MINNEAPOLIS — For more than a year, Polaris has worked with Zero Motorcycles to develop a new electric version of its Ranger off-road vehicle. The Ranger XP Kinetic is now ready. Read More ⇒

PONTIAC — When Spaceballs One hits Plaid speed in Mel Brooks’ classic “Star Wars” spoof, the space ship shakes like a tin can, the engines scream, the crew cowers, and the evil Dark Helmet (played by the incomparable Rick Moranis in a send-up of Darth Vader) yells: “What have I done? My brai… Read More ⇒

Q: I’ve noticed on a number of cars that when the front turn signal is on, the headlight on that side is off. Is that a new feature and why have the light turn off? Read More ⇒

How’s your washer fluid? Read More ⇒

Q: I have an Uncle Allen in DeKalb, Ill., in his early 90s, who reads your column in the Chicago Tribune. The unknown benefit of your column is that Allen not only reads the articles, but he cuts them out and sends them to me. We have a standing call every Wednesday night and many times your… Read More ⇒

Toyota wants to sell you a car, finance it, service it and now insure it, too. Read More ⇒

MOAB, Utah — “Don’t get cocky, kid.” Those were Han Solo’s words when newbie Luke Skywalker celebrated shooting down his first Imperial warship in “Star Wars,” and they could have been Jeep executive Jim Morrison’s when he recently chided automakers for SUVs that add a skid plate here, a Tor… Read More ⇒

Q: I own a 2000 Honda Accord. It constantly shows the red brake light on the dash. Previously, the light would appear only intermittently. I had the brakes checked out two different times and everything is in good condition. How can I correct this? Read More ⇒

Having arrived in 2021 wearing a nameplate last used in 2009 on a midsize, body-on-frame SUV, the 2022 Trailblazer is now a subcompact crossover. Developed and built by GM Korea in Incheon, South Korea, it doesn’t feel much like its larger American counterparts. Instead, the Trailblazer is a… Read More ⇒

Q: I have a 2018 Toyota Avalon with the six-speed automatic transmission. When descending grades, I usually downshift and coast downhill without using the brakes. Do you recommend this practice? Read More ⇒

Stay on top of the electric car revolution by signing up to our Hyperdrive newsletter here. Read More ⇒

Car buyers will find few Chinese vehicles in U.S. showrooms, but they will in Mexico — under American brand names. Read More ⇒

There is growing fear these days that the move to electric vehicles spells certain doom for a lot of low-skilled factory work. It mostly comes from the prediction, proffered by Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess two years ago, that EVs will require 30% less labor than gasoline … Read More ⇒

The Kia Sportage is getting new plumage. Read More ⇒

A former Hyundai engineer has won a huge whistleblower award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Read More ⇒

Q: I’ve read about several catalytic converter thefts recently. My Toyota dealership is advertising a shield for theft protection. What are your thoughts? Does this shield prevent access for car maintenance? Read More ⇒

Q: I have a 2006 Hyundai Tucson GLS with approximately 123,000 miles. I have all original documents (keys, manuals, title) and it is in fair condition. It has been parked outside and not used for over a year. It will most likely need to be towed. I stopped driving due to medical issues and m… Read More ⇒

With the year almost over, it’s time to revisit the vehicles whose time on earth is coming to an end. These vehicles will disappear for the new model year. But they merit more than a footnote for what they say about the auto industry and its buyers. But will they be remembered or reviled? Le… Read More ⇒

“The big challenge to selling EVs is training” car dealers, Pieter Nota confided over dinner one night during the Munich Auto Show. Read More ⇒

Around lunchtime at an Xpeng showroom in Beijing last month, a man in a three-piece suit strolled inside and straight past rows of the company’s sleek P7 and P5 electric sedans. Read More ⇒

Q: A blinking check engine light came on setting a number four cylinder misfire code. I suspected a bad ignition coil, which I replaced. I cleared codes and the car runs great. I was able to find an auto parts store open late and fortunately the coil was in front of the engine not in back. A… Read More ⇒

This is a story about a box. Read More ⇒

SAN ANTONIO — After 22 years and two generations (not counting the T100, a full-sized truck Toyota produced for eight years before the Tundra), Toyota has finally produced a pickup that can challenge its rivals: the new 2022 Toyota Tundra. It’s a wonder that it’s taken so long, but execs say… Read More ⇒

BMW rarely has to answer this question in Western showrooms, but it’s becoming increasingly important for selling cars in China: Can I sing karaoke in this automobile? Read More ⇒

