The Uncertain HourI've always wondered ...Econ Extra Credit with David BrancaccioRace and EconomyMake Me Smart Daily

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Stories Tagged as

Cars

Why self-driving cars are designed to look like overgrown toys

by Nova Safo
Mar 9, 2021
To make customers comfortable with mobile robots, companies are designing in approachability and familiarity.
This Nuro vehicle is built to transport packages, not people.
Nuro
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Vehicle sales tell story of separate economic realities

by Erika Beras
Jan 15, 2021
The average selling price of new vehicles reached a record high in late 2020. Last year also saw vehicle loan debt increase to record levels.
Prices rose in both the new and used vehicle markets last year.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
COVID-19

Automakers announce furloughs due to COVID-19 shutdowns

by Jack Stewart
Apr 8, 2020
The auto industry is juggling the need to cut costs while preserving its workforce to ramp up once factories reopen.
Nissan has furloughed about 10,000 employees at plants in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
COVID-19

Some auto insurers offer discounts as COVID-19 curtails driving

by Jack Stewart
Apr 7, 2020
The calculation is that fewer cars on the road result in fewer accidents, and savings on insurance payouts.
Driving is down 35% to 50% across the country, meaning fewer crashes, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson says.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
COVID-19

How many people were buying cars as COVID-19 restrictions took over?

by Jack Stewart
Apr 1, 2020
In addition to a drop in demand, automakers have been forced to close factories.
Workers leave the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant on March 19, 2020 in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
The Season

Do people really buy cars as holiday gifts?

by Jack Stewart
Dec 5, 2019
It might be a good time to find a bargain, but that present might not be appreciated.
The Lexus "December to Remember" event has been running since 1999.
Lexus
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE

Despite influx of new models, electric car sales expected to remain low

by Sue Carpenter
Nov 29, 2019
Flashy new debuts from Ford and others will not lift electric vehicle ownership above 5% by 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Tesla unveiled its Cybertruck at an event in Los Angeles.
Tesla
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE

Help us do the numbers.

Donations from you are the most important part of Marketplace's budget. Chip in today.

Invest in marketplace

Classic cars offer students a route to modern auto repair

by Carol Vassar
Aug 26, 2019
At one Connecticut school, the road to an auto repair career starts with vintage cars.
The 1934 Huppmobile restored by the students at the Raymond Hill School was on display at a recent car show in New Britain, Connecticut.
Carol Vassar
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE

What it's like to live on an average wage in Shanghai

by Jennifer Pak
Jul 18, 2019
China's official inflation is still under 3%, but residents complain that the cost of living in the financial hub of Shanghai just keeps getting higher.
Workers on a lunch break in Shanghai. According to the job site, Zhaopin, the average worker spends 20 yuan ($2.90) or less per lunch. Convenience stores like this one are one of the few places that offer cheap meals in office areas.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE

The most "American-made" vehicles may surprise you

by Jack Stewart
Jul 8, 2019
A Jeep takes the number one spot, but Honda takes second, third and fourth place.
A Jeep Cherokee drives in front of Fiat Chryslers's Belvidere Assembly Plant.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE