Autos

Kia is recalling more than 193,000 cars and minvans in yet another move to fix nagging problems that could cause engine fires.

Evading helicopter surveillance and channeling the spirit of the “godfather of the Corvette” were business as usual for GM engineers developing the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, code-named C8 because it’s the eighth-generation of the sports car.

A rare public airing of driver-assist technology’s role in traffic crashes will occur Tuesday in a meeting of the National Transportation Safety Board, where two fatal Tesla incidents involving Autopilot will be discussed, including the 2018 Model X crash that killed Apple engineer Walter Huang in Mountain View, Calif. The meeting will be viewable via webcast.

Skeleton Technologies Group OU is working on supercapacitors, light-weight and long-life components that can distribute intensive bursts of power. These may help eliminate lead-acid batteries, a piece of technology invented in 1859 that still lurks under the hoods of Teslas in addition to the main lithium-ion power source.

Dodge expands the high-performance Charger lineup for 2020 by adding a Widebody exterior to America’s only four-door muscle car.

Among Detroit brands, only Chevrolet — traditionally the value nameplate at General Motors Co. — still offers vehicles below that $20,000 price-point: the subcompact Sonic at $17,595 and the wee Spark at $14,095, both with delivery fees included.

These tools are probably not worth it for the typical car owner. Lower-priced units are not worth the money; upper-end tools have features most will never use. They basically provide readouts of trouble codes, the problems triggering the check engine light.

Only one domestic model, the Tesla Model 3, was named tops in its price category in the annual Consumer Reports top picks list, an influential designation for shoppers looking for new cars. And no U.S. brands, including Tesla, were ranked in the Top 10.

According to a study by AAA, cloudy lenses can reduce the light output by quite a bit more than most might think, so this is good to do, especially with mature night vision! In a typical case, polishing the lenses is usually quite productive, although the results may last for perhaps a year or two before treatment is again needed. You have four options: a home remedy, an over the counter lens restoration kit, professional restoration or replacing the housing.

As new car prices increase faster than consumers’ paychecks, the nation’s auto dealers are finding they can make more money focusing on used car sales.

General Motors said pickup sales make up half of its North American revenue. That’s why it has big plans for the upcoming new GMC Hummer all-electric pickup. (Jamie L. LaReau/Detroit Free Press)

From the Ford Mustang Mach-E to the Porsche Taycan, automakers are debuting new electric vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show as more consumers begin kicking the tires on the decision to trade gas pumps for charging cables.

AAA found that fatal crashes involving THC-positive drivers doubled after Washington legalized marijuana, causing them to oppose recreational legalization.

The move comes days after the automaker reported a $1.7 billion net loss in the fourth quarter, partly as a result of a botched introduction of the new Ford Explorer SUV last year. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/business/ford-motor-jim-farley.html

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade SUV doesn’t go on sale till late this year, but here are three features customers may love.

Tesla shares fell by $152.36, to close Wednesday at $734.70 after a company official in China said that early February deliveries of Model 3 cars built at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory will be delayed due to the coronavirus situation in the country.

Falling asleep at the wheel is a trucker’s worst nightmare. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/business/drowsy-driving-truckers.html

On Monday, Panasonic said its joint battery venture with Tesla had turned a profit for the first time in the final quarter of 2019, according to Reuters, while a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries, CATL, said it had signed a supplier agreement with Tesla, which recently started delivering vehicles built at its Shanghai factory. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/business/tesla-stock.html

When classic cars hit the auction block these days, $3 million seems to be the new $10 million. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/business/arizona-car-auctions-2020.html

Traton, Volkswagen's commercial truck unit, has a 17% stake in Navistar and is offering $2.9 billion to buy the rest of the Lisle-based truck manufacturer.