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Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Business fuel-saving efforts give automakers software opportunities

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — Businesses and commercial fleet operators are seeking ways to reduce fuel costs as prices spike, but unlike previous hikes, software technologies offer a greater opportunity for automakers to capitalize on those needs.

Fuel costs for some companies have close to doubled over the past couple of months amid the blockage of the Strait ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

US House proposes sweeping EV fee, adding to existing state charges

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House has proposed an annual, nationwide registration fee of $130 for electric vehicles to help address weakening reserves for federal road maintenance.

The fee would eventually rise by $5 every two years beginning in 2029, with a maximum fee of $150. The proposal also calls for a $35 fee on plug-in hybrid models, to be ...Read more

BlueOval/TNS

Ford Energy announces first customer for stationary energy storage

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co.'s stationary battery energy storage business has announced a five-year framework agreement with its first customer: a developer of energy facilities.

EDF power solutions North America, a subsidiary of France's EDF Group, will have the ability to procure up to 4 gigawatt hours of battery energy storage systems annually from Ford ...Read more

Ford/Ford/TNS

Ford Europe plans five new vehicles to turn around passenger business

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. will launch five all-new “multi-energy” passenger vehicles in Europe by the end of 2029 as it seeks to grow its retail share.

The Dearborn automaker has faced challenges across the pond. Although it has leadership in commercial vehicles on the continent, the Blue Oval has struggled with market share in the retail space. The ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: Refreshed 2026 VW Tiguan finally checks all marks

Automotive / Automotive News /

For some time we've felt the midsize Volkswagen Tiguan needed a refresh, and we're happy to report that it finally arrived in Grasso's Garage. What a pleasure it was to drive and ride.

Volkswagen kept the 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo simple, priced it right and didn’t go over the top, earning top marks. Similar to the Honda CR-V in size and ...Read more

Mercedes-Benz AG/Mercedes-Benz AG/TNS

Mercedes-Benz is playing both sides of the EV revolution, and it just might work

Automotive / Automotive News /

Mercedes-Benz is reaching for an increasingly familiar playbook in the luxury auto market: evolve aggressively without starting over. The automaker recently unveiled a new round of updates to its midsize GLE and flagship GLS sport-utility vehicles at its sprawling plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, underscoring a strategy increasingly common ...Read more

TNS

Auto review: Lexus RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid crossover dishes style and luxury no matter where you roam

Automotive / Automotive News /

My mother-in-law took quite a journey to find her latest ride. She considered the Toyota Prius, impressed by its sleek style, utility and hybrid fuel economy. She liked the much larger Toyota Crown hybrid even more. But what she really wanted was legit luxury, and she found her vibe with the Lexus RX 350 crossover.

It was an excellent choice, ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Mazda fixed the CX-5. Except for the turbo-4

Automotive / Automotive News /

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan — Rarely do I attack a 180-degree cloverleaf with an SUV. Exiting I-75 in the all-new 2026 Mazda CX-5, I activated SPORT mode, stabbed the brakes, then rotated the 3,856-pound ute into the looooong turn, hugging the apex until the all-season tires screamed in protest. The CX-5 stayed true.

Yep, the CX-5’s poised ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Honda and Nissan's shifting fortunes may bolster case for tie-up

Automotive / Automotive News /

Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have essentially traded places since plans to combine the two companies collapsed dramatically last year.

Back then, Nissan’s financial position was deteriorating rapidly and Honda was seen as a white knight. But a prospective tie-up fell apart over Nissan’s resistance to demands from Honda, including ...Read more

Rob Nikolewski/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

California unveils a $1 billion rebate program for electric trucks

Automotive / Automotive News /

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that California has launched a $1 billion rebate program to boost the sales of electric medium‑ and heavy‑duty trucks, using money from the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program.

