With a Hush, an American Lexus Plant Goes to Work
By AARON M. KESSLER
Starting the new Lexus plant in Georgetown, Ky., meant introducing autoworkers to the brand’s methods, some of which call for a quiet assembly line.
A Google self-driving car on San Antonio Road in Mountain View, Calif., in June.
The police in Mountain View said the vehicle was driving 24 miles per hour in a 35 m.p.h. zone.
As capable as Mercedes-Benz AMG and BMW M cars, ATS-V is letter-perfect in its driving dynamics. Now, if Cadillac can get enthusiasts to understand that.
Volkswagens ready for export in Emden, Germany. Including Porsche and Audi, the company’s sales rose in the United States.
October was the first full sales month after the company’s admission that it had cheated on diesel emissions. Sales in the United States were flat.
Starting the new Lexus plant in Georgetown, Ky., meant introducing autoworkers to the brand’s methods, some of which call for a quiet assembly line.
The company, trying to get to the bottom of its emissions cheating scandal, pressured employees to tell what they know.
The images of wealth and luxury seen in TV commercials are aimed mostly at those who aspire to wealthy lifestyles, not those who actually enjoy them.
Unlike in the United States, automakers have the discretion to change their engines’ performance settings before emissions tests.
The move indicates that the German carmaker will continue to invest in advanced technologies despite the burdens of its emissions cheating crisis.
The company will meet with worker representatives about how to cut costs following the emissions scandal. VW is also offering up to $1,000 to owners.
The proposed labor agreement between the United Automobile Workers and Ford Motor is slightly richer than the deals agreed to at General Motors and Fiat Chrysler.
Regulators have begun testing all makes and models of diesel vehicles, at random and in real-world conditions, to try to increase the odds of catching automakers seeking to evade emissions standards.
Efforts to discover who was responsible for misconduct at the German carmaker have been hampered by a culture of silence and a fear of delivering bad news to superiors.
In an effort to recover some good will, Volkswagen is expected to offer cash to the owners of diesel cars.
The announcements are another blow to company, whose airbags generate about 40 percent of its sales.
VW portrayed the departure of Walter Maria de Silva as a personal decision unrelated to the company’s emissions scandal.
The initiative, the Toyota Research Institute, will create one of the biggest labs in Silicon Valley and will be led by the roboticist Gill Pratt.
The company said it had underreported the carbon dioxide emitted by 800,000 diesel- and some gasoline-powered cars, and would set aside $2.2 billion to cover the cost of the problem.
Besides Honda’s decision, United States traffic safety officials fined Takata an amount that could go as high as $200 million.
Companies in Japan form longstanding relationships that extend down manufacturing supply chains, but such ties can have downsides.
The automaker said airbags in 126,000 model-year 2008-10 vehicles might either inflate at improper times or not deploy during a crash.
The electric car maker’s stock is down by a quarter and production and quality issues have made headlines, but the entrepreneurial chief conveys confidence.
Industry analysts projected that the seasonally adjusted sales rate would exceed 18 million vehicles for the second consecutive month.
Technology is helping service departments move into the connected age, employing tools that increase efficiencies and help the consumer feel better about the process.
Honda’s announcement of the recall of 515 CR-Vs from 2016 led Senator Bill Nelson of Florida to ask whether any Takata airbag inflaters were safe.
Bart M. Schwartz, once chief of the criminal division of the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan, will review practices at the automaker.
The automaker recalled 316,000 Jeeps for airbags that could randomly deploy, and another 276,000 Dodge vans for anti-lock brakes that might fail.
The automaker said the side airbags could deploy without the vehicle being in a crash if the ignition were on and the door was slammed hard.
A large sport utility vehicle would take aim at General Motors’ and Ford’s most profitable market.
The automaker had a net loss of $1.84 billion in its third quarter, an indicator of how the fallout from its diesel deception could hurt its bottom line.
The automaker said earnings almost doubled compared with a year ago, helped by a record quarter in North America.
The proposed pact may include the wage-progression formula used in the Fiat Chrysler contract to eventually bring newer workers up to wage parity.
The company is recalling 1.4 million vehicles over the problem, which has resulted in at least 1,345 fires and 19 injuries.
Maybach disappeared a few years ago, but Mercedes has brought it back as an ultraluxury subbrand, with the S600 as an overachieving S-Class.
The refreshed crossover is easy to park, surgical through urban traffic and easier on fuel than large S.U.V.s, but it is a bit expensive.
The Ghost is stately, delivers its comfort in style and tames road imperfections like no other automobile.
Autonomous vehicles might remain an expensive novelty, or they might utterly transform society. Either way, they have much to teach us about how to look at the cities we live in.
Facing pollution and traffic concerns, Beijing is proposing steps to encourage bicycling, re-embracing what has long been an integral part of China’s culture.
The man behind the Batmobile, immortalized in a Tom Wolfe essay, was a pioneer and master of car customization.
Long the province of suburban parents and shift workers headed to the same factory, car-pooling is getting an urban makeover.
G.E. plans to close an engine factory in Waukesha, Wis., that President Obama visited in 2014 and move hundreds of jobs to Canada because of the bank’s closure.
To streamline the hundreds of suits filed against Volkswagen, a panel of federal judges is expected to consolidate them in a single court.
Lawyers for plaintiffs in lawsuits against G.M. said it might have violated an agreement with the government based on statements it made in the suits.
For a moment in the 1950s, the second-biggest German automaker, after VW, wasn’t BMW or Mercedes. It was Borgward, and it may start selling cars again.
The research shows that the technology can be a powerful distraction, and a lingering one.
For the most part, owners are not required to have repairs made to Volkswagen cars whose emissions systems were modified to cheat federal tests.
After a $2,500 software download, Model S drivers can let the car take over on the Interstate, the first car sold to consumers with such capabilities.
Researchers also show that consumers use their savings to buy more gasoline, a tendency behavioral economists call “mental accounting.”
Consumer Reports dropped its endorsement of the Tesla Model S after owners complained about squeaks, failing door handles and motors in need of replacement.
The automaker will use a selective catalytic reduction control system on its future diesel engines in Europe and North America, where a scandal erupted last month.
Skeptics, however, wonder whether the country’s program of government subsidies is cost-effective, or even an efficient way to reduce air pollutants.
TÜV Nord, the company at the forefront of finding a new testing regimen for European automakers, is also the company that signed off on Volkswagen’s emissions tests.
California, where half of the country’s electric cars are registered, is pushing for more, but as it is, too-few charging stations lead to fierce competition for available spots.
Press previews began this week at the 2015 New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The show opens to the public on Friday.
