AUBURN HILLS - The most powerful SUV on the market, the 707 hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. It was the sort of casual comment that many of those listening in on the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles earnings conference call just might have missed, but a single word from FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne could signal some
DETROIT - In the latest in a burst of announcements aimed at bringing fully autonomous, and even driverless, vehicles to market, automotive mega-supplier Delphi is teaming up with the high-tech Israeli firm Mobileye. The two tech firms plan to show off their system during a preview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next
BEIJING, China - With two federal safety investigations already underway in the U.S., Tesla Motors could face scrutiny in China, as well, in the wake of an incident involving a Model S sedan operating in Autopilot mode. The crash last week was relatively minor – unlike the fatal accident in Florida on May 9 –
MOUNTAIN VIEW - Google’s autonomous vehicle program has taken some big hits in recent days. Two of the project’s top engineers have reportedly left to work on a new start-up, but the biggest setback appears to come with the departure of Chris Urmson, the venture’s technology chief. A pioneer in autonomous vehicle research at Carnegie
DETROIT - Toyota Motor Co. is delaying the start of production for its new plug-in model, the Prius Prime. The move is expected to push back the availability of the new model in the Japanese market. The U.S. launch, TheDetroitBureau.com has been advised, will begin in November, but will be slower than originally planned. The exact
DETROIT - The parents of actor Anton Yelchin, best known for his role in the Star Trek movie reboot, will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles today, according to a wire service report. The 27-year-old Russian-born actor was killed on June 19 in the driveway of his home as he was pinned
SINGAPORE - Automotive mega-supplier Delphi is partnering up with the nation-state of Singapore to launch an ambitious autonomous vehicle test program meant to supplement the existing mass transit system. The goal of the on-demand system is to make six battery-electric, self-driving cars available for rides on demand along three fixed routes to ferry people between
DETROIT - Wary of the problems that appear to have caused the fatal crash of a Tesla Model S running in semi-autonomous mode, General Motors wants to take a bit more time before rolling out its own Supercruise system. That should allow GM to be much more confident that the technology will work as planned,
DETROIT - Safety, rather than the rush to be first to market, must be fundamental to the development of autonomous vehicle technology, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The government will move ahead with plans to release new guidelines covering the development of self-driving vehicles later this summer, Foxx said during a speech in
DETROIT - With fuel prices the lowest they’ve been since the start of the Great Recession, automakers have seen a boom in demand for light trucks and performance vehicles. But while that might be good for the short-term bottom line, it could pose serious problems in the longer-term, as the industry struggles to cope with
