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MONTMELO, Spain -- After 64 hours of track time spread over eight days at the Circuit de Catalunya, Ferrari and Mercedes were split by just 0.003 seconds on the final day of preseason testing. That is a remarkably small margin when you consider there has been a significant regulation change and a full winter of development since the two rivals last met on track, but look beyond the headline-grabbing times and the evidence suggests it is last year's runner up Ferrari that has moved ahead. EDITOR'S PICKS Lewis fears Ferrari's advantage over Mercedes is 0.5s a lap With just two...

Volkswagen is investing $800 million in its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a move that will add 1,000 jobs to the factory, the company announced Monday. It plans to build electric cars there. Volkswagen's investment in Tennessee comes weeks after General Motors announced plans to close three North American plants and shift its production focus away from sedans, to free up money to develop to electric and self-driving vehicles. The move also comes amid talks between Volkswagen and Ford about pooling resources to make the next generation of vehicles. The new Tennessee jobs and production should begin in 2022, according to the company's statement. "The US...

Lincoln brought back the Continental name two years ago and now it's resurrecting a feature that’s commonly known by a name it would prefer you don’t use. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the model, Lincoln is offering a limited run of 80 Coach Door Edition Continentals for 2019 equipped with what are colloquially known as “suicide doors.” The rear-hinged rear doors hearken back to the 1961-1969 heyday of the Continental, when it was at the height of fashion. They offer a stylish and arguably easier way to enter and exit the vehicle.

Once deemed dangerous, suicide doors are making a comeback on the Lincoln Continental. Ford is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the long-lived luxury Lincoln line by making 80 cars in 2019 with the classic center-opening doors that once served as the signature of the Continental. The doors are not just a gimmick or aesthetic flourish. By opening toward the rear of the car, they allow passengers in the rear seats to enter and exit the vehicle more comfortably. Passengers don't have to lean forward to push the door open or pull it closed, for example. The design was featured commonly...

Fiat Chrysler plans to open a new assembly factory in Detroit to build sport utility vehicles, people familiar with the matter told CNBC. The move comes as all of Detroit's Big Three automakers abandon sedan lines in favor of more popular and profitable SUVs and cross-over vehicles. The industry is also under pressure from President Donald Trump to keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

General Motors will end production of six sedans by the end of 2019. North American customers want SUVs, crossovers, hatchbacks and trucks. Sedans have fallen out of favor. As GM (GM) adjusts to changing customer behavior it is also planning ahead for the future. The company announced massive layoffs and is closing five North American facilities as it transitions to self-driving, electric cars of the future. The soon-to-be closed plants mean GM will no longer make these cars: Buick LaCrosse January - September sales: 13,409, down 14.2% The LaCrosse is a large car built by a brand that was a...

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors will lay off up to 14,000 factory and white-collar workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it restructures to cut costs and focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The reduction includes 8,100 white-collar workers, some of whom will take buyouts and others who will be laid off. Some U.S. factory workers could transfer to truck or SUV factories that are increasing production.

The Nissan chairman, Carlos Ghosn, was arrested on Monday after an internal company investigation found that he had underreported his compensation to the Japanese financial authorities for several years. Nissan said it was cooperating with Japanese prosecutors. It also said that it had opened its inquiry after a whistle-blower alleged that Mr. Ghosn had been misrepresenting his salary as well as using company assets for personal use. Both he and a director, Greg Kelly, who was also accused of misconduct, were taken in by authorities, the company said. It is a remarkable tumble for Mr. Ghosn, who arrived at Nissan...

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reportedly reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission after his abandoned attempt to the company private. As a result of the settlement, which is still subject to court approval, Musk will have to step down from his role as chairman for at least three years and pay a civil penalty of $20 million, CNBC reported Saturday. Tesla will also have to pay a $20 million if the settlement is approved. DEVELOPING

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical left and Islamic terrorism On Saturday, the Human Rights Campaign, the country's top gay rights lobby, held its 22nd annual dinner. Top speakers included Joe Biden, who bemoaned the lack of acceptance for gay people, Anne Hathaway, who shrieked, “Let’s tear this world apart and build a better one”, and Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder, who declared, “The age of bullies and bigots is not fully behind us”. Holder would know. He was last seen posing with Louis Farrakhan...

