auto industry

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Ford Patent Sees Weird Twist to Self-Driving Cars

Vehicles would lock out owners behind on payments, drive themselves away for repos

(Newser) - The Drive has spotted a doozy of a patent application from Ford, one that takes the concept of self-driving cars down an unexpected road. The new technology would first allow the vehicle to lock out owners if they fall behind on payments. The crazier part is that the vehicle would...

Electric Vehicles Power Past Sales Milestone

They accounted for 10% of new vehicles sales worldwide last year

(Newser) - Electric vehicles powered past a major milestone last year, reaching 10% of market share for the first time amid a broader decline in sales of new vehicles. While sales of new electric vehicles in the US are lagging behind, at just under 6%, the LMC Automotive research group says EVs...

Tesla's Big New Discount Raises Concerns

US buyers can get $7.5K off, which may be a sign of weakening demand

(Newser) - In assessing Elon Musk's business strategy at Tesla, the Wall Street Journal observes that Musk "has frequently boasted how Tesla stands apart from traditional car companies by not relying on the kind of marketing tools, such as advertisements or discounting, to goose demand." Consider demand goosed, in...

Ford Announces 3K Layoffs
Ford Announces 3K Layoffs
Aug 22, 2022 12:07 PM CDT

Ford Announces 3K Layoffs

Company trims white-collar jobs as part of transition to electric vehicles

(Newser) - Ford Motor Co. is cutting about 3,000 white-collar jobs as it attempts to lower costs and make the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles, per the AP . Leaders of the automaker made the announcement Monday in a companywide email, saying that 2,000 full-time salaried workers would be...

What Reviewers Think of Ford&#39;s Electric Truck
What Reviewers Think
of Ford's Electric Truck
auto reviews
May 12, 2022 11:31 AM CDT

What Reviewers Think of Ford's Electric Truck

In short, they are very impressed with the Lightning

(Newser) - Automotive journalists got to take the new Ford F-150 electric pickup for a spin, and the reviews are downright glowing. Gas-powered F-series trucks have long been the best-selling vehicles in America, and the electric Lightning may continue the trend if the reviews are any indication. The truck, now in production,...

Inside America's Race for a Better Electric Car Battery

Auto giants hope small start-ups can propel America in the race for a better battery

(Newser) - Big problems in the supply chain for electric-car batteries came to light last March, when Elon Musk partnered directly with a New Caledonian nickel mine amid rumors that China was planning export limits, Forbes reported at the time. China retains a "near-monopoly position" on the world’s production and...

Our Car-Buying Ways May Be Changing for Good

Customers are revolting at dealerships, having to pay more than sticker price

(Newser) - Pre-pandemic, if you paid above MSRP for a new car, you probably never admitted it to anyone else. No need to kick yourself now. Last month, per Edmunds.com , 82% of car buyers paid $728 over sticker, or 1.6% on average, and markups over $10,000 are not uncommon...

Yoke Steering Wheel Blamed for Tesla's Rankings Tumble

Electric vehicle maker dropped 7 places in the 'Consumer Reports' list of 32

(Newser) - Tesla has tumbled down the rankings in the latest Consumer Reports list of car brands—and its Model 3 is no longer the top electric vehicle in the magazine's list of top picks. Tesla dropped seven places in the brand rankings to No. 23 out of 32 because of...

Some New-Car Buyers Seeing Real Sticker Shock
Some New-Car Buyers
Seeing Real Sticker Shock
The Rundown
Jan 31, 2022 1:30 PM CST

Some New-Car Buyers Seeing Real Sticker Shock

Some luxe brands selling for thousands over MSRP, but overall prices declining from December

(Newser) - While buyers of new higher-end SUVs, sports cars, and pickup trucks have been paying thousands more than the recommended sticker price, the overall price of new vehicles is slowly on the decline, multiple sources report. Classic trends such as leasing are also changing with the times:

Report: Apple Is Working on Fully Self-Driving Car

Sources say company plans to launch by 2025

(Newser) - Apple's secretive "Project Titan" car team has shifted gears, insiders say. Sources tell Bloomberg that the team is now concentrating on creating a fully self-driving vehicle and aims to launch it by 2025. Bloomberg's sources say the company recently reached a "key milestone in developing the...

