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Ford patents caught in government 'kill switch' debate

Automotive / Automotive News /

A few recent Ford Motor Co. patents have raised concerns on social media around privacy and control of property as debate about a government “kill switch” and regulation meant to combat drunken driving get focus this election season.

The patents that creators on social media have highlighted deal with technology that records biometrics ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL680 is fit for the upper echelon

Automotive / Automotive News /

With convertible weather upon us, the 2026 Mercedes Maybach SL680 is rolling into Grasso’s Garage.

Exceeding all expectations, the Maybach’s singular exotic design is specifically fit for the upper echelon, turning heads on every corner as the new trend-setter in town.

The Maybach is powered by a 4.0-liter V-8 bi-turbo engine with 577 ...Read more

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

Auto review: Mercedes CLA EV takes on Tesla's Model 3 sedan

Automotive / Automotive News /

HELL, Michigan — ZOT! Like a greased jellybean, my Mercedes CLA 350 sedan shot onto I-75. Past a line of traffic. Headed to the moon.

Quiet as a mouse.

Nine years after the Tesla Model 3 sedan became an overnight sensation and ushered in a new age of performance electric vehicles, it’s, well ... playing second fiddle to the Model Y. Model ...Read more

UWE FISCHER/BMW/TNS

Larry Printz: How BMW reinvented the 2027 X5 without changing the X5

Automotive / Automotive News /

For BMW, the X5 has become something akin to the Porsche 911. You don't redesign it so much as renegotiate with its history. Every generation has to look unmistakably like an X5 while convincing buyers they've never seen one before.

Max Missoni knows this. The Austrian designer, whose résumé includes Volkswagen, Volvo, and Polestar, arrived ...Read more

Robin Buckson/The Detroit News/TNS

Phone call audio sheds new light on tension between UAW's Fain, monitor

Automotive / Automotive News /

A newly surfaced recording of a personal phone call between United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and the union's court-appointed monitor discussing the Israel-Hamas war sheds new light on the fraught relationship between the two men that Fain claims fueled the watchdog's investigations into him.

The 11-minute recording obtained by The ...Read more

Breana Noble/The Detroit News/TNS

Q&A: Ford CEO talks about shaping a long-term quality culture

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has visited 13 plants in the past year and plans to see at least two more before the year's end.

The plant visits are part of the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker's efforts to improve quality after warranty costs have hit financial results and it has posted record annual recalls. The work in rethinking its operations ...Read more

Rob Nikolewski/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

California to offer $3,500 EV rebates to first-time buyers

Automotive / Automotive News /

California rebates for electric vehicles are coming back.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Monday that offers $3,500 for first-time buyers of EVs that cost $50,000 or less. There’s also a rebate of $1,750 for first-time buyers who purchase a used electric vehicle with an MSRP of up to $25,000.

The governor’s office said Californians...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Stellantis vehicle shipments surging in North America

Automotive / Automotive News /

Stellantis NV said Monday its second-quarter estimated vehicle shipments in North America increased 38% compared to a year ago, largely thanks to new and refreshed models such as the Ram 1500 Hemi V-8, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Pacifica.

The North American surge helped Stellantis globally record a 10% rise in shipments despite challenges...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Here are the top 10 longest-lasting trucks, according to one study

Automotive / Automotive News /

The Ram 3500 heavy duty is the longest-lasting pickup followed by the Toyota Tundra, according to an iSeeCars analysis that compared how likely a vehicle is to reach 250,000 miles.

Excluding heavy-duty vehicles, the Tundra also ranked first among passenger models for longevity.

"Heavy duties always have longer life because they're used as ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Environmental group bashes automakers for EV pullback in new ads

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — A prominent environmental group is launching an ad campaign faulting Michigan automakers for consumer struggles with high gas prices.

“We need to put the blame for this unaffordable economy where it belongs. Automakers have the technology that could help America break the cycle of oil price shocks,” said Dan Becker, director ...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan

Automotive / Automotive News /

WARREN, Michigan — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV's cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.

Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Ram TRX supertruck is a Swiss Army Saber

Automotive / Automotive News /

BUCHANAN, Michigan — World Cup fans are in awe of America’s retail cornucopia: Buc-ee’s, Walmart, Costco, Waffle House, Cheesecake Factory.

Wait until they get a load of the 777-horsepower, 6’ 9” tall 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT pickup with 35-inch all-terrain tires, 14-inch suspension travel and 36 inches of digital displays. TRX for T-Rex...Read more

James Lipman/Nissan Motor Corporation/TNS

Auto review: Nissan ruined the Pathfinder once. Does the 2026 model finally redeem itself?

Automotive / Automotive News /

If you’re old enough, you might remember that the Nissan Pathfinder once was an SUV in the old sense of the word: muddy, brutish, and vaguely threatening. It looked like it drank diesel for breakfast and head-butted boulders for fun. And then, in 2013, Nissan transformed the Pathfinder into a rolling apology. It swapped its steel-toe boots and...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2026 Nissan Murano gets the refresh it deserves

Automotive / Automotive News /

The 2026 Nissan Murano is here to prove the brand’s worth.

Our tester this week, the stacked and loaded 2026 Nissan Murano Platinum AWD, comes with a sub-$50K base price with several stylish and much-needed upgrades. In terms of the exterior, the sleek, modern upgraded front fascia and overall futuristic design stood out to us, in addition to...Read more

Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America/TNS

US to explore allowing driverless cars without steering wheels

Automotive / Automotive News /

The head of the top U.S. auto safety regulator said the agency “absolutely” will consider ending requirements that driverless cars include steering wheels, a potential boon for Tesla Inc. and other robotaxi companies rethinking traditional vehicle design.

“If you’re developing a vehicle that is designed never to be driven by a human ...Read more

Ashley Miznazi/Miami Herald/TNS

Walmart's EV chargers are coming to California with discounts for members

Automotive / Automotive News /

Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.

The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 ...Read more

Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Waymo reports teen riders for bad behavior and delivers them to the police

Automotive / Automotive News /

Robotaxis could be turning into robocops. A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, California, police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.

According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were ...Read more

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

Stellantis starts selling Chinese EVs from Leapmotor in Mexico

Automotive / Automotive News /

Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor has joined with partner Stellantis NV to start selling an SUV in Mexico — the latest example of Chinese automakers aiming to quickly grow market share just over the U.S. border.

The Leapmotor B10 compact SUV formally launched in recent days with the carmaker promoting the vehicle around various FIFA ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Toyota to shift production of truck from Mexico plant to Texas

Automotive / Automotive News /

Toyota Motor Corp. is moving production of its popular Tacoma midsize truck from a plant in Mexico to San Antonio as part of a $3.6 billion investment in the Texas facility.

The Japanese carmaker will build a second production line in San Antonio, where it currently makes full-size pickups and SUVs, and add some 2,000 new jobs by 2030, it said ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California is bringing back EV rebates. This is how to get one

Automotive / Automotive News /

LOS ANGELES — Nearly a year after the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax incentive for new electric vehicles, California is stepping in to try to motivate buyers to go electric.

Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $135 million in his new state budget to provide incentives for new and used EVs. Participating automakers will match the funds.

...Read more