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Robin Buckson/The Detroit News/TNS

GM reports nearly 10% drop in sales compared to same time last year

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors Co. on Wednesday reported it sold nearly 10% fewer vehicles in the past three months compared to the same time last year, when sales boomed ahead of anticipated tariffs from President Donald Trump.

Spokesperson Jeff Bennett in an email said GM "expects a similar decline for the industry" and noted that "year-over-year comparisons...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

Auto parts retailer Detroit Axle braced for tariff Armageddon, but it didn't come

Automotive / Automotive News /

FERNDALE, Michigan — Nearing a year ago, the automotive aftermarket parts retailer Detroit Axle filed a notice with the state that the family-owned company would lay off more than 100 employees at its headquarters and warehouse here in response to increased tariffs.

The company braced for "Armageddon," said Mike Musheinesh, CEO of the ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Safety board recommends changes to Ford BlueCruise after fatal crashes

Automotive / Automotive News /

The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday recommended changes to Ford Motor Co.'s hands-free BlueCruise automated driving system and stronger federal requirements on such technology in response to two fatal crashes.

The recommendations come amid increased scrutiny of software-controlled driving technologies, including federal ...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

Cost of fed oversight of UAW skyrockets as union moves from scandal

Automotive / Automotive News /

Federal oversight of the United Auto Workers has cost the union more than $25.3 million, according to an annual report released Tuesday that illustrates rising costs amid multiple investigations into President Shawn Fain and his team.

The union's annual LM-2 Labor Department filing provided an updated cost of a federal watchdog, lawyer Neil ...Read more

Stellantis/TNS/TNS

Jeep's latest ad play involves sex jokes and dark humor

Automotive / Automotive News /

Jeep's advertising formula has been more or less consistent over the years: lots of mud, sand and river crossings. Throw in a flapping American flag and maybe some World War II footage for good measure.

Lately, though, the brand has injected some sex jokes and dark humor — and discovered a new spokeswoman of sorts in the comedian Iliza ...Read more

David Guralnick, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

GM lays off 1,300 workers at FactoryZero EV plant

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors Co. temporarily laid off 1,300 workers at its FactoryZero electric vehicle plant in another sign of sluggish demand for battery-powered cars, the company confirmed Monday.

Workers at the plant on the border of Detroit and Hamtramck were laid off March 16 and are set to return April 13.

"Factory ZERO will temporarily adjust ...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford, GM take steps to boost truck production

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. has canceled summer shutdowns at its four plants producing F-Series pickup trucks in an effort to make up for lost volumes due to an aluminum shortage stemming from fires last fall at a supplier, and General Motors Co. is adding a production day at its heavy-duty truck plant in Flint.

Ford on Monday said its Dearborn Truck Plant,...Read more

Stellantis/Stellantis/TNS

Auto review: The Jeep Cherokee returns for 2026, but in a surprisingly different way

Automotive / Automotive News /

It’s time to roll out the red carpet for an old friend, one that had quietly slipped offstage, like a graduate student who realized that bourbon is not a food group. That would be the Jeep Cherokee, which reemerges for 2026 as a — no, don’t faint — gas-electric hybrid. That’s right. A Cherokee. Hybrid.

It’s been a long trip since ...Read more

John Sommers II/Getty Images North America/TNS

Q&A: Toyota exec Templin talks goals for 'Tesla killer' EVs

Automotive / Automotive News /

GEORGETOWN, Kentucky — Toyota Motor Corp. is coming for Tesla Inc.'s top spot in the U.S. electric vehicle market, at least according to one executive.

Mark Templin, Toyota Motor North America's executive vice president and chief operating officer, told The Detroit News in an interview following a $1 billlion U.S. manufacturing announcement ...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Why Honda put the brakes on its all-EV future

Automotive / Automotive News /

Honda Motor Co. is having second thoughts about its Second Founding.