The rebates run $7,500 to $120,000 and can be applied toward the purchase of new electric medium‑ and heavy‑duty ...Read more

Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Shawn Fain faces 4 rivals in the UAW president race. Here's the list

Automotive / Automotive News /

At least four United Auto Workers members plan to take on Shawn Fain to become the next president of the powerful Detroit union later this summer — and more contenders might jump in the race.

The challengers include Brian Keller, a Michigan Stellantis NV worker and vocal Fain critic with a large social media following, as well as Will Lehman,...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Waymo recalls thousands of its driverless cars after some failed to avoid flooded roads

Automotive / Automotive News /

Waymo is recalling 3,791 autonomous taxis after a software defect caused some vehicles to drive into flooded roadways, according to a recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

The voluntary recall filed April 30 affects Waymo vehicles operating on the company's fifth and sixth generation Automated Driving System. The ...Read more

John T. Greilick/The Detroit News/TNS

Why the China-built Lincoln Nautilus has a US VIN

Automotive / Automotive News /

When Steven Thomson visited his local Lincoln showroom, he noticed something peculiar: The Nautilus SUV's vehicle identification number began with the number 5.

That was odd, because Thomson — a retired parts and service manager and a car guy — always heard that VINs beginning with a 1, 4 or 5 were made in the United States. But the ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Amid Trump trip, Michigan duo latest to float Chinese car ban

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo of Michigan lawmakers is backing a push to ban Chinese vehicles from the United States, adding yet more force behind a widespread effort to keep President Donald Trump from opening the American marketplace to a major competitive threat.

Republican U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar of Caledonia and Democratic Rep. Debbie ...Read more

General Motors/TNS/TNS

GM is using AI to design vehicles. Here's what that means

Automotive / Automotive News /

The birth of a new General Motors Co. car still begins with a sketch. But after that, the Detroit automaker is leaning into artificial intelligence to supercharge development.

What once took months of work to turn a concept vehicle sketch into a realistic animation now takes days, and checking aerodynamics no longer requires sculpting clay ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

General Motors to pay $12.5 million to settle claims that it illegally sold California driver data

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors has agreed to pay $12.5 million dollars to settle claims that the automaker illegally sold location and driving data of hundreds of thousands of Californians, according to state officials.

The settlement is an example of how automakers are facing more scrutiny over allegations that they share driver data with the insurance ...Read more

Robin Buckson, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

New Ford Super Duty Carhartt package unites two heritage brands

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — When Ford Motor Co. and Carhartt Inc. collaborate to design a co-branded vehicle, a Super Duty with durable design, functionality and Detroit manhole-inspired wheels is what you get.

The heritage, family-influenced brands with century-plus roots in the Motor City unveiled the pickup on Thursday at Michigan Central during a ...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

Can Chrysler survive? With just one minivan, CEO says fans shouldn't fret

Automotive / Automotive News /

Chrysler used to sell sedans, convertibles, an SUV, even the funky PT Cruiser and sporty Crossfire.

Now, it's down to just one model: the Pacifica minivan. That increasingly limited focus and lack of investment has fueled concerns that the century-old brand owned by Stellantis NV could eventually head the way of other defunct Detroit Three ...Read more

Luke Ramseth / The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

UAW calls off strike authorization vote at Ram truck plant after reaching deal

Automotive / Automotive News /

The United Auto Workers called off plans for a strike authorization vote at Stellantis NV's Sterling Heights (Michigan) Assembly Plant this week after saying it had resolved grievances with the automaker over alleged outsourcing of work.

"The company has come to us, we've had multiple discussions, and we've come to a resolution to resolve those...Read more

TNS

Casey Williams: While killing off its flagship LS sedan, Lexus finds a new generation of luxury space

Automotive / Automotive News /

Lexus announced the discontinuation of its flagship LS sedan, the car that launched Toyota’s luxury brand in 1989. The original LS400 was enchanting, a car that could compete with the Mercedes S-Class at half the price and probably twice the quality. It set the entire luxury segment back on its wheels as storied brands scurried to compete. The...Read more