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Rob Nikolewski/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Even with high gas prices, EV sales in California are flat

Automotive / Automotive News /

Despite soaring gasoline prices and the re-introduction of a statewide rebate program for zero-emission vehicles, sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids in California stalled in the third quarter of this year.

All-electrics accounted for a 17.3% share of new cars and pickup trucks sold in the California from July through September, down from 17.9% in...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Improperly secured seats prompt Ford F-150 recall

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. has issued a recall on thousands of 2025-27 F-150 pickup trucks after identifying improper securements for front-row seats to the vehicle.

There are 2,276 vehicles included in the recall, which is less than 1% of models, according to an advisory posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website. The improper ...Read more

Casey Williams/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Mercedes-AMGe53 plug-in hybrid wagon is fuel-efficient but also an unholy terror

Automotive / Automotive News /

While I was recently in Los Angeles, I had the chance to visit The Petersen Museum’s “100 Years of Mercedes” exhibit.

Sitting amongst Clark Gable’s 1956 300 Sc, Walt Disney’s 1964 230 SL roadster and Ferdinand Marcos’ armored 1984 500 SEL was what’s believed to be the only 1987 300 AMG “Hammer” wagon. Its 375 horsepower 6.0-...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Henry Payne: King Porsche 911 Turbo S goes hybrid to keep its crown

Automotive / Automotive News /

HELL, Michigan — Destroying Hell’s twisted roads then cruising topless through Ann Arbor to pick up lunch. Blitzing the back straight at M1 Concourse at 130 mph. Schlepping to the airport on adaptive cruise control in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Just a typical 24 hours in the King of Supercars, the 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S.

But it’s not ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Ford F-150 Lobo hammers the exterior aesthetics perfectly

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford makes the long haul and enters Grasso’s Garage with an aesthetically pleasing and proven F-150 Lobo edition pickup truck that is ready for all consumers.

With a 600-mile range on a full tank, our F-150 Lobo tester offered an upgraded 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine packed with 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. Paired with a 10-...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

EV owners, beware: El Niño flooding brings risk of serious battery fires

Automotive / Automotive News /

Damage from a week's worth of high surf and El Niño-related storms brought many warnings from officials. Beaches were closed. Homes were evacuated and red-tagged.

But one alert was targeted to a specific audience: owners of electric vehicles that were submerged by the flooding.

"If you notice smoke, hissing, popping or unusual heat, move ...Read more

UWE FISCHER/BMW/TNS

Auto review: 2026 BMW M2 CS is a glorious waste of fuel, money and common sense

Automotive / Automotive News /

Thank goodness for BMW, which still builds cars for people who enjoy driving rather than merely enduring it. The 2026 BMW M2 CS is a compact, two-door sports coupe for those who adore BMW’s gloriously primitive idea of self-propelled progress: more power, less weight, and the lunatic notion that driving ought to be fun.

Making a car fast is ...Read more

Neydtstock/Dreamstime/TNS

Ford supplier cuts jobs in Michigan as some work sent to India

Automotive / Automotive News /

A Ford supplier in Sterling Heights, Michigan, filed a notice with the state that it's permanently laying off more than 150 people because some of the business is going to India, according to a source familiar with the automaker's plans.

Kern J.G. Enterprise Inc. filed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, citing "unforeseeable ...Read more

Tomas Cuesta/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Legacy carmakers risk losing mass market to Chinese rivals

Automotive / Automotive News /

Legacy carmakers won’t likely be able to match Chinese rivals on price and may already have missed first-mover advantage on electric and software-developed vehicles, according to a report by Mobility Global Inc.’s automotive analysts.

The paper, which the research firm released Tuesday, projects established automakers will retain the upper...Read more

Caroline Petrow-Cohen/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Vietnamese electric ride hailing service launches in LA with its own cars and drivers

Automotive / Automotive News /

Los Angeles is getting a new all-electric ride hailing service as Vietnam’s Green SM launches in the city.