Former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz discussed Elon Musk’s Tesla in a recent interview stating that the company is “headed for the graveyard.” In a recent interview with CNBC the former Vice Chairman of General Motors, Bob Lutz, does not have high hopes for the future of Elon Musk’s electric-car manufacturer Tesla. According to Lutz, Tesla is “headed for the graveyard,” given the recent announcement that both the company and Musk are being investigated by the DOJ and the SEC. “They will never make money on the Model 3 because the cost is way too high,” Lutz said during...

Tesla is under investigation by the Justice Department, a company spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. In a statement to The Washington Times, the Tesla spokesperson said the Justice Department reached out for documents after an August tweet by CEO Elon Musk about taking the high-tech car company private:

Ford won’t be moving production of a hatchback wagon to the United States from China — despite President Donald Trump’s claim Sunday that his taxes on Chinese imports mean the Focus Active can be built in America. Citing Trump’s new tariffs, Ford on Aug. 31 said it was dropping plans to ship the Focus Active from China to America. Trump took to Twitter Sunday to declare victory and write: “This is just the beginning. This car can now be BUILT IN THE U.S.A. and Ford will pay no tariffs!” But in a statement Sunday, Ford said “it would not be...

The brand, best known for the AK-47 machine gun, presented the decidedly retro-looking pale blue prototype, the CV-1, at a defense expo outside Moscow. A handout photo shows a retro-looking pale blue prototype electric car, produced by Kalashnikov. ================================================================== Moscow, Russia: Russian arms maker Kalashnikov on Thursday presented its new electric car inspired by a rare 1970s model, saying the new technology will rival Elon Musk's Tesla. The brand, best known for the AK-47 machine gun, presented the decidedly retro-looking pale blue prototype, the CV-1, at a defense expo outside Moscow. The look was inspired by a Soviet hatchback model...

Tesla is the only company truly advancing AI in its vehicles. Musk made the decision to invest in real-world data analytics early. This leap in technological advancement has left competitors like Alphabet's Waymo, Uber, BMW and GM scrambling in vein to keep pace, and there is a long lineup of companies wanting to partner, including Toyota and Mercedes-Benz. Tesla's early investment and resulting tech have put the company firmly ahead of the pack. To understand how Tesla is unique with AI, you need to understand that Tesla has been collecting billions of miles worth of real-world driving data since 2012,...

CHICAGO (AFP) - The Ford Mustang -- an iconic American brand and a symbol of cool -- will reach a major milestone Wednesday as the 10 millionth vehicle rolls off an assembly line at a Detroit-area plant. The car celebrated in American song and film, and recognized the world over as an iconic American cultural export, will get a big party at Ford's Michigan headquarters. It's a turning point for the carmaker, which is banking on the Mustang's wide appeal to help it grow global market share. US sales of the Mustang are dropping, but they are accelerating overseas in...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday via Twitter that he's considering taking the company private at $420 per share. "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured," he said . Tesla did not immediately confirm if Musk himself sent the tweet or if it was the result of a hack. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the likelihood that it will go private, potential timing for doing so, or the funding sources Musk referred to. Tesla has been public since it filed an IPO in 2010. The company had a market capitalization...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)on Thursday proposed that the nation’s costly and counterproductive fuel-economy standards remain at 2020 levels through 2026, abandoning President Barack Obama’s plans to raise them each year. Eliminating the standards altogether would be ideal, but this move is a reasonable response to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) trying to set standards for the whole country. CARB and its sister “blue” anti-Trump states constitute 35 percent of the nation’s auto buyers, and they are threatening to go their own way and impose the Obama-era standards if EPA ultimately enacts...

The Trump administration on Thursday moved to freeze fuel economy standards in what officials described as an effort to give drivers access to “safer” and “more affordable” vehicles, in the latest swipe at former President Barack Obama's legacy. The proposal comes just one day after the Trump administration announced major changes to health plans, providing consumers with more options to buy cheaper, short-term health insurance. The Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency proposed the vehicle change as the first formal step in setting new standards for model years 2021 through 2026. The plan would freeze the Obama-era requirements set...

With a pledge of future profitability and an apology for past bad manners, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was upbeat in his conversation with analysts during a second-quarter conference call Wednesday. Tesla shares soared as much as 11 percent in after-hours trading. The stock has been under pressure for some time as investors have worried about the cash the company was burning and whether it would be able to sustain its profitability. The electric car maker's second-quarter loss was wider than analysts expected, but the company backed its prior forecast that calls for profitable third and fourth quarters. "From an operating...