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What does Volvo’s big electric car announcement have to do with China? A lot.

Jul 5, 2017
Volvo is the first major car company to announce when it will stop developing cars that run on good ol’ internal combustion engines. Starting in 2019, all of Volvo’s new models will be hybrids or electric vehicles. The company has its origins in Sweden, but it’s been owned by Chinese carmaker Geely since 2009. You […]

Climate agreement isn't dead for U.S. automakers

Jun 2, 2017
Microsoft, Shell, GE and Cargill are among those warning that President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change will put U.S. companies at a disadvantage. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Auto-loan market starting to spook lenders

May 12, 2017
The state of the auto loan market is causing some concern among analysts. Many are drawing comparisons with the mortgage-lending crisis that figured largely in the financial crash of 2008. At issue is the growing number of riskier, subprime loans. Default rates are going up too.  And lenders are starting to get spooked.  Click the […]

Mexico’s buoyant exports prompt cheer and fear

May 11, 2017
Mexico’s auto exports to the U.S. are up this year. And with the Trump administration talking tough on trade deficits and the need to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, that could be a problem for our neighbor to the south.   Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Tesla skips prototype phase to get Model 3 to market faster

Apr 24, 2017
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known for taking big risks. It’s a reputation that helped him raise billions of dollars for his various companies over the years. Musk’s latest gamble is a decision to fast-track the assembly-line strategy for the new Tesla Model 3 electric car. Typically, carmakers do a prototype buildout before going to […]

Staid AAA hopes to get a lift from car-sharing

Apr 24, 2017
You know AAA as the big truck that comes to help when your car breaks down on the highway. But the auto club was an original mobility disrupter, one of the first car-service companies back when people were trading in their horses for a Model T. Now it’s the latest entrant to the car-sharing market. […]

Portable solar units fill the electric charging void

Mar 27, 2017
It could take years to build up electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, options exist.
The EV Arc is a solar array that charges electric vehicles, providing as much as 220 miles' worth of electricity each day.
Jed Kim/Marketplace

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Merkel brings along BMW’s chief, others for first meeting with Trump

Mar 17, 2017
The South is a good reminder of how important German automakers are to the U.S.

Rising car loan default rates spell trouble for automakers

Mar 16, 2017
People who took out subprime loans to buy a car are falling behind on their payments at the highest rate since the financial crisis. That could lead to higher costs for people who want a car loan. It’s also bad news for the automakers.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Plan to rollback EPA rules boosts carmakers’ moods — and would boost emissions

Mar 15, 2017
President Donald Trump went to Detroit and said he was going to boost American automakers. By rolling back EPA fuel economy standards that President Barack Obama finalized right before he left office, Trump said the big car companies could make more money and hire more Americans. Tighter mileage and emissions standards were set to go […]