General Motors is feeding its golden goose.

The automaker, which once behaved as if "brand strategy" were another term for wringing every penny from its brands today with little thought of the future, is investing in new vehicles and features to strengthen its low profile but hot-selling and highly profitable GMC brand.

"We have huge ambitions...Read more

Q: Automobile manufacturers, in order to save weight, seem to be favoring 4-cylinder engines over 6- and 8-cylinder versions. How will these 4-cylinder engines, especially those powering larger vehicles, stand up over the long haul compared to larger 6- and 8-cylinder models?

--Fred Ford, Walnut Creek, Calif.

A: You can count me among the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two electric vehicles made by Polaris Industries that have been outfitted with autonomous-driving software and sensors are headed to Detroit, where they will roll their way along city streets for a week.

The test, by robotics firm May Mobility and Bedrock LLC, a Detroit commercial real estate firm owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- Jim Kevan paid $6,000 for his Bryar Blue 1972 Chevrolet Corvette convertible with white top, 454 block engine and four-speed transmission.

He was 21, and the muscle-car scene was big back then.

"I would race my 1967 (Pontiac) GTO across the McKees Rocks Bridge, and the only thing that would beat me was a Corvette," the Pittsburgh...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Widening earlier claims of immigration fraud at a Tesla factory, a recently unsealed whistleblower suit says several other major automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen, illegally used foreign construction workers to build their U.S. factories.

The charges expand on an investigation by The Mercury News last ...Read more

Can you say "Ford Ranger Raptor?"

Now try it with an Australian accent: "No worries, mate. I'll pick you up for the barbie in me Ranger Raptor. G'day."

That's as close as Ford's legions of American truck fans may to get to the Blue Oval's latest road warrior for the foreseeable future. Ford has announced it will sell a high-performance Raptor ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Go for it! In essence, that's the Trump administration's new directive on driverless-car development.

Under that directive, automakers and technology companies will be asked to voluntarily submit safety assessments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, but they don't have to do it.

And states are being advised to use a ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The driver of a Tesla sedan who died in a 2016 crash while using Autopilot relied too much on the car's technology, and sensing a driver's hands on the wheel is not an effective way to tell whether the driver is paying attention, a federal safety panel indicated Tuesday.

Also, makers of semiautonomous vehicles could prevent the ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Most people still say they wouldn't buy a self-driving vehicle, but they become far more open to the idea after they try cars with automatic driver-assist features.

That's according to a survey conducted by global consulting firm AlixPartners.

Only 18 percent of those surveyed reported personal experience with driver-assist ...Read more

Q: I hope you can solve my problem. I have a 1994 Dodge Dakota with 190,000 miles on it. The engine has never given me a problem until recently.

It starts great and, at the beginning of each drive, runs nice and smooth. But, for some reason, after driving about 10-15 miles, it stalls. It usually happens when I stop at a stop sign or when I let ...Read more

In the Colorado ZR2, Chevrolet has fielded a purpose-built pickup truck that boasts a number of exclusives.

It's the only midsize truck available with a diesel engine, the only one to come standard with true "off-road" suspension and the only one with locking front and rear differentials.

So, who cares?

Chevrolet engineers made a splash at ...Read more

The last couple of years have seen interesting developments in the "adventure riding" motorcycle segment. It's the fastest-growing niche and seems to be attracting increasing numbers of older riders.

But both beginners and older riders may have issues with the size, weight and power of the class-leading adventure bikes, which often have 1000cc ...Read more