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Apple Inc. will take at least half a decade to launch an autonomous, electric vehicle because development work is still at an early stage, according to people with knowledge of the efforts. The Cupertino, Calif.,-based technology giant has a small team of hardware engineers developing drive systems, vehicle interior and external car body designs with

Jeep Grand Cherokee Full Overview The fifth generation of the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee has been expanded—literally—by adding a stretched seven-passenger version that debuts as the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. With consumers champing at the bit for more SUVs (and more Jeeps), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is building on that momentum with a new addition

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz complied with Europe’s tighter emissions limits last year as a late surge in plug-in vehicle sales spared the world’s largest luxury-car maker from fines. Mercedes shipped just under 160,000 plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars in 2020, with the fourth quarter accounting for about half of those deliveries, Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius told reporters

Even though a certain scarlet-clad Italian sports car manufacturer grabs the headlines when it comes to racing, Lamborghini has some racing heritage of its own. In fact, Lamborghini has been competing in the upper echelons of motorsport since the early 1990s. Today, Lamborghini races all over the world in FIA GT3 competitions and Lambo’s own Trofeo

DETROIT — Jeep’s Grand Cherokee will offer a third-row option by midyear, broadening the SUV’s reach into a competitive segment. The three-row model, scheduled to be revealed Thursday, will be known as the Grand Cherokee L. Jeep said production will start this quarter and that the vehicles will begin reaching dealerships in the second quarter.

Sick of the wheezy four-cylinder in your family commuter? We don’t blame you. With gas still (relatively) cheap and internal combustion still legal, it just might be time to let your quarantine-length hair down and upsize to something a bit more Jurassic. We say skip the Scat Pack and to hell with the Bimmer V-12;

Much like the phrase “horseless carriage” fell from favor in describing motorized vehicles, might “self-driving” someday be replaced with a better way to delineate cars controlled by computers? Waymo would like to leave “self-driving” for the history books. Starting Wednesday, the Google subsidiary said it will leave the term in its rearview mirror. Instead, Waymo

It’s not unreasonable to say the Chevrolet small-block V-8 changed the face of automotive engine history. Innovative and technologically advanced when it debuted in 1955, it greatly influenced future V-8 engine designs, both inside General Motors and among the competition. Enthusiasts embraced it and an entire performance aftermarket sprang up around it. Over the years,

Shirley Young, an executive who played an instrumental role in General Motors’ expansion in China during the 1990s, died Dec. 26. She was 85. Young helped steer GM’s billion-dollar investment in China through a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. She died of complications from breast cancer, David Hsieh, one of her sons, told

The Grand Highlander will likely share its TNGA-K underpinnings with the run-of-the-mill Highlander, however, the upcoming model may sport an elongated wheelbase and/or a redesigned rear end that aims to add more cargo and third-row seating space (not unlike the Lexus RX L). Such a change should allow Toyota to move the Highlander’s third-row bench

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation has named Scott Schmidt, an industry association and vehicle safety veteran, as its vice president of safety policy, the group said Tuesday. Schmidt, 61, takes on the role after working on the team that launched the alliance in January 2020, following the merger of two major auto lobbying groups: the

A federal judge in California has agreed to allow former Reynolds and Reynolds Co. CEO Bob Brockman to face charges of tax evasion and wire fraud closer to his home in Houston. In an order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a motion Brockman’s attorneys filed in November to transfer the government’s case

DETROIT — U.S. District Judge Paul Borman on Monday slashed by 18 months the prison sentence of former Fiat Chrysler labor chief Alphons Iacobelli, who had been serving a 5½-year term in federal prison for his role in the UAW corruption scandal. The reduction to a four-year sentence, Borman said, was due to Iacobelli’s “significant

Toyota’s Lisa Materazzo and Ford’s Suzy Deering take on new jobs Monday, Jan. 4. They are the latest in a growing list of female marketing chiefs at some of the biggest auto brands in the U.S. Key appointments within the past 20 months: Lisa MaterazzoToyotaBecomes vice president of marketing for Toyota Division on Jan. 4,