Its cyan-colored vehicles will compete with Ubers, Lyfts and autonomous taxis to shuttle customers across busy streets and freeways. The vehicles arrive amid a surge in transportation options as several robotaxi companies ramp up ...Read more

GMC/TNS/TNS

Grille parts still fly off top-selling GM truck, safety officials say

Automotive / Automotive News /

Federal safety regulators are investigating reports of continued problems with grille parts flying off a top-selling General Motors Co. pickup truck.

At issue are some GMC Sierras from model years 2022-24. GM last year recalled grille deflectors on Sierra 1500 models with chrome grilles following complaints of the part falling off while driving...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

Fain claims reelection in apparent sweep for his UAW slate

Automotive / Automotive News /

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain claimed reelection early Friday evening with his United UAW slate of candidates poised to sweep the International Executive Board positions in the Detroit-based union's second-ever direct election of leaders, according to preliminary results.

Fain led against five other challengers, including Vice ...Read more

Jaguar/TNS/TNS

Larry Printz: Jaguar Type 01 is the 1,015-HP Electric GT that could save Jaguar

Automotive / Automotive News /

GAYDON, England — Jaguar has spent years talking about reinvention. Now it has produced something considerably more useful than another corporate promise: a 1,015-horsepower electric grand tourer with the proportions of a proper Jaguar. The Jaguar Type 01 is low, long and unapologetically expensive. It has a 24-inch screen, 23-inch wheels, ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Ram trucks hit with another recall

Automotive / Automotive News /

Federal safety officials say the tire pressure monitoring systems on more than 16,000 Ram trucks could have been damaged during assembly, prompting a recall.

The recall covers model year 2026 Ram trucks produced by Stellantis NV, which began notifying dealers of the issue this week.

Sensors notify drivers when tire pressure drops significantly...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Porsche Macan Electric is the EV SUV for everyone

Automotive / Automotive News /

Nowadays, the large array of SUVs available to consumers can be overwhelming. Manufacturers have models in every fleet vying for a slice of this burgeoning market.

In Grasso’s Garage this week we consider an all-electric powerhouse that is here to prove a point: that the 2026 Porsche Macan Turbo Electric does it better than the rest. Porsche ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: At the helm of the giant, remade VW Atlas

Automotive / Automotive News /

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The second-generation, 2027 Volkswagen Atlas is big. How big? My 6-foot-5-inch frame and 6-foot-7-inch Atlas Product Manager Jim Burch both fit easily in the third row.

Together.

We make things big in America. Big people, big attractions, big cars. For years, Volkswagen sent too-small, too-expensive German-made vehicles...Read more

Stellantis/Stellantis/TNS

Ram is recalling more than 265,000 vehicles over a steering defect

Automotive / Automotive News /

More than 265,000 Ram cargo vans have been recalled over a defect with the vehicles' steering system.

At issue are the electric power steering systems in ProMaster vans from model years 2022-26. Federal regulators say water can seep into the steering systems, damaging the vehicles' electrical wiring and potentially causing permanent loss of ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford changes PTO policy to stay 'competitive'

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. on Thursday notified salaried employees of changes to its paid-time off policy starting in 2027, including the elimination of a program to purchase vacation time and changes to vacation milestones that the automaker said would increase paid days off for some employees.

The changes are a part of human resources-related updates the...Read more

Geoff Robins/Getty Images North America/TNS

Canadian autoworkers schedule strike vote against Stellantis amid negotiation standoff

Automotive / Automotive News /

Canadian autoworkers union Unifor has scheduled a strike authorization vote for employees at the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.

Negotiations between the Toronto-based labor union and Stellantis NV have been at an impasse for almost a month after the transatlantic automaker disclosed it has a tentative agreement to sell its idled ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Waymo begins fully autonomous testing in Detroit, other northern cities

Automotive / Automotive News /

Drivers on Detroit roads are about to become acquainted with a phenomenon that's become commonplace in other cities across the South and the West Coast: cars traveling without anyone behind the wheel.

Waymo LLC’s rideshare service began full autonomous testing in Detroit this week without a human specialist at the wheel as the rideshare ...Read more