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Auto review: Jeep Grand Cherokee serves all types of consumers
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
Auto review: At light speed in the Lucid Gravity -- call it CyberVan
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
Auto review: 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack: Two fewer cylinders, but same bad attitude
The Dodge Charger has always been an argument on wheels, preferably shouting, occasionally sideways, and often accompanied by tire smoke and poor judgment. Since 2006, when the nameplate was reintroduced after a two-decade hiatus, Dodge’s side of the argument has been simple: V-8 beats everything, and if you disagree, you’re probably French...Read more
North Carolina promised a 'battery belt.' Where are the factories entering 2026?
Between 2021 and 2024, North Carolina welcomed a parade of lithium-ion battery factory projects promising to hire hundreds, if not thousands.
They were from companies you know, like Toyota, and ones you might not, like Forge Nano, Green New Energy Materials, Dai Nippon Printing and Epsilon Advanced Materials. Each was to be their manufacturer�...Read more
GM reports $6 billion hit from now-unused EV investments
General Motors Co. on Thursday disclosed another $6 billion hit from unprofitable electric vehicle investments.
GM reported the loss to the Securities and Exchange Commission as what's known as an impairment charge. Impairment charges reflect assets that are not expected to bring in profits as initially expected.
Along with other EV makers, GM...Read more
GM's online used-vehicle marketplace lengthens warranties
General Motors Co.'s online marketplace CarBravo is extending warranties on certified pre-owned models as it seeks to meet demand for used vehicles and online car shopping.
GM now will provide 12-month or 12,000-mile warranties on used vehicles under 10 years old and with less than 100,000 miles that are listed through CarBravo, program leader ...Read more
Ford introduces new electronic system to support eyes-free driving
Ford Motor Co. says eyes-off and hands-off autonomous driving will be road-ready in 2028, and it'll introduce new artificial intelligence-powered features to its current customers starting this year.
The Dearborn, Michigan automaker on Wednesday introduced the Ford AI assistant and its new vehicle compute center at the massive CES consumer ...Read more
Editorial: Hybrids return auto industry to practicality
The auto industry is headed back to where it should have stayed in the quest to put a cleaner fleet on the road: hybrids.
Automakers are rapidly backing away from plans to fully electrify their offerings, due to an easing of fuel economy and emissions mandates by the Trump administration and continued resistance from consumers.
But that doesn�...Read more
Here's how Ford grew its 2025 market share
Hybrid trucks and an expanded trim lineup contributed to Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales increasing 6% year-over-year in 2025, but keeping up the pace could come with challenges as fallout from an aluminum shortage continues, production of the Escape crossover has ended and analysts forecast market declines.
Ford sold 2.2 million vehicles last year...Read more
Committee postpones hearing calling Detroit Three CEOs to Washington
A Senate committee has postponed a hearing that was calling each of the Detroit Three automakers' CEOs for joint testimony for the first time since late 2008 amid the global financial meltdown.
The delay from Jan. 14 comes after Ford Motor Co. objected to sending its top brass to Capitol Hill in a standoff with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ...Read more
Automakers face an 'EV winter' in 2026 as sales growth slows
Growth in global sales of electric vehicles is expected to slow this year as China winds down some subsidies, Europe wavers on its phase-out of combustion engines, and U.S. producers and policymakers make a U-turn from the segment.
BloombergNEF expects drivers to buy 24.3 million passenger EVs this year, an increase of only 12% on 2025 and ...Read more
Despite active 2025, these auto policies remain on Trump's to-do list
WASHINGTON — In his first year back in the White House, President Donald Trump made good on campaign promises related to the auto industry.
He slashed emissions regulations, ended federal support for electric vehicles and rained tariffs down upon trade-reliant automakers and suppliers in a bid to reshore manufacturing capacity. The Republican...Read more
Stellantis sales up 4% in fourth quarter, but yearly total down again
Stellantis NV's U.S. sales improved by 4% in the fourth quarter, their second-consecutive quarterly increase, yet the struggling automaker's full-year sales numbers still fell below their 2024 levels.
The vehicle sales figures released Monday show at least some signs of recovery as the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram embarks on a ...Read more
GM posts 2025 sales gain, powered by trucks, SUVs
General Motors Co. on Monday reported that it sold more vehicles in the United States than any other automaker in 2025, outpacing its longtime top competitor Toyota Motor Corp. and slightly growing its market share.
GM sold about 2.85 million vehicles in 2025, a 5.5% increase compared to 2024 despite the chaos of tariffs and sweeping changes in...Read more
Ram revives $100,000 TRX V-8 truck amid looser regulations
Ram is reviving its Hemi V-8-powered TRX off-roading pickup amid looser federal emissions regulations and as parent company Stellantis NV charts a sales turnaround in the truck-loving United States.
The automaker said Thursday that the 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will be available in the second half of this year and cost $102,590 including ...Read more
Tesla loses EV crown to BYD after second annual sales drop
Tesla Inc. ceded the title of world’s top seller of electric cars to China’s BYD Co., squandering a lead the Elon Musk-led company built as it popularized plug-in vehicles over the past decade.
The U.S. automaker reported a 16% decline in fourth quarter deliveries, trailing analyst estimates. For the year, Tesla sales slid almost 9%, its ...Read more
Ford had a record-breaking recall year. Here's how it plans to fix quality
Ford Motor Co. ended a record-breaking recall year with 152 notices to consumers in 2025 concerning safety issues or product defects requiring repair. But executives say quality costs are improving.
The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker nearly doubled the record previously set by General Motors Co. of 77 recalls in 2014, according to the National ...Read more
Auto review: 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Monogram Series: When you want ultimate luxury and refuse to be driven
The 2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Monogram Series is what happens when Mercedes decides that the real problem with excessive luxury is that it hasn’t yet been ironic enough.
Maybach has been the department responsible for building vehicles best understood from the back seat. They are long, quiet, upholstered like the lobby of a very expensive ...Read more
Tesla loses EV crown to BYD after second annual sales drop
Tesla Inc. ceded the title of world’s top seller of electric cars to China’s BYD Co., squandering a lead the Elon Musk-led company built as it popularized plug-in vehicles over the past decade.
Deliveries for the Austin, Texas-based automaker fell 8.6% in 2025, marking the second consecutive annual decline. Fourth-quarter sales tumbled 16% ...Read more
Auto review: Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is tremendous
We’re entering 2026 with a bang in our reviews.
Grasso’s Garage welcomes back Aston Martin with its brand-familiar Vantage Roadster, the two-seater dream machine packed with style, design and plenty of power. The Vantage Roadster boasts a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine producing 656 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The eight-speed ...Read more






