Motor News
MotorWeek tracks auto industry news, focusing on crash tests, safety ratings, new advances in technology and the latest from auto shows around the world.
April Auto Sales & Delayed Hummer EV Reveal
April auto sales numbers are in, and there are no surprises as the Coronavirus continues to disrupt the industry. While a number of manufacturers don’t report monthly sales, the ones that do give us some insight into the industry as a whole. Analysts at cox automotive estimate that 620,000 new vehicles were sold in April, which is down 53% from last year and down… Read More
Plunging Gas Prices, Volvo Teams Up With Daimler, and Consumer Confidence in EVs
Cheap gas and no where to go as Coronavirus has most of us parked at home. AAA puts the national average at about $1.76 a gallon. And they expect that number to dip even lower into may, possibly dropping as low as $1.65 a gallon. We haven’t seen those kinds of numbers since January 2009. Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Ohio have some of the cheapest gas in the nation… Read More
Autonomous Deliveries & Car Insurance Rebates
COVID-19 may you have parked inside, but autonomous vehicles are pulling up for deliveries in parts of California. Pony AI is typically a robotaxi service, moving people instead of products. But they’ve switched gears and have deployed their fleet of modified Hyundai Kona battery-electric cars to deliver packages and groceries in Irvine. Teaming up with e-commerce… Read More
Tesla Ventilators, Audi Virtual Plant Tour, & JD Power Tire Study
Tesla engineers are using car parts to create ventilators. The automaker is using as many car parts as possible to build a prototype of the life-saving device. In a video posted to their YouTube channel, Tesla engineers can be seen using suspension system parts to build the ventilator’s oxygen mixing chamber. The infotainment computer and touchscreen from a Model… Read More
Farewell to the BMW i8
It was hailed as the sports car of the future when it debuted, but now the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid has run out of time. It turned heads when it first launched in 2014. Since then, over 20,000 i8’s have been sold solidifying its spot as the most successful sports car with an electrified drive system. As a final farewell, BMW is producing just 200 of a Special… Read More
Automakers Transition to Manufacturing Medical Equipment
As expected, new car sales took a dive in March due to the blooming Coronavirus outbreak. Overall, industry sales were down about 45%, with few brands bucking the trend. Sales for the first three months of 2020 were nearly 15% lower than a year ago. Demand for pickup trucks remained strong however. Looking ahead to April, experts predict an 80% decline as more and… Read More
New GM Batteries
GM has just made a bold move in the ever growing EV market, revealing details of an electric lineup powered by new battery technology. General Motors is looking to the future and going the distance with their new Ultium Modular Battery System, which they say will have capacities that range from 50 to 200 kilowatt hours. That translates to up to 400 miles or more… Read More
2020 Geneva Motor Show Episode 3929
The 2020 Geneva International Motor Show was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. But, show organizers and automakers quickly moved the debut party online, and it was a virtual hit parade! Like the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. It focuses more on balance and agility than just max speed. Meanwhile this Aston Martin V12 Speedster is all about no top extravagance. The… Read More
J.D. Power Reliability Episode 3926
Design, horsepower, and technology get a lot of attention when we review cars on MotorWeek. But, its reliability that is one of the biggest keys for buyers. J.D. Power has released their 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. Covering 36,000 owners, the study looks at problems with cars that are 3-years old. This year, Hyundai’s Genesis luxury brand is not only… Read More
Chicago Auto Show Episode 3925
In recent years the Chicago Auto Show has been a showcase mostly for new trucks. And that sense of ruggedness was certainly evident at its 112th edition. Jeep’s new Gladiator pickup arrives in Mojave trim as the brand’s first Desert Rated vehicle. It goes beyond the legendary off-road reputation… as a high-speed desert runner built to power through sand. While… Read More