GM Will Idle Most Plants in North America

Chip shortage will force a slowdown of at least a week at almost all factories

(Newser) - Some GM trucks are being partially built and stored, and some just aren’t getting built at all. The chip shortage that has been affecting electronics of all sorts since the beginning of the year is affecting auto production again, with GM announcing that it will idle almost all of...

A Bizarre Truth About the Vehicle You&#39;re Driving
A Bizarre Truth About
the Vehicle You're Driving
in case you missed it
Jul 24, 2021 4:50 PM CDT

A Bizarre Truth About the Vehicle You're Driving

It might be worth more now than what you paid for it new

(Newser) - "It just seems like we're in fantasy land." So declares New England auto dealer Abel Toll to the Wall Street Journal . He's referring to his own industry at the moment, which is seeing strange things happen on the sales floor for a variety of reasons. (A...

Average Age of US Cars Hits Record High

It may be a pandemic blip, research firm says

(Newser) - In 2020, the average vehicle on Americans roads was almost a teenager, according to research firm IHS Markit. The company, which produces an annual report on the age of American vehicles, says the average age of cars, light trucks, and SUVs hit a record high of 12.1 years, up...

Electric F-150 Has Unusual Perk: Ability to Power a Home

Ford says it would keep a house going in a blackout for about 3 days

(Newser) - Ford unveiled its electric version of the popular F-150 pickup on Wednesday, and even outlets that don't typically pay much attention to such things have taken notice. The F-150 has long been the bestselling vehicle in America, and the 2022 Lightning is designed to appeal to "everyday truck...

California Plans to Pull the Plug on Gas Vehicles

Sales of new gas-powered cars to end by 2035

(Newser) - California will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks in 15 years, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, establishing a timeline in the nation's most populous state that could force US automakers to shift their zero-emission efforts into overdrive. The plan won't stop people from owning...

Take Your Guess on Average Age of US Car

It's 12 years, and it may get even older because of the pandemic

(Newser) - The average age of vehicles on US roads has been climbing since the 2008 recession. With new-vehicle sales suppressed by the pandemic, that trend is not slowing, Car and Driver reports. The average age of a car in use now is 11.9 years, IHS Markit found, a one-month increase...

After George Floyd Death, a Big Ask by Ford Workers

Employee letter wants company to stop making police vehicles; that doesn't look likely

(Newser) - Ford Motor Co. makes about two-thirds of America's police vehicles , so a recent ask by some of the automaker's workers in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd, racism, and police brutality is a significant one: They want the company to consider not making and...

GM Is Pulling Out of 3 Countries
GM Is Pulling Out
of 3 Countries
Feb 17, 2020 12:48 AM CST

GM Is Pulling Out of 3 Countries

Firm is withdrawing from Australia, NZ, Thailand

(Newser) - General Motors has decided to pull out of Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand as part of a strategy to exit markets that don't produce adequate returns on investments. The move raised dismay Monday from officials concerned over job losses, the AP reports. The company said in a statement Sunday...

GM Investing $2.2B in 'Vision of All-Electric Future'

Underused Michigan factory is being refurbished

(Newser) - General Motors is spending $2.2 billion to refurbish an underused Detroit factory so it can build a series of electric and self-driving vehicles, eventually employing 2,200 people. GM said in a statement Monday that the factory will start building the company's first electric pickup late in 2021,...

Study of Auto Plant Closures Finds a Double Whammy

Researchers found an association between closure, increased opioid death rate

(Newser) - The closure of an auto plant may do more than just depress an area's economy. A study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine surfaces an association between such closures and a rise in opioid deaths. Specifically, in counties where assembly plants had shuttered five years prior, the opioid overdose...

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