Jeep has no plans to cede its domination of off-road adventure to competitors. But that doesn’t mean the fight won’t be brutal. Days are gone when Jeep owned the segment with little debate. On Friday, Ford debuted a Ford Expedition Timberline Off-Grid concept that will be featured at the Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia, this weekend. The one-off model is based on… Continue reading Jeep exec talks smack about new competition as Ford digs in with off-road SUVs
Author: Detroit Free Press Online
GM to build new battery facility in Warren to support its EV strategy
General Motors is building a new innovation facility in Warren with the goal of growing the automaker’s battery technology and accelerating the development of longer range, more affordable EV batteries. The new facility will be called the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center. It will be a 300,000-square-foot building on the grounds of the GM Global Technical Center campus. There, engineers will work to advance technologies… Continue reading GM to build new battery facility in Warren to support its EV strategy
Ford issues global recall on 2021 Mustang Mach-E for windshields that may pop out
The 2021 all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV is being recalled because it has improperly attached windshields and panoramic roof glass that may detach, creating risk of crash or injury, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. All vehicles built between Feb. 24, 2020, and July 18, 2021, may have been improperly bonded during the manufacturing process, according… Continue reading Ford issues global recall on 2021 Mustang Mach-E for windshields that may pop out
GM’s new business model turns carmaker into software company: ‘A potential game-changer’
General Motors’ transition to all-electric vehicles will transform the century-old automaker into a software company that just happens to make hardware: cars. In the new business model, the cars will be a platform to deliver GM-developed software to offer consumers services beyond their vehicle. Services that can be used in their homes and other areas of their lives, GM leaders say. It is “a potential… Continue reading GM’s new business model turns carmaker into software company: ‘A potential game-changer’
Honda has big sales target for all-electric Prologue SUV that GM will build
American Honda Motor Co. has big plans for its first big-volume all-electric SUV that General Motors will help build and power. On Monday, American Honda said in a statement that its initial annual sales target for the Prologue SUV EV is 70,000 units in the U.S. when the car goes on sale in 2024. The Prologue will use the Ultium battery and… Continue reading Honda has big sales target for all-electric Prologue SUV that GM will build
GM still searching for fix to Bolt battery, extends production shutdown
General Motors said Thursday its shutdown of the plant that builds Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles will extend into mid-October. The additional downtime at Orion signals that GM and its battery maker, LG Chem, are still working to find a fix for the defects in the batteries that may start fires in the cars. GM currently has a recall on all model year Bolts through 2022.… Continue reading GM still searching for fix to Bolt battery, extends production shutdown
Ford: Gas leak at Flat Rock Assembly Plant fixed, Mustang production to resume
After two weeks of downtime at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant following a fuel leak, Ford Motor Co. confirmed Monday that repairs are completed and the automaker is scheduled to resume Mustang production on Sept. 20. The leak at the plant released an estimated 1,400 gallons of unleaded gasoline into the area’s sewer system and caused a… Continue reading Ford: Gas leak at Flat Rock Assembly Plant fixed, Mustang production to resume
Frustrated Chevy Bolt owners want their money back after massive recall
Nathan Gardner loved his 2019 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle when he bought it three years ago, but now it sits outside his home “like a firebomb,” he said. He wants General Motors to buy it back. So do Bolt owners Wendy Fong, Stan Goldberg and Durham Smith. They find it unsettling to own a vehicle even GM has warned could catch on fire. “It’s unnerving… Continue reading Frustrated Chevy Bolt owners want their money back after massive recall
Analysts yawn as Ford confirms itty bitty EcoSport will end sales in US in 2022
Goodbye, little EcoSport. The subcompact crossover SUV with a small but mighty following is a casualty of a decision to shut down Ford manufacturing operations in India, the company confirmed Thursday. The EcoSport will be built and exported to the U.S. through mid-2022. Meanwhile, Europe will continue to get its supply from a factory in Romania with no plans to stop,… Continue reading Analysts yawn as Ford confirms itty bitty EcoSport will end sales in US in 2022
Ford confirms it will ship new hardtops, Broncos within one week
Within one week, Ford Motor Co. will start shipping new hardtop roofs to dealers waiting to replace the faulty ones on 2021 Broncos already delivered, the Free Press has learned. Also, Ford will be installing the new tops in 2021 Broncos that have been held back, then shipping those vehicles. “Testing has been completed,” Mark Grueber, Ford Bronco marketing manager, told the Free… Continue reading Ford confirms it will ship new hardtops, Broncos within one week