1.8 percent to 37,133, ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Why full-sized pickups save more fuel than the Prius
- This electric trike could be the future of mobility
- Mark Phelan: SUVs hit sweet spot, make older drivers feel younger
- Auto review: When is a good electric car not a good car? Meet the 2018 Jaguar I-Pace
- Ford and Volkswagen flirting with relationship possibilities
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