ArcaMax

Apple Inc. alum Ed Nightingale is joining General Motors Co. to head software development for the Detroit automaker and will lead efforts to open a GM office in Seattle.

Spokesperson Kevin Kelly said there are no plans to build a Seattle facility, but GM is looking for a site that can serve as a base for the roughly 100 developers who work in ...Read more

Electric-vehicle maker Rivian had a busy third quarter, one that could prove pivotal for the startup and its promised Georgia projects.

From July to September, the California-based automaker held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its $5 billion Georgia factory and signed a lease for an East Coast headquarters along the Beltline in Atlanta.

The ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The ongoing federal government shutdown is leaving auto sellers without key economic data and obscuring the impact of President Donald Trump's signature tariff policies.

That's because the budget lapse, among other consequences, has triggered a pause in the publication of indicators that typically inform industry decisions. ...Read more

One of the things compact, luxury-brand crossovers like the Audi Q3 have in common with other, otherwise similar small crossovers from other (non-luxury) brands such as Mazda, Hyundai and Kia is that they're all very similar.

That's a problem when you're a luxury brand and wanting to sell more or less the same thing for more money.

What It Is ...Read more

Hybrid drivetrains -- in luxury vehicles -- are less about fuel efficiency than they are about more power and better performance. The new Lexus LX700h -- the hybridized version of the LX ultra-luxury SUV -- is a case in point.

The optional hybrid drivetrain doesn't appreciably increase the miles per gallon -- but it very much increases the ...Read more

You've probably seen off-roading Land Rovers and Jeeps with Jerry cans of gas strapped to their sides. The reason for that being that there aren't many gas stations around off-road. So it's interesting to see Hyundai offer an off-road version of the Ioniq 5, which is a compact electric crossover.

It does come standard with a larger/...Read more

Volkswagen had a problem -- one of its own making.

It had a very successful small crossover -- the Tiguan -- that was the only German-brand crossover in its class. The Tiggy has always been a little more upmarket-feeling than the other crossovers in the compact crossover class, which were (and still are) Japanese, Korean and American.

Then VW ...Read more

The Toyota Sequoia is still the same -- but also very different.

How so?

Well, it's still a full-size SUV, with real four-wheel drive and real off-road capability. But it no longer comes standard with a big V8; instead, it comes standard with much more powerful V6 that's only about half the size of the previously standard V8. It gets slightly ...Read more

It's been said -- and it's true -- that small crossovers are so alike that it's hard to tell them apart. So it's nice to come across one that's different. Not so much in terms of how it looks but in terms of a couple of things that matter.

What It Is

The Sportage is Kia's compact crossover; it competes with the half-dozen others in the class, ...Read more

Big SUVs are bigger -- and stronger -- than they have ever been before. The just-updated Ford Expedition, for instance, is available with a 510 horsepower, twin-turbo V6 and comes standard with a 9,600-pound tow rating. It weighs close to three tons yet is capable of getting to 60 mph in less than five seconds, which makes it quicker than just ...Read more

The Mini Cooper is one thing few new cars are.

It is instantly recognizable -- because nothing else looks anything like it. This has been one of the Mini's greatest appeals, which transcends even the nostalgia factor of owning a new car that looks a lot like an old car.

It's nice to drive something that doesn't look like everything else.

Or ...Read more