2021 Ford Ranger Tremor pickup delivers off-road performance and value

The off-road trails will be a bit more crowded this spring, because the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor pickup is about to hit the road. Boasting more ride height, Fox off-road shocks and more, the Ranger is Ford’s answer to off-road pickup models like the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Jeep Gladiator Mojave, Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and Toyota Tacoma… Continue reading 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor pickup delivers off-road performance and value

GM’s UAW workers to get $9,000 profit sharing checks this year

General Motors reported solid fourth-quarter and year-end results Wednesday despite an eight-week production shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the Takata airbag-inflator recall announced in November. GM’s total market share rose to 18.32% compared with 17.09% in the year-earlier quarter, said Cox Automotive. It is the largest year-over-year gain in total U.S. market share since 1990.… Continue reading GM’s UAW workers to get $9,000 profit sharing checks this year

Magna CEO talks driverless cars, COVID-19 response at Detroit Economic Club event

When Swamy Kotagiri considers whether true autonomous driving will ever be achieved, the CEO of Troy-based Magna International uses a comparison to COVID-19. “If someone had told you that the industry would be able to come up with a vaccine in a matter of months versus years, we wouldn’t have believed it. I believe in science, and I think… Continue reading Magna CEO talks driverless cars, COVID-19 response at Detroit Economic Club event

Detroit Diesel plant to get $20M boost to make electric truck parts

A Detroit-area factory known for making diesel engines is slated to get a $20 million investment to produce components for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks. The investment means the 3-million-square-foot Detroit Diesel plant, which is in both Redford Township and Detroit, will be the North American source of Detroit ePowertrain components, according to the announcement Monday by Daimler… Continue reading Detroit Diesel plant to get $20M boost to make electric truck parts

I just tested Cadillac’s hands-free Super Cruise on a 500+ mile trip. Here’s how it went.

Self-driving cars just got meaningfully closer to reality. How much closer? I touched the steering wheel of a 2021 Cadillac Escalade just three times in 280 miles from when I entered I-96 in Detroit to exiting I-94 in Hammond, Indiana. I touched the wheel four times driving the same route home; the fourth was to… Continue reading I just tested Cadillac’s hands-free Super Cruise on a 500+ mile trip. Here’s how it went.

Bruce Springsteen was ‘all in’ on Super Bowl ad with healing message

Bruce Springsteen isn’t known for doing commercials, but for this year’s Super Bowl, the rock legend made an exception, with a spot for Jeep about common ground, connection and crossing the divide between red and blue. A month after a mob, driven by debunked election claims, stormed the U.S. Capitol, Springsteen wants us to find “the middle.” “It’s no secret the middle has been… Continue reading Bruce Springsteen was ‘all in’ on Super Bowl ad with healing message

Ford ends electric vehicle deal with China company ‘on cusp of collapse’

Ford Motor Co. has ended its joint venture electric vehicle plans with China’s Zotye, a company with financial troubles so severe that it’s fighting for survival. The Ford development, first reported late Wednesday by Reuters in Shanghai, does not change the automaker’s commitment to producing vehicles for the largest electric vehicle market in the world, spokesman T.R.… Continue reading Ford ends electric vehicle deal with China company ‘on cusp of collapse’

GM to idle 3 plants in North America due to semiconductor shortage

General Motors is idling three of its assembly plants in North America and running a fourth in South Korea at half capacity for one week as it struggles with the ongoing semiconductor shortage that has already impacted production at Ford Motor Co., Stellantis and others globally. On Monday, GM will idle the following plants  — which run two shifts — for… Continue reading GM to idle 3 plants in North America due to semiconductor shortage