Automotive

/

Home & Leisure

Stellantis/Stellantis/TNS

Larry Printz: Chrysler at 100: Does it have a future?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Maybe you didn’t notice, but Chrysler celebrated its centennial last month.

Of course, unless you’re considering the purchase of a 2025 Chrysler Voyager or Pacifica minivan, you probably haven’t thought about the brand much. In 2024, Chrysler sold 124,684 units, consisting of Pacifica and Voyager minivans alongside a handful of leftover ...Read more

Kia/Kia/TNS

Auto review: Bolder Kia Sorento PHEV boosts luxury, technology

Automotive / Automotive News /

If anyone wondered why the Sorento hybrids were left out of Kia’s midcycle refresh last year, the carmaker wasn’t playing favorites. Those hybrids join the others with the new look and extra goodies for 2025.

The Sorento hybrid and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric) now have the same bolder styling, attractive cabin laden with new tech features...Read more

Detroit Axle warns of more layoffs as tariff case is heard by federal court

Automotive / Automotive News /

Detroit Axle, a large aftermarket auto parts dealer, says it has cut a handful of jobs so far and more layoffs are coming if it can't get tariff relief on goods it imports from China.

The Ferndale-based company, which in May sued President Donald Trump's administration over the tariffs, said in recent court filings that it's been forced to lay ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Tesla likely to begin first deliveries in India from August

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla Inc. will open its first showroom in India on Tuesday and begin deliveries as early as next month, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Elon Musk-led electric vehicle maker looks to tap potential demand in the third-largest automobile market to counter slowing sales elsewhere.

The opening of the Mumbai showroom will mark ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: The first convertible of summer, Mazda MX-5 Miata

Automotive / Automotive News /

OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — It was a looooong Michigan winter this year with bitter temperatures, record snowfalls and chilly May days. In the South where I grew up, we hail the first songbird of April spring. Here in Michigan, I look for the first convertible of June summer.

It arrived in my driveway as a Mazda MX-5 Miata.

What a joy this ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2025 Ford Explorer Platinum is a passenger moving gem

Automotive / Automotive News /

When buyers are in the market for a vehicle that can move a lot of stuff, they tend toward options that can handle the capacity while not breaking the bank. The Chevrolet Traverse and even the KIA Telluride come to mind, but a perennial favorite has been the long-lasting Ford Explorer. In Grasso’s Garage this week, we review a beautiful 2025 ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Cadillac VP responds to elimination of $7,500 federal EV tax credit

Automotive / Automotive News /

Cadillac will need to "make adjustments" in response to President Donald Trump signing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminating an up-to-$7,500 tax credit for electrified vehicles, the luxury brand's global vice president said Thursday.

After Sept. 30, the tax credit no longer will be available. The budget cut comes as John Roth said the ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: Are valve seals to blame?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: ​I had a beautiful VW Scirocco that used oil at an increasing rate. Finally, a VW mechanic told me that the problem was probably the valve seals. He took out the seals and they looked like bacon bits. The new seals looked like big gray Cheerios. Oil consumption went from a quart every 300 miles to a quart in 2,500 miles. Later VW did a ...Read more

Peerapon Boonyakiat/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

Vehicle prices in China are spiraling down. What that means for tariffs

Automotive / Automotive News /

Prices of vehicles in China are in a downward spiral, say experts who expect the circumstances to usher in industry consolidation and create opportunity for legacy automakers while tariffs are in place.

The average car retail price in China has fallen nearly 20% in the past two years, with the cuts accelerated for electric vehicles and other ...Read more

Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Waymo, the robotaxi company, will hit Philadelphia streets this summer

Automotive / Automotive News /

Waymo has arrived in Philly.

But you can’t catch a ride in one of their driverless cars just yet.

Philadelphia is one of more than 10 cities where human autonomous-technology experts will be taking Waymos on summer “road trips,” allowing the cars “to get to know the city,” spokesperson Sandy Karp said in a statement.

The testing ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

With China dominating, Stevens bill seeks CHIPS-like federal effort on critical minerals

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens will introduce a bill this week urging the federal government to play a more active role in reducing U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals.

“This bill is about real results. It will lower costs and create jobs by bringing mineral production back home, supporting Michigan workers, and ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford adopts GM tagline for new retail program to cut out-of-pocket, upfront costs

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co. has a "zero, zero, zero" plan of its own.

The automaker starting Tuesday through Labor Day is offering zero down payment, zero percent interest for 48 months and zero payments for the first 90 days on most Ford and Lincoln vehicles. This comes on the heels of the success of the "From America, For America" employee pricing ...Read more

Andy Morrison/The Detroit News/TNS

Controversial Ford battery plant 'on track' to remain eligible for key federal support

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — Ford Motor Co. confirmed Tuesday that its multibillion-dollar battery plant in south-central Michigan remains "on track" to qualify for a crucial federal tax credit, despite new federal restrictions on sourcing from China.

"Ford is committed to making the best, most cost-effective batteries for the next generation of electric ...Read more

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Waymo begins offering teen accounts, starting in metro Phoenix

Automotive / Automotive News /

Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo is launching a new account type that lets teenagers hail a robotaxi and ride alone, expanding its rider base while continuing to test its service in more U.S. cities.

Teens from 14 to 17 can have a user profile paired to a parent’s account starting on Tuesday, the company said in a statement. The program will initially...Read more

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla shares slip after Musk says he will create a new political party

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla shares fell close to 7% Monday after Elon Musk announced plans to form his own political party, sparking concerns he will become further distracted by politics despite a tumultuous stint in the Trump administration.

During a feud with President Trump over his spending bill, the Tesla chief executive wrote on his social media site, X, that...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Average car prices are flat since tariffs took effect. How'd that happen?

Automotive / Automotive News /

When President Donald Trump's 25% auto tariffs took effect in early April, industry watchers figured vehicle prices would steadily rise as carmakers peeled back discounts and increased MSRPs.

Three months later, that hasn't quite turned out to be the case.

Prices on many models have crept up. But the average marketed price industrywide is flat...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: Are valve seals to blame?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: ​I had a beautiful VW Scirocco that used oil at an increasing rate. Finally, a VW mechanic told me that the problem was probably the valve seals. He took out the seals and they looked like bacon bits. The new seals looked like big gray Cheerios. Oil consumption went from a quart every 300 miles to a quart in 2,500 miles. Later VW did a ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

What killing tax credits means for the electric vehicle market

Automotive / Automotive News /

The Trump administration’s plan to scrap federal incentives for electric vehicles will be a major speed bump for battery-powered transportation in the U.S., but not a brick wall, according to forecasts.

On Thursday, Republicans in the U.S. House sent a bill to President Donald Trump’s desk that kills tax credits of up to $7,500 for EV ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Why the trucking industry celebrated a star moment amid Republicans' EV policy rollbacks

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — As the Republican campaign to halt ambitious electric vehicle policies mostly spotlighted the cars and light trucks in personal garages and driveways across the country, a less-discussed part of the auto industry celebrated a center-stage moment last month.

"The trucking industry has America's back, and we are grateful that a ...Read more

Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Dealers' advice on cheap used cars: Buy them while you still can

Automotive / Automotive News /

Pete Kelly, the used car manager at Jim Marsh Kia and Jim Marsh Chrysler Jeep in Las Vegas, hasn’t bought a used car for less than $20,000 at auction in over two years, and it’s not for lack of trying.

Since the pandemic, he said, there are fewer options for used cars under $20,000 and he’s having to compete with national chains willing ...Read more