Author: New York Times Online News

Here’s How Biden Aims to Increase Electric Car Sales

But if a final infrastructure package includes little or no spending on electric vehicles, a tougher tailpipe rule would likely face opposition from automakers, who would be forced to build and try to sell costly electric cars. And autoworker unions are also likely to fight a rapid federal push toward electric vehicles absent any help… Continue reading Here’s How Biden Aims to Increase Electric Car Sales

Electric Cars for Everyone? Not Unless They Get Cheaper.

The people here are not Hollywood stars or billionaire tech entrepreneurs who might own Ferraris and private jets. But they are well off. The median household income in the area exceeds $165,000, and half the homes are valued at more than $1 million. Eight in 10 residents have at least an undergraduate degree. As early… Continue reading Electric Cars for Everyone? Not Unless They Get Cheaper.

Apollo 15 Anniversary: 50 Years Ago, NASA Put a Car on the Moon

Dave Scott was not about to pass by an interesting rock without stopping. It was July 31, 1971, and he and Jim Irwin, his fellow Apollo 15 astronaut, were the first people to drive on the moon. After a 6-hour inaugural jaunt in the new lunar rover, the two were heading back to their lander,… Continue reading Apollo 15 Anniversary: 50 Years Ago, NASA Put a Car on the Moon

A Lewis Hamilton McLaren Heads to Auction

For the first time, a car driven by the seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton of England is being offered at auction. The McLaren MP4-25A will be sold by RM Sotheby’s on Saturday at the Silverstone track during the British Grand Prix weekend. The car has a presale estimate of $5 million to $7 million.… Continue reading A Lewis Hamilton McLaren Heads to Auction

Federal prosecutors are looking into Lordstown, the electric truck company.

Federal prosecutors have opened an inquiry into business matters at Lordstown Motors, the embattled electric truck manufacturer that was already being investigated by securities regulators and recently turned over its top management team, according to two people briefed on the matter. It was not clear what issues the prosecutors, with the U.S. attorney’s office in… Continue reading Federal prosecutors are looking into Lordstown, the electric truck company.

Crashes involving Tesla Autopilot and other driver-assistance systems get new scrutiny.

A federal safety agency told automakers on Tuesday to begin reporting and tracking crashes involving cars and trucks that use advanced driver-assistance technology such as Tesla’s Autopilot and General Motors’ Super Cruise, a sign that regulators are taking the safety implications of such systems more seriously. Automakers must report serious crashes within one day of… Continue reading Crashes involving Tesla Autopilot and other driver-assistance systems get new scrutiny.

Lordstown Motors Invites Investors and Analysts to Its Factory

Its fortunes took a turn this year when a small investment firm, Hindenburg Research, issued a report noting that almost none of the pre-orders were firm commitments to buy trucks, and some had come from small companies not currently operating truck fleets. The company has promised to start production of the Endurance in September, but… Continue reading Lordstown Motors Invites Investors and Analysts to Its Factory

They Love the Yugo, the Car Others Love to Hate

In the pantheon of cars considered irredeemable lemons — think Edsel, Aztek, Pacer — one stands above them all, or maybe below. The Yugo. Arguably no car has been more maligned than the utilitarian Yugo. It has been called “hard to view on a full stomach” and “the Mona Lisa of bad cars,” and it… Continue reading They Love the Yugo, the Car Others Love to Hate

U.S. asks Mexico to review a second complaint about labor violations in its auto industry.

The Biden administration is invoking provisions in a new trade agreement to ask Mexico to look into accusations of labor violations at an auto-parts plant near the U.S. border. The action, announced Wednesday by the Labor Department and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, follows a complaint by groups including the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the… Continue reading U.S. asks Mexico to review a second complaint about labor violations in its auto industry.