NHTSA probes fire in garage containing plug-in Fisker Karma

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating a Texas garage fire that destroyed a Fisker Automotive Inc. Karma, a $103,000 plug-in electric vehicle.

GM spikes its ads for Super Bowl 2013

General Motors Co., one of the biggest spenders in Super Bowl advertising, will not plug its cars and trucks during next year’s game.

Comfortable, sporty Lexus GS350 can leave a Mustang in the dust

Sneak attack! My Lexus GS350 F Sport sedan is nose to nose with a Mustang GT at a stoplight. The road before us scrolls up a mountain pass. The Ford driver guns it.

Amid poor sales, Toyota unplugs Lexus HS hybrid

Toyota Motor Corp. has pulled the plug on the Lexus HS 250h hybrid sedan, which never came close to hitting the sales targets set at its launch in 2009.

High-tech interiors drive future vehicles

The interior of your next vehicle will be driven by technology and entertainment systems, and in the next few years, could include “augmented reality” technology that spreads across your windshield, showing you roadway lines and exits, automakers and suppliers say.

GM to hire 200 at Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant

General Motors Co. is hiring 200 people at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant ahead of starting production of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu later this summer, a person familiar with the plant's plans said Thursday.

V-8 Chevrolet SS coming to U.S. as 2014 model

Chevy performance lovers have a reason to grin: The iconic brand said Thursday it next year will bring a new V-8 rear-wheel-drive performance Chevrolet SS sedan to the United States.

GM’s Opel will build new Astra in U.K., not Germany

General Motors Co.’s European Opel division will build an updated version of the Astra compact car at a plant near Liverpool, England, while ending production of the model at its German headquarters.

Bailout hype disses Delphi

The Obama administration’s endless election-year touting of the auto bailouts it engineered to save a gazillion jobs in the Midwest and rescue two Detroit automakers evidently doesn’t apply to the pensions of 20,000 current and future salaried retirees of the former Delphi Corp.

Ford to lead rollouts of new models

Ford Motor Co. will offer more new car models over the next three years than any other automaker, according to a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch report released Wednesday.

GM stock boosted by ‘Buffett Bounce’

General Motors Co.’s Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson on Wednesday described Warren Buffett, whose company recently bought 10 million shares of the Detroit automaker’s stock, as a “wise investor” with a “track record to prove it.”

E15 fuel harms autos, says study backed by carmakers, refiners

A study backed by automakers and oil companies has found that a new blend of gasoline and ethanol recently approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could damage some engines, adding new fuel to the debate over the E15 standard.

Writer tests speed skills with powerful Caprice pursuit vehicle

Michigan International Speedway offers chance to tap inner bad boy at driver’s training day for police officers from departments in the Southern Michigan Criminal Justice Training Cooperative.

Auto sales buoy economy

Car sales that are running at the fastest pace in four years are poised to reverberate through the world’s largest economy as a spillover into production, ...

2013 Acura RDX realizes its potential

The rough and raw feeling of the old RDX has been replaced by a smooth machine that’s more powerful and gets better fuel economy.

Windshield blocks sun rays, unlike windows

Do you ever think of dabbing on sunscreen before your morning commute or a Sunday drive? If not, you may want to toss a tube of SPF 15 into the glove ...

Ford to spend more this year on Facebook ads

Ford Motor Co. is ramping up its advertising relationship with Facebook, as cross-town rival General Motors Co. will halt paid ads on the world’s biggest ...

Akerson focuses on building GM’s brands and profits

Dan Akerson, who became chief executive officer at General Motors Co. in 2010, gives himself a “B” for his performance. He has too much work to do to think ...

Briefs: Nissan readies Altima to take on Toyota’s Camry

Nissan Motor Co. plans to run three daily assembly shifts at U.S. plants building a revamped Altima, as the company tries to challenge Toyota Motor Corp.’s ...

GM names Alan Batey vice president of U.S. sales and service

General Motors Co. said Thursday it has named Alan Batey, who has worked for GM since 1979, to the new position of vice president of U.S. sales and service.

New Japan auto chief promises to keep production

Tokyo— Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda took the helm at Japan's auto industry group Thursday with a promise to keep production and jobs at home ...

Honda recalls nearly 53,000 Acura TL sedans in U.S.

Detroit— Honda says it's recalling nearly 53,000 Acura TL sedans in the U.S. to fix a problem with power steering hoses.

Toyota's U.S. finance unit plans sale of 5-year dollar bonds

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest automaker, plans to sell five-year debt through its U.S. finance unit, according to a person familiar with the offering.

Gorilla net grips loose loads

It was just about a year ago that I was driving back to Michigan on an interstate highway in Indiana when I was surprised and dismayed to be passed — passed! — ...

U.S. factory output rose in April on stronger autos

Washington — U.S. factory output increased in April, helped by a gain in auto production. Busier factories have driven stronger hiring this year and ...

Ex-Ford CEO 'Red' Poling steered firm through 1980s turnaround

Harold Arthur “Red” Poling, a former Ford Motor Co. chairman and CEO who helped revive the troubled automaker during the 1980s and launched the Taurus, died ...

GM making 600 new hires at Lansing plant to build Cadillac ATS

Delta Township — General Motors Co. will hire a majority of new-to-GM employees as it adds a second shift at its Lansing Grand River assembly plant to build ...

Ex-government officials refuse to cooperate with Delphi pension probe

Washington — A government investigation into the Treasury Department’s role in the decision of General Motors Co. to “top up” the pensions of hourly retirees ...