New York Times Online News – Page 32 – I wish I had more to offer

Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

When Romeo Chicco tried to get auto insurance in December, seven different companies rejected him. When he eventually obtained insurance, it was nearly double the rate he was previously paying. According to a federal complaint filed this week seeking class-action status, it was because his 2021 Cadillac XT6 had been spying on him. Modern cars… Continue reading Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

Car Deals Are Easier to Find but Lenders Are Tightening Their Terms

New cars are more available this spring, and manufacturers have even begun offering deals to entice buyers. But at the same time, lenders have been tightening the terms of car loans as they deal with a rising number of delinquencies. That has made it harder for some people to get affordable loans. Access to auto… Continue reading Car Deals Are Easier to Find but Lenders Are Tightening Their Terms

Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

In today’s high-tech, high-stakes auto industry, fortunes can change quickly, and there’s no better example of that right now than Toyota Motor. Not long ago, it looked as if Toyota had fallen dangerously behind in electric vehicles. Tesla, the electric car pioneer, has grown rapidly and become the world’s most valuable automaker. Seeing Tesla’s success,… Continue reading Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

BMW Is a Surprise Winner in Electric Vehicles

As BMW car bodies glided down an assembly line in Munich recently, showered by sparks from robotic welders, it was hard to tell which vehicles would be powered by batteries, fuel-burning engines or both. In the view of many analysts, that is not a good thing. The German automaker’s electric vehicles are made on the… Continue reading BMW Is a Surprise Winner in Electric Vehicles

Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

Auto Insurance Spike Hampers the Inflation Fight

Job growth, wage growth and business growth are all lively, and inflation has steeply fallen from its 2022 highs. But consumer sentiment, while improving, is still sour. One reason may be sticker shock from some highly visible prices — even as overall inflation has calmed. The cost of car insurance is a key example. Motor… Continue reading Auto Insurance Spike Hampers the Inflation Fight

Behind Apple’s Doomed Car Project: False Starts and Wrong Turns

For the last decade, many Apple employees working on the company’s secretive car project, internally code-named Titan, had a less flattering name for it: the Titanic disaster. They knew the project was likely to fail. Throughout its existence, the car effort was scrapped and rebooted several times, shedding hundreds of workers along the way. As… Continue reading Behind Apple’s Doomed Car Project: False Starts and Wrong Turns

Volkswagen Sees Electric Vehicles as a Way to Grow in the U.S.

Probably only Americans of a certain age remember when the Volkswagen Beetle was the best-selling imported car in the United States and the hippest ride to a Grateful Dead concert was a Volkswagen Microbus. Volkswagen is trying to tap some of that nostalgia in its latest push to regain the status and sales it enjoyed… Continue reading Volkswagen Sees Electric Vehicles as a Way to Grow in the U.S.

For 2024 F1 Season, Red Bull is the Focus

For Red Bull’s nine rivals in Formula 1, there is a mix of hope and realism that the sport’s dominant team can be beaten this season. Last year, Red Bull and its champion driver, Max Verstappen, rewrote the record books in defending their constructors’ and drivers’ titles. Ahead of the new season, which starts with… Continue reading For 2024 F1 Season, Red Bull is the Focus

Tips for Renting a Car Abroad

“Throw the keys through the kiosk’s open window. We’ll get the car when we open later”: Those slightly unorthodox drop-off instructions I once received from a Hertz manager in Croatia illustrate some of the differences U.S. travelers might encounter when renting a car abroad. It pays to familiarize yourself with the local policies and protocols… Continue reading Tips for Renting a Car Abroad