Automotive
/Home & Leisure
How the UAW is winning over new plants -- starting with Volkswagen
The United Auto Workers is on the cusp of a significant milestone in its audacious effort to grow by 150,000 people across 13 automakers, including Tesla Inc., BMW AG and Nissan Motor Co.
This week, a Volkswagen AG factory will vote on whether to become the only foreign commercial carmaker unionized in the US. It would also be the first vehicle...Read more
Labor costs, shortage, increasing reliability: Why we're seeing more robots inside plants
Long used mostly for the “dull, dirty and dangerous” tasks in manufacturing, robots are increasingly considered “desirable” amid rising labor costs and shortages, strike risks and the need for flexibility in navigating the bumpy electric vehicle transition.
A record contract between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three ...Read more
Tesla to cut over 10% of workforce in global retrenchment
Tesla Inc. is slashing headcount by more than 10%, part of a global retrenchment extending all the way into its executive ranks as the carmaker struggles with slowing demand for electric vehicles.
Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk revealed the job cuts in an email to staff, citing duplication of roles and the need to reduce costs. If the ...Read more
Motormouth: Downshifting
Q: I own a car with an 8-speed automatic transmission and manual shifters. If I am approaching a red light 50-100 yards away, am I better off downshifting or gently applying the brakes? Does repeated downshifting do long term damage to the transmission?
P.J., South Windsor, Connecticut
A: Many transmissions remain in the drive mode or can be ...Read more
Honda's Midwest manufacturing plants begin EV conversion
Move over Accord, here comes Honda’s EV line.
Honda Motor Co. is transferring production of its iconic, internal combustion engine-powered Accord sedan from its long-time home in Marysville, Ohio, to its Greensburg, Indiana, assembly plant to make room for electric vehicle production starting in 2025. The move is a major step in Honda’s "...Read more
New EV sales hit crossroads, while used EVs have open road for growth
No one said electrifying the auto industry was going to be a smooth ride.
Electric vehicle sales got off to a slow start in 2024, with some some automakers — namely EV pioneer Tesla — seeing their sales momentum reverse.
After the country eclipsed 1.2 million EV sales in 2023, new plug-in vehicle sales increased about 3% year-over-year ...Read more
Ruling paves way for Biden to approve stricter California vehicle rules, but SCOTUS looms
WASHINGTON — A federal court ruling this week allows California to keep setting air pollution and vehicle emissions standards above and beyond federal limits, with potentially far-reaching impacts for an auto industry that's navigating a bumpy electric transition.
The decision preserves a regulatory double standard across the country. There ...Read more
Auto review: 2024 Fiat 500e is the perfect cup of automotive espresso
Here we go again.
The battery-electric Fiat 500e returns for 2024, five model years after it was previously offered for sale in the United States and a decade after it debuted.
Of course, if you don’t remember the previous Fiat 500e, you probably didn’t live in in California and Oregon, the only states where it was sold merely to meet ...Read more
Henry Payne: Delivering packages in Rivian's Amazon EV truck
PONTIAC, Michigan — Coming to your Metro Detroit neighborhood, Amazon.com Inc.’s Rivian electric delivery vans are the culmination of a five-year collaboration between the retail giant and the U.S.-based electric vehicle startup.
Michigan is among the major metropolitan areas receiving 100,000 Rivian Automotive Inc. vans that will both meet...Read more
Auto review: 2024 Jaguar F-Pace SVR is one raspy ride
Exhaust! In Grasso’s Garage this week, we have a noise maker on our hands with the 2024 Jaguar F-Pace SVR. This display of both luxury and sport makes for an amazing ride but a rough one, filled with tons of power.
Under the hood of our unbelievable Ultra Blue exterior paint is a 5.0-liter supercharged eight-cylinder engine, producing 550 ...Read more
Stellantis cuts 200-plus supplemental workers in Detroit
Stellantis NV continues to cut its supplemental manufacturing workforce, with more than 200 additional workers losing their jobs at one Detroit warehousing facility as of March 31, union officials and workers said.
