Category: US Motoring Press

GM to build some pickups, SUVs without Automatic Stop/Start feature during chip shortage

General Motors will start building some of its most profitable and in-demand 2021 full-size, light-duty pickups and SUVs without the Automatic Stop/Start feature because of a global shortage in semiconductor chips.  The automaker is also making upgrades to its full-size pickup plant near Fort Wayne, Indiana. to speed up final assembly of tens of thousands of incomplete pickups parked and awaiting chip… Continue reading GM to build some pickups, SUVs without Automatic Stop/Start feature during chip shortage

Ford aims to create new pickup fans with the new roomy hybrid 2022 Maverick

Ford bet big on its ability to change Americans’ driving habits with the 2022 Maverick compact pickup Tuesday. Attractively priced, with a 40-mpg hybrid starting at $19,995 and going on sale this fall, the Maverick is intended to get a whole new class of customers into pickups, marketing boss Trevor Scott told me in an… Continue reading Ford aims to create new pickup fans with the new roomy hybrid 2022 Maverick

Chip woes: GM eliminates start/stop feature on some full-size trucks, SUVs

Detroit — The global semiconductor shortage is forcing General Motors Co. to eliminate the automatic stop/start feature on some full-size 2021 trucks and SUVs, the automaker said Tuesday.  The move affects only vehicles equipped with 5.3L and 6.2L V-8 engines mated to 10-speed transmissions. Models involved are: Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban GMC Yukon and Yukon XL Cadillac Escalade and… Continue reading Chip woes: GM eliminates start/stop feature on some full-size trucks, SUVs

Segment-buster: Ford unleashes compact Maverick pickup

Putting an exclamation point on its aggressive transition to all-SUV/truck brand, Ford Motor Co. debuted its Maverick compact pickup Tuesday — based on the unibody chassis shared with the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs. Slotted below the midsize, ladder-frame, $26,015 Ranger pickup, the entry-level Maverick starts at just over $21,000 including destination fee, $19,995 without.… Continue reading Segment-buster: Ford unleashes compact Maverick pickup

GM offers OnStar service to drivers of any vehicle in US, Canada

Drivers of vehicles other than those made by General Motors now have access to OnStar’s emergency advisers and additional services. OnStar, the GM subsidiary that offers subscription-based services such as communications with trained advisers, in-vehicle security, emergency and roadside help, is making its OnStar Guardian mobile app available to anyone in the United States and Canada with a compatible Apple or… Continue reading GM offers OnStar service to drivers of any vehicle in US, Canada

Living on the Margins, ‘Surfing’ on the Buses

“Hold on! Hold on tight!” It was a hot afternoon in Olinda, a coastal city in northeast Brazil, and Marlon da Silva Santos, the leader of a group called Loucos do Surf, or the Crazy Surfers, was shouting from the rooftop of a speeding bus. I grasped at an edge of the roof with one… Continue reading Living on the Margins, ‘Surfing’ on the Buses