For those above a certain age, the name Ford Maverick will bring up memories of the affordable 1970 compact that replaced the Falcon in Ford’s lineup. It’s return for 2022 as a compact pickup truck may be surprising, but its mission is very much the same: provide affordable transportation in… Read More ⇒

On a rainy winter night in December 2019, college student Maria Smith found herself followed by a state trooper, police lights flashing, on Massachusetts’ Route 24. She pulled over to the side of the road. Then: Smack! Something had hit her car from behind, shattering her rear window. “I was… Read More ⇒

Q: Every now and then when coming to stop signs the brakes on my 2014 Hyundai Sonata will shudder. The dealer mechanic tells me my pads are OK. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is it a dangerous condition? Read More ⇒

Soumya Rangarajan wanted her next car to be electric. She placed an order for a Volkswagen ID.4, but after six months of waiting to get her hands on the sport-utility vehicle, she gave up. She decided to buy out the lease on her gas-powered Ford Escape instead. Read More ⇒

In nine years, Rolls-Royce will stop selling vehicles that run on gasoline, Chief Executive Officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös said in a Sept. 29 announcement. The first of the company’s planned all-electric portfolio, the Spectre sedan, will arrive by the fourth quarter of 2023. Read More ⇒

GAYLORD, Mich. — Get it in Tiger Eye Pearl. Read More ⇒

Tesla Inc. lost a case against a Black former elevator operator and must pay an unprecedented $137 million in damages for having turned a blind eye to racial taunts and offensive graffiti the man endured at the electric carmaker’s auto plant in Fremont, Calif. Read More ⇒

Your car may drive like a dream, but in reality it’s pretty much a guaranteed financial sinkhole. Read More ⇒

The Lucid Air has set a new benchmark for EPA-rated EV range with 520 miles. Read More ⇒

SEATTLE — When Mike Zebley took a job delivering tools to Seattle-area car shops this year, he quickly learned that what most of his customers needed wasn’t tools so much as people who knew how to use them. Read More ⇒

AUSTIN, Texas — Toyota swings for the infield with the 2022 Corolla Cross, a subcompact SUV hitting the market this fall with singularly modest aspirations. Read More ⇒

Q: I have 2001 Lexus RX300 with only 46,000 miles. I bought it new and have kept it in mint condition. In recent years, I have only put on 1,000 miles per year and have switched to a once-a-year oil change. I know the “law books” say you should change oil every six months, but I have also re… Read More ⇒

Modern cars are computers on wheels, meaning hostile hackers can violate your car’s software and do what they want to it a lot easier than you might think. Read More ⇒

Image and popularity remain a powerful force when selling anything: music, clothing or even choosing what to drive. It’s why some long-hallowed brands bite the dust after decades of popularity. It’s not that they became any worse, it’s that their image was no longer popular. Read More ⇒

Q; I have a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 with 39,000 miles on it. Normally, the voltmeter shows just over 14 volts, but recently after maybe a half-hour of driving, the reading starts to decline to about 12.75 volts. If I continue driving, it may or may not come back to 14 volts. I tried a new alter… Read More ⇒

Ford will shut its car factories in India and record roughly $2 billion in restructuring charges, scaling back significantly in a country that past management saw becoming one of its three biggest markets. Read More ⇒

Jonathan Bruyn has 50 unsellable Chevrolet Bolts on the lot of his Colma, Calif., dealership lot, and he doesn’t know what to do with them. Read More ⇒

Q: My Honda CR-V makes a loud buzzing noise that is only heard by the receiver of the phone call when it’s connected to the Bluetooth. This sound is not heard by the driver of the car. Any idea on what is causing this? I asked my Honda service person and he said disconnect the phone and reco… Read More ⇒

MONTICELLO — Having just taken the top two spots at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month, Toyota’s Gazoo Racing team has much to be proud of. It’s taken years to achieve, and it’s a testament to Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing acumen. Read More ⇒

LIME ROCK PARK, Conn. — Short but sweet, Lime Rock is one of America’s most formidable race tracks. It features double-apex turns, elevation changes and the Diving Turn — one of the most heart-in-your-throat downhill bends this side of Cedar Point’s Millennium Force. Read More ⇒

Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri had some interesting things to say about electric vehicles and more when I participated in a conversation that will air beginning Sept. 9 on “Autoline This Week” on PBS. Read More ⇒