"Stellantis continues to review its manufacturing operations to ensure all facilities are operating as efficiently as possible in...Read more
Ford cuts price of F-150 plug-in pickup, set to resume shipments
Ford Motor Co. slashed prices of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck by as much as 7.5% as the automaker prepares to resume deliveries this month following a halt earlier this year over an undisclosed quality issue.
The price cuts put in place April 5 partially reverse hikes in January as Ford was reducing production of its signature ...Read more
Motormouth: Which type of oil?
Q: My last two oil changes were with synthetic oil, but they mistakenly put conventional in this time. I had used conventional oil when I bought the car with 35,000 miles; it now has 84,000. They offered to drain it, but I said, how about make it good next time. Any problems switching over?
B.G., Colorado Springs, Colorado
A: There’s no ...Read more
How an obscure energy calculation could dramatically speed up America's EV future
WASHINGTON — Overshadowed by the Biden administration’s new tailpipe emissions rule, the Department of Energy finalized changes last month to a little-known calculation that could dramatically impact automakers’ ability to sell gas-powered cars and trucks.
The changes to the calculation, known as “petroleum equivalency factor," will ...Read more
Rivian hosts R2 open house in Normal, its new production home
NORMAL, Illinois — Nearly five years after unveiling its prototype electric pickup truck and SUV for a Normal community looking to restart its idled auto plant, Rivian was back in the town circle Saturday with its second-generation EVs, and the promise of more activity at the now-bustling factory.
The low-key but festive event showcased the ...Read more
Few stations and $200 to fill up: Life on California's 'Hydrogen Highway'
As California’s longtime chief climate regulator, Mary Nichols once championed hydrogen fuel cell cars. Just a few years ago, as the state spent tens of millions of dollars on a planned network of fueling stations dubbed “the hydrogen highway,” Nichols was extolling the 300-mile (480-kilometer) range and quick refueling time of her own ...Read more
Electric, hybrid cars cutting Bay Area's carbon footprint, UC Berkeley researchers say
The Bay Area’s leading role in electric-vehicle adoption is producing a measurable drop in the region’s carbon footprint and contribution to the battle against climate change, new research from University of California-Berkeley suggests.
Last March, the Bay Area became the first U.S. metropolitan area where half of all new vehicle ...Read more
Auto review: Go used, go Chevy Malibu
NAPLES, Florida — My Chevy Malibu is roomy, techy and easy on the eyes. And, most importantly, it’s a used bargain at under 20 grand.
Let’s go used car reviewing.
I’m a big fan of affordable cars whether new or used, but it’s a tough hoe for consumers these days in a market buffeted by a perfect storm of electric vehicle mandates, ...Read more
Auto review: Goodnight Kitty: Jaguar's last gasoline-powered sports car
In the Jaguar Land Rover showroom, the 2024 Jaguar F-Type R is an anomaly. It’s a dinosaur, a relic of a fast-fading age of speed, steel, sex and internal combustion engines powered by fossil fuel. And yet, that era is still very much with us despite various governments’ attempts to change it. These beasts won’t go without a final fierce ...Read more
Auto review: 2024 Lexus GX easily tops the luxury SUV category
Toyota Motor Co.’s upscale brand Lexus has been teasing the auto industry for over a year with the redesign of its GX. That time has finally come and it has been well worth the wait.
In Grasso’s Garage, the 2024 Lexus GX550 Premium+ wrapped in Nightfall Mica, a pristine deep blue with metallic flake that certainly shines as its exterior ...Read more
Popular Stories
- How an obscure energy calculation could dramatically speed up America's EV future
- Labor costs, shortage, increasing reliability: Why we're seeing more robots inside plants
- Tesla to cut over 10% of workforce in global retrenchment
- How the UAW is winning over new plants -- starting with Volkswagen
- Motormouth: Downshifting