Free Republic

Slate Auto’s new vehicle is designed to make EVs more accessible by making most features optional add-ons. The company says it will start delivering vehicles in 2026. *************************************************************** A new auto startup is launching with a made-in-America EV that with federal tax credits will cost just $20,000. Backed by Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, Slate Auto says that affordable price is possible because of its pared-down, basic model that can then be customized—and even transformed from a truck into an SUV. Slate Auto has been in stealth for almost three years, says CEO Chris Barman, who worked as a Chrysler...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is spending $500 million to put an additional 1,000 electric school buses on the road as federal cuts and freezes paused efforts in other states to replace aging diesel-fueled fleets that are more polluting. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Wednesday that 1,000 zero-emission school buses and related charging infrastructure will be provided to over 130 rural, low-income and disadvantaged school districts. The state grants add about 500 more charging stations for school buses to more than 200 stations already in operation in districts. The expansion contrasts efforts in other states that were hampered by the...

Airport car rental return lines are about to get a giant tech upgrade — and its bad news if you're a careless driver. Hertz, the third-largest car rental company in the US, just announced a partnership with UVeye, an AI startup that runs vehicle inspection systems. The upgrade — which uses cameras paired to powerful computers — promises to better detect damage incurred during a rental period. That means dings, scratches, and divots on the car’s exterior are more likely to show up on reports. Hertz said cars will be scanned twice: once before drivers leave rental lots to ensure...

These days, there’s an app for just about anything. But if you ask anybody who has tried to use a smartphone to measure something accurately, they’ll tell you it’s often a fool’s errand. When it comes to precision, it’s hard to beat an old-fashioned, easily verifiable physical implement such as a tape measure, a yardstick, or a 2026 Subaru Outback. What, you don’t measure things with your car? What are you even doing here? Believe it or not, this convenience comes in the form of a taillight. For 2026, the design of the Subaru Outback’s rear lighting signature incorporates a...

Most Americans have no idea what’s happening on their highways. While we’re all stuck debating the border, our roads have also been totally overrun — not just with bad policies, but with foreign truck drivers who don’t belong behind the wheel or on our streets.. Shannon Everett from American Truckers joined Steve Bannon’s WarRoom to blow the lid off this growing and dangerous trend. According to Everett, what’s happening right now should terrify anyone who drives. That’s scary and disturbing, but it gets even worse… An American trucker says illegals — possibly Jamaican or Haitian—are being given commercial driver’s licenses,...

Honda is reportedly preparing to significantly expand its US manufacturing footprint in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs on foreign imports. The Japanese automaker is considering shifting production of several key models from Mexico and Canada to the US with the goal of ensuring that 90% of the cars it sells in the states are built domestically, according to a report in the Nikkei newspaper. Honda plans to boost its production in the US by up to 30% over the next two-to-three years, the outlet reported. The move would be a direct response to President Donald Trump’s recently...

SACRAMENTO, California — A progressive Democratic lawmaker is seeking a simple but jarring remedy of last resort for California’s college students navigating the state’s housing crisis: Let them sleep in their cars. While roughly half a dozen state legislative proposals this year seek to fund student or faculty housing or loosen building regulations, the benefits would come far too late for current students struggling to stay afloat. With one in four California community college students experiencing homelessness in the past year, Democrats — who have a supermajority in the statehouse — face increasing pressure to deliver on affordability issues. Assemblymember...

Tesla’s sales in the United States fell almost 9 percent in the first three months of the year even as the overall market for electric vehicles grew, according to data compiled by a research firm. Car buyers are moving away from Teslas and toward models like General Motors’ Chevrolet Equinox electric vehicle, which starts at around $35,000 and can travel more than 300 miles on a charge, Cox Automotive, the research firm, said in a report. Sales of all-electric vehicles in the United States rose 11 percent during the first quarter to about 300,000 cars and light trucks, Cox said,...

Ferdinand Porsche became widely known as the brilliant engineer behind the bestselling Volkswagen Beetle and some of Porsche’s first sports cars. But like his creations, the German industrialist had a dark side that is impossible to separate from his technical achievements. During the Second World War, Porsche’s manufacturing business, along with many others, became a key pillar of the Third Reich – helping to sustain Adolf Hitler’s war effort by churning out tens of thousands of militarized versions of what would later be renamed the Beetle. […] Yet amid a new era of European instability, the Porsche clan has revealed...

Tucker Carlson caused a stir in a recent interview that may cause some Americans to do a double take on the vehicles they are driving. During an interview with automotive designer and internet personality Casey Putsch last week, Tucker mentioned that he is a lifelong fan of Chevrolet trucks but felt he had to “immediately” sell his latest one after spotting a disturbing message on the car’s dashboard. “I bought a truck last year…A Chevy truck, which I’ve always had, and I was at a gas station, he said. “And all of a sudden at a gas station, it says,...