Along with General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG, the Japanese automaker has been the most committed major legacy automaker to an all-electric vehicle future. Internally called the “Second Founding,” Honda’s electric vehicle transition was rooted in the company’s moral ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

As carmakers shift to digital dashboard, lawmakers push to keep AM radio

Automotive / Automotive News /

Randy Brooks will never forget the day he had to break the news — live on the air — to a woman that her husband had perished in a tornado.

The KIXQ country music radio host had been tapped to help with 24-hour news coverage in the wake of a massive tornado that decimated Joplin, Missouri, in 2011. With electricity and communication grids ...Read more

Chevrolet/TNS

Unsheathed: The Corvette Grand Sport is back, badder than ever

Automotive / Automotive News /

The mid-engine Corvette didn’t forget about the Grand Sport.

Chevrolet’s eighth-generation supercar has broken the mold since the sheets were taken off the 2020 model year Stingray. First ‘Vette with the engine amidships. First electrified Corvette. First with all-wheel-drive. First 8,000-RPM, screaming, overhead-cam V-8 derived from the ...Read more

Jeep will show off these five concepts at Moab off-roading festival

Automotive / Automotive News /

Jeep has brought five concept vehicles to the red rock testing grounds of Moab, Utah for next week's Easter Jeep Safari.

In its 60th year, the Safari usually draws around 20,000 off-roading enthusiasts — and a couple thousand customized Jeeps — each spring to the southern Utah town of 5,000 residents. Throughout the week they prowl dozens ...Read more

Ford CEO Farley's 2025 pay rose on quality, software results

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. reported the value of CEO Jim Farley's 2025 compensation package as $27.5 million — up 11% from 2024's $24.9 million.

The total package that Farley, 63, earned in 2025 included an unchanged base salary of $1.7 million and lower stock awards. The package value's increase was attributable to a higher bonus from ...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Multi-talented Q3 a welcome mat to Audi brand

Automotive / Automotive News /

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — This year Audi debuted its $16 million (estimated), 1,000-horsepower, hybrid-V6-powered R26 Formula One race car to compete in the world’s fastest, highest-tech single-seater motorsport.

The 2026 255-horse, turbo-4-powered Audi Q3 SUV ain’t too shabby, either.

Quick, high-tech and, unlike the F1 car, the $44,995...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Q&A: Subaru product lead explains how new EV trio meets buyer needs

Automotive / Automotive News /

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — Subaru Corp. has established a loyal following in the United States making rugged, go-anywhere, dog-friendly, gas-powered hatchbacks and SUVs.

Though its wanderlusting customer base leans green, Subaru has struggled to sell electric vehicles because of range and charging limitations. For 2026, Subaru thinks it has ...Read more

CN-STR/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

China is ripping up the rulebook for the global auto industry

Automotive / Automotive News /

A Chinese-made Leapmotor C10 was traveling down Germany’s fast-moving Autobahn last year when the driver-assistance system braked sharply and jolted it to the side, as if boxed in by scooters in a crowded China megacity.

Leapmotor International’s Germany head, Martin Resch, was at the wheel and emailed engineers in Hangzhou to report the ...Read more

Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sony and Honda pull plug on the $100,000 EV that was set to debut in California

Automotive / Automotive News /

As major automakers pare back their EV offerings, Sony and Honda are scrapping their plans to launch a gadget-packed electric vehicle.

The move by Sony Honda Mobility comes weeks after Honda announced a $15.7 billion writedown of its EV business and said it would cancel planned production for three of its own electric models.

Sony Honda ...Read more

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Gas prices rise again as some states consider tax holidays

Automotive / Automotive News /

Gas prices are climbing again across the United States — with little clarity on where prices are headed next — spurring proposals for state gas tax holidays in the hopes of offering drivers some relief.

The national average hit $3.96 per gallon Monday, up from $3.72 the week before, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

CarMax settles multi-county lawsuit over tardy title transfers

Automotive / Automotive News /

SAN JOSE, Calif. — CarMax has agreed to pay $1.1 million and change its practices to settle litigation from multiple California county prosecutors alleging the national auto dealer was slow-footing title transfers to customers in violation of state law.

The settlement with CarMax follows similar litigation resolved a year ago against ...Read more