Ford Motor Co. has called an audible on its New Year’s Day college football marketing in a move to promote mask-wearing. The automaker will dedicate a significant portion of its media buy during Jan. 1 bowl games to a new ad called “Finish Strong,” which promotes mask-wearing and other safety measures, while foreshadowing better days

PARIS — Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group are expected on Monday to agree to a merger between the two companies that will create a new global automaking powerhouse and unite two industry dynasties — the Peugeot and Agnelli/Elkann families.   Approval by shareholders will clear the way for the merger to close

Tesla Inc. delivered a record number of cars worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2020, but fell just shy of a goal for 500,000 units for the full year. The electric-car maker delivered 180,570 vehicles in the last three months of the year, eclipsing its prior all-time high of 139,300 in the third quarter of

The definition of the word lucid in its simplest form describes something that is “straightforward and clear.” It can be used in various ways to describe certain things, but is most often associated with the thought process and the rational or sensible way to view a given situation. Crucial decisions are sometimes made when moments

TOKYO — Nissan plans to further reduce its presence in Europe, including outsourcing sales of its cars to alliance partner Renault, according to a Japanese newspaper. Nissan will cut distribution channels in 30 countries, mainly in eastern European markets such as Hungary and Poland, but also in parts of western Europe such as the Netherlands,

At the last minute, though, the automaker decided to divert some of the money it earmarked for airing its truck ad toward a new campaign—one that’s not centered around Ford’s vehicles. Instead, the company’s new ad delivers a message it hopes encourages viewers to pull together in the fight against COVID-19. Ford executives turned to

BEIJING — Tesla Inc. said Friday it has started selling the China-made Model Y crossover and will deliver them to customers starting this month, as the U.S. electric vehicle maker expands sales in the world’s biggest car market. China, which offers hefty subsidies for EVs as it seeks to cut down on pollution from gasoline

Just ahead of the end of the dirty-diaper dumpster fire that was 2020, we asked our Twitter friends: “If 2020 was a car, what would it be?” The responses ranged from blindingly obvious to the subtlest shade of, well, shade. Some of you kept it topical to current events in the automotive industry, while others

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it was calling off its automotive joint venture with India’s Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. due to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies said in separate statements that the decision was driven by changes in the global economy over the last 15 months, causing both to reassess their

Lamborghini Huracan Full Overview A MotorTrend Best Driver’s Car winner doesn’t just make a talented amateur feel like a hero. It has to impress and inspire every driver, from a rookie to a pro. And in this aspect, there was no question: The Lamborghini Huracán Evo is the 2020 Best Driver’s Car. It all boils

BEIJING — China will subsidies by a fifth next year on new energy vehicles such as electric cars, the finance ministry said on Thursday, as it seeks to combat pollution and cultivate home-grown champions in the auto sector. China, the world’s biggest auto market, has set a target for NEVs, including plug-in hybrids and hydrogen

Did Santa fail to bring you that Tesla you wanted? Well, now you’ve got a new incentive to make your own magic happen: three free months of the company’s questionably named Full Self-Driving Capability feature, as decreed on Twitter by Elon Musk himself. All you have to do is buy a Tesla and take delivery

China’s Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group Co. said on Tuesday it had signed a deal to supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide to Tesla Inc. for the next five years. Yahua, which is based in southwest China’s Sichuan province, did not provide tonnage figures but, in a filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, put the total value of

Chevrolet Corvette Full Overview The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette feels like other exotic cars, which is a new sensation for anyone familiar with the Chevy sports car. Hopping from Ferrari to Lamborghini to Chevy, the Corvette affirms that we made the right choice last year when we named the C8 our 2020 Car of the Year.

UK carmakers offered faint praise for the country’s Brexit deal while warning border chaos will be unavoidable unless governments allow more time to meet new customs-related administrative requirements. The accord reached last week with the European Union largely addresses the auto industry’s immediate concerns about tariffs, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Wednesday. Still,

Porsche 911 Full Overview Pros Absolute magic on a back road Wonderful GT car Insanely quick Cons Magic replaced by cold competency on the track Street tires only We thought it was gone. Banished. We believed the good people of Stuttgart, with a bit of help from Weissach, had finally cured the Turbo’s one remaining