In 2012, when there were about 30,000 electric vehicles on the road statewide in California, Tesla was a small new company that mostly appealed to hobbyists, and the Toyota Prius was still a rarely seen novelty in many areas, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order setting an audacious goal: 1.5 million EVs sold statewide by 2025.

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DETROIT — The CEO of the auto industry's largest lobbying group said President Donald Trump's remark last week that the trade deal he previously negotiated with Mexico and Canada was "irrelevant" is an unsurprising negotiating tactic in the early stages of trade deal renegotiation talks.

"We're in the early stage of this process," John ...Read more

Germany’s €3 billion ($3.5 billion) subsidy program for electric vehicles will be open to all manufacturers, including Chinese brands, as the government seeks to revive sales in Europe’s largest car market.

The incentive, unveiled Monday, is part of a renewed push to boost electric-car adoption and support the struggling auto industry ...Read more

DEARBORN, Michigan — New features on the 2026 Ford Transit commercial van show how Ford Pro is betting on its upfitter partners for growth — and potentially securing a bit of that business, too.

After the Transit marked its 10th anniversary, 98% of the vans Ford Motor Co. has produced remain on the road, according to the company. ...Read more

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Ford Racing helps the Dearborn-based automaker across the globe by growing brand profile, employee talent and tech learnings for production cars.

Its latest racing venture is the brutal 14-day Dakar Rally across the Saudi sand. It’s the toughest off-road race on the global calendar — the Le Mans of off-road. Ford ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Three key cabinet officials are using visits to Michigan and Ohio to tout Trump administration policies they say are boosting the auto industry and U.S. manufacturing.

The officials are Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Their ...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit News readers have spoken, and it’s Motown brands in a landslide.

One hundred readers of The News descended on the Detroit Auto Show Floor on Wednesday to render their verdict in nine categories: Hottest Tech, Most Electrifying, Bargain Buggy, If Money Were No Object, Off Road Warrior, Family Hauler, Muscle Machine, Top ...Read more

When it comes to the current state of automotive evolution, we live in an era when SUVs reproduce like rabbits with financing. Into this overcrowded habitat steps the 2026 Mazda CX-30, showing up like a car that was raised to write thank-you notes. It makes a sincere effort to be interesting, mildly mischievous, and never the reason you stare ...Read more

MEMPHIS, Michigan — You think minivans are uncool?

I emerged from a game of Padel into a black Michigan night. With my arms full of a tennis bag and water bottle, I walked up to my red 2026 Chrysler Pacifica minivan tester and swung my foot under the rear door.

Open sesame!

The door automatically slid sideways, exposing the cavernous ...Read more

Grasso’s Garage has reviewed more than 375 vehicles and driven more brands and models than could park on most city blocks. And by now, regular readers will know that a few brands and models have emerged as favorites. This week, I'd like to indulge my long-lasting love for the station wagon. Recently we reviewed the 2025 Volvo V60 PHEV, which ...Read more

DETROIT — Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday that the artificial intelligence powering self-driving vehicles is now "safer" for passengers than human hands behind the wheel, and he predicted more Americans will become one-car families as the technology is widely adopted.

Buttigieg made the prediction during a ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order Wednesday against General Motors Co. that will ban the company from disclosing consumers’ geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies for five years.

The agency said in a news release that GM "collected, used, and sold consumers’ precise geolocation data...Read more

DETROIT — Off-roading is a strategic bet for Ford Motor Co. to boost sales and attract younger buyers, even as forecasts predict vehicle affordability concerns could shrink the U.S. market this year.

Off-road performance trims like Raptor and Tremor account for more than 20% of Ford's U.S. mix, up from 7% pre-pandemic. The industry-wide $7 ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Auto Show is not quite the wild spectacle it once was — gone are the flashy vehicle reveals that involved shattering a glass window or herding cattle, no longer is there the crush of 5,000 global journalists or public attendance figures that sometimes approached 1 million people.

But organizers believe the Huntington ...Read more

The new year promises an array of new vehicles, beginning with the 2026 Detroit Auto Show that opens Wednesday with a roar.

Literally.

Unshackled by government carbon dioxide regulations, expect the roar of new gas-powered V-8 engines to shake Motown asphalt. Ram’s reborn earth-pawing, 777-horsepower Ram 1500 TRX supertruck debuted on Jan. 1...Read more

WASHINGTON — Automaker Volkswagen AG said in a public filing last week that President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian automotive goods violate binding trade agreements he approved during his first term.

The German company made the claim in a comment submitted Wednesday to Trump's U.S. Trade Representative office, which was ...Read more

DETROIT — General Motors Co. leveraged the automaker's more than 120-year heritage and its success during Detroit's Golden Age to design the company's new global headquarters at the Hudson's Detroit complex downtown that opened Monday.

Nods to GM's past are hidden throughout the company's roughly 200,000-square-foot space: fabric from the ...Read more

Jeep and Chrysler will stop making their plug-in hybrid models as Stellantis NV turns its focus to other hybrid powertrains, the automaker confirmed Friday.

"With customer demand shifting, Stellantis will phase out plug‑in hybrid (PHEV) programs in North America beginning with the 2026 model year, and focus on more competitive electrified ...Read more

As Jeep enters Grasso’s Garage, it is always a mystery what parent company Stellantis is cooking up in the background. This week, it is the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep’s five-passenger, well-known SUV. Fit for many and designed to accommodate all types of consumers, the Grand Cherokee is ready to hit the pavement with a fresh look.

Packed ...Read more

TROY, Michigan — Mrs. Payne and I recently enjoyed “Tron: Ares,” an action-packed sci-fi movie featuring lightning-quick light bikes and glowing digital displays.

Then we climbed into our own Tron-mobile.

As I approached the 2025 Lucid Gravity SUV tester with key in pocket, the electric SUV awoke. Door handles popped out to meet us and ...Read more