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UAW pushes for 2025 strike votes amid Stellantis plant chaos, CEO's resignation
After struggling to build momentum for factory walkouts this fall, the United Auto Workers is telling its Stellantis NV members that it now plans to organize strike authorization votes in early 2025.
The union wants to force Stellantis to follow through with investment pledges made in its 2023 contract. But those organizing efforts have been ...Read more
Jaguar transformed: Type 00 concept debuts a new breed of quiet, electric cat
The Jaguar Type 00 is a different kind of cat.
The big, battery-powered coupe concept introduced Monday in Miami marks a break for the Brit brand from a storied internal combustion-engine past that included a marriage with Ford Motor Co. from 1990-2008. Complete with all-new logos, the Type 00 showcases a sleek, two-door grand tourer in the ...Read more
Motormouth: Road noise and electric vehicles
Q: I am curious about whether the noise from roads will be quieter when there are more electric vehicles. That is, does the noise come from tire/road contact (so no change) or from the engines (great change)? Does the vehicle speed matter, as in highway noise vs. local connector road noise? Does size of vehicle factor into this discussion?
L.B....Read more
Eric's Autos: 2025 Ram 1500
Can 3.0 liters -- and six cylinders -- take the place of 5.7 liters and eight cylinders? That's the question asked by the just-updated 2025 Ram 1500 pickup, which is no longer available with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 -- but is available with a new twin-turbocharged in-line six in two different configurations.
What It Is
The Ram 1500 is a half-ton ...Read more
Stellantis names committee to run company after CEO Tavares leaves
Stellantis NV on Monday announced the formation of an "interim executive committee" that will be responsible for running the company while a new chief executive is found by the first half of 2025.
The Stellantis board moved quickly to form the interim committee for "direction and oversight of the company" after CEO Carlos Tavares resigned over ...Read more
GM sells stake in Ultium Lansing battery plant to partner LG Energy Solution
General Motors Co. is selling its stake in the Ultium Cells LLC battery plant planned for Lansing, Michigan, to its joint-venture partner LG Energy Solution, the automaker said Monday.
GM, which expects to recoup $1 billion from the investment, made the announcement amid a push by executives to be more capital-efficient and make its electric ...Read more
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares resigns amid 'different views' with board
Stellantis NV CEO Carlos Tavares resigned Sunday amid the automaker's recent declining profits, sharply falling sales this year in the United States and mounting criticism from dealers and unions in recent months.
The maker of Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and many other brands said in the surprise afternoon announcement that the company's ...Read more
California's 1st EV-charging roadway planned for UCLA ahead of Olympics
LOS ANGELES — The state's first electric-vehicle-charging roadway is expected to debut by the 2028 Olympics after a multimillion-dollar grant to UCLA — the site of Los Angeles's Olympic Village.
Nearly $20 million will go to electrify the university's BruinBus fleet and install underground charging for shuttles and buses along a route that ...Read more
Auto review: Dirt fight, Ford Ranger Raptor vs. Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
HOLLY, Mich. — The North American Truck of the Year contest this year featured an impressive variety of pickups that included the GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T and Ram 1500.
But the marquee matchup is a fight between two midsize truck icons: the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.
The titans have both completely redesigned their vehicles for this ...Read more
Auto review: 2024 BMW 5-series is beyond run of the mill
As manufacturers continue to keep a close eye on sedan sales volumes, in Grasso’s Garage, they have huge purpose and need. Consumers abound have stuck fast to the sedan market and boycotted brands who have further extinct the “car” and moved into the SUV only market.
For BMW, we expect nothing less than a midsized rightly priced ...Read more
Auto review: Enjoy the charging in roomy, award-winning Kia EV9
Hooked to a super-fast charger, Kia’s all-new, all-electric EV9 can recapture an 80-percent charge in just 24 minutes. But what’s the rush?
You’ll be stretched out in the ultra-cushy three-row SUV, front seat reclined and power leg-rests deployed, while the Ergo Motion system performs a soothing massage. Might as well do the slow charger ...Read more
The plan for EV maker Rivian to emerge from its 'awkward teenage years'
Lars Dennert paid $100,000 for a forest green Rivian R1S, an electric SUV he enjoys driving on family road trips to the beach, snow and desert.
This year, he raised his wager on Rivian’s future, spending at least $10,000 on Rivian stock, which has hardly been a winner.
“I’m hoping for another Tesla, that down the road [Rivian] will ...Read more
Auto review: 2025 Mini Countryman is full of fun and functionality that belies its size
In a world where people convert shipping containers into homes, the idea seems to be emerging that bigger isn’t always better. The same thing could be said of SUVs. Consider the 2025 Mini Countryman. It’s smaller than a Toyota Corolla Cross or a Chevrolet Trax. Yet compared with Mini’s other models, it’s positively huge.
Offered in S ...Read more
Auto industry, Michigan brace for turmoil from Trump's promised tariffs
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's latest promise to immediately place 25% tariffs on “ALL” imports from Canada and Mexico once he takes office would dramatically impact Michigan and the U.S. auto industry, which has built its business and supply chain around trilateral agreements for decades.
Longtime Michigan politicians and ...Read more
Rivian receives conditional $6.6-billion federal loan for plant, new models
California-based electric vehicle maker Rivian has received conditional approval for a federal loan of up to $6.6 billion that would help fund construction of a Georgia plant where it could manufacture smaller and more affordable SUVs.
The company said late Monday that the loan from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle ...Read more
Eric's Autos: 2025 Subaru Forester
There's an old saying in engineering circles: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That sums up the changes to the Subaru Forester for 2025. It has been updated. But it hasn't been fixed.
What It Is
The Forester is a compact crossover that differs from other small crossovers in its class in two meaningful ways. The first being it...Read more
Feds reject auto industry plea, keep automatic emergency braking rule intact
WASHINGTON — A new federal regulation requiring automakers to install automatic emergency braking technology in all new consumer vehicles by 2029 will remain in place despite complaints from the auto industry.
The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration said Monday it would make minor changes to the AEB rule, which was finalized in ...Read more
Can Trump end California's autos emission rule supremacy?
WASHINGTON — Environmental groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, still under the control of President Joe Biden, are bracing to protect California’s central role in regulating vehicle emissions against what could be a formidable deregulatory push from President-elect Donald Trump.
The lame-duck Biden administration has not ...Read more
California to offer EV rebates if Trump kills $7,500 tax credit, Newsom says
California is prepared to offer state tax rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration scuttles the federal EV tax credit, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,�...Read more
Motormouth: Defroster disrupts radio
Q: I purchased a 2011 Corolla in June. It had a gaping hole for the radio, which the dealer then installed. It is just recently that I have had to use the rear defroster, and I found out that it cuts out my FM radio station while it is on. I have been gathering as much info on this as I can, and it's definitely "a thing" out there. I only have ...Read more