General Motors (GM) plans to expand production at one of its plants in Indiana thanks to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign-made cars. On Wednesday evening, Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on all foreign-made cars to protect the nation’s auto industry from unfair trade competition. GM executives said they will be increasing production of light-duty trucks at the automaker’s Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in Indiana, according to an exclusive report by Reuters on Thursday.

Stellantis is halting production at two manufacturing plants, one in Canada and another in Mexico, just a day after President Donald Trump announced 25-percent tariffs on all foreign-made cars.During a speech in the Rose Garden on Wednesday evening, Trump announced the auto tariff and the United States reciprocal tariffs, marking an end to the nation’s decades-long free trade policy that has eliminated millions of American manufacturing jobs.Stellantis, whose former CEO Carlos Tavares was the highest paid auto executive — raking in nearly $40 million annually before his resignation in December of last year — has announced that its Windsor Assembly...

Ford Motor Company on Wednesday announced its “handshake deal for America,” offering every American employee pricing on most of their automobiles. “In times like these, talk is cheap. At Ford, we believe in action. For 121 years, we’ve put our money where our mouth is, assembling vehicles that Americans rely on and supporting American jobs. Today, I’m proud to announce a new U.S. initiative that’s more than just a promotion – it’s a handshake deal with every American,” Rob Kaffl, the general manager for marketing, sales, and service at Ford, announced. “We call it Ford Motor Company: From America, For...

"How many deaths are we prepared to accept in order to rush through an EV transition that nobody wants?"

Michigan union workers are hailing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign-made cars, telling a crowd in the Rose Garden on Wednesday evening that the president’s economic nationalist agenda will revitalize communities gutted from decades of free trade policies.During the speech, Trump brought up a man named Brian — a leader in the United Auto Workers (UAW) — who said the 25 percent tariffs on all foreign-made cars will drive an economic boom in areas like Macomb County, Michigan, and save American industry.“I grew up just north of Detroit, Michigan in Macomb County — known as the home of the Reagan...

A year and a half after a local tow truck operator was caught charging as much as $11,000 per tow, he's now entering into a plea deal to avoid going to jail. Facing 151 counts of fraud and theft by deception, Vince Fannick headed into District Judge James Hanley's courtroom, waiving his hearing and agreeing to make some restitution to victims while also pleading guilty to some charges. "I feel like they stole my car," one victim said. "I just want my car back." The plea bargain comes a year and a half after prosecutors deemed Fannick's practices as predatory,...

There were no reports of injury due to the fire but officials offered the following safety tips for those considering purchasing an electric vehicle: Before buying an EV, have a qualified electrician install a dedicated circuit for your charger as older home wiring may not be suitable. When charging your EV follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and consult your dealership if needed. Use a charging device certified by a nationally recognized testing lab. Plug Level I chargers directly into an outlet, never use an extension cord or adapter. Install a residual current device to detect faults and prevent fires. Keep charging...

The atomic sledgehammer that President Trump just delivered to the German auto industry simply cannot be overemphasized. A 25% tariff on imported cars and car parts completely negates hundreds of billions in pre-positioned investment dollars by German auto companies in Mexico. [Executive Order Here][Cliff Notes Here]To give scale to the impact on Germany, consider that German automakers currently have 330 automotive suppliers in Mexico according to information from VDA. Audi (a subsidiary of Volkswagen) has no U.S. production sites; every Audi sold in America will be subject to a 25% tariff. The Audi brand access to the U.S. market was/is...

Stunning drone footage has revealed the sheer scale of Chinese automaker BYD’s vast electric vehicle (EV) mega factory in Zhengzhou, Henan province, that is reportedly larger than the entire city of San Francisco. The sprawling facility, currently under development in eight phases, is set to cover an astonishing 50 square miles (32,000 acres) upon completion - surpassing the size of San Francisco (46.9 square miles). The BYD factory will also dwarf Tesla’s 4.5 square mile Gigafactory in Nevada, The Sun reported. BYD is emerging as one of Tesla’s biggest competitors, and its Zhengzhou mega factory will be over 10 times...

The European Union has just made a major move in trade policy that could reshape the auto industry in the U.S. They’ve slashed the tax on American-made cars from 12.5% to a mere 2.5%, effectively matching the U.S. tariff on European-made vehicles. This is a game changer, especially for automakers like Honda, who will now have a huge advantage in the EU market. For companies like Honda, manufacturing cars in the U.S. accomplishes two things. First, they avoid the 12.5% tariff on cars sold within the U.S., making their products cheaper domestically. Second, they can ship those same cars to...