Auto Industry

Idea to take automaker private echoes the passion of Henry Ford.

Hacking into your own car is now legal.

Car hackers may not want to mess with vehicles in and around the Motor City. A pair of Michigan lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would punish anyone who infiltrates a vehicle's electronic systems with penalties as harsh as life imprisonment.

Ford posted record profits in the first quarter of 2016, the company announced Thursday. Chief financial officer Bob Shanks said Ford enjoyed its best quarterly performance in history, generating operating profits of $3.8 biliion and a record profit margin of 9.8 percent.

Tesla Motors wasn't the only car company to close out March with an upbeat sales report. Ford enjoyed its best-selling March in ten years, the company said Friday. Other automakers reported sales growth that topped already-historic levels. Trucks and SUVs continued to be hot sellers.

A report from the Department of Homeland Security has outlined the economic disaster that could come from a closure of the Soo Locks in northern Michigan.

Back in December, the Department of Transportation won a long-sought increase in the maximum fine it could levy against automakers who flouted federal safety standards. Lawmakers tripled the amount from $35 million to $105 million for each violation.

​There's never been a better time to be in the business of selling cars. But a six-year streak of increased auto sales may soon come to an end.

Fuel economy and emissions levels for the nation's automakers showed no improvement year over year, according to the latest numbers released by the Environmental Protection Agency. But that doesn't mean manufacturer's are doing a bad job.

Tesla is on a hiring binge to keep pace with its growth, and currently has nearly 1,650 job openings across the world.

Cheap credit and cheaper gas prices are continuing to fuel one of the greatest sales runs in automotive history.

In a long-awaited ruling announced Tuesday morning, the US Copyright Office granted an exemption in copyright law that will permit gearheads and home mechanics to continue repairing and modifying their cars without running afoul of existing copyright law.

Hands-free features in new cars can be just as distracting as handheld ones, and the potential problems vary by automaker.

Volkswagen's emissions cheating will have ramifications for the entire auto industry when it comes to dealing with regulators, says federal safety official.

More than anyone, Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller are responsible for alerting Americans to the hacking perils awaiting them in their modern-day cars.

Car-sharing services and self-driving vehicles could combine to decimate the U.S. auto industry over the next quarter-century.

By allowing vehicle security researchers to hack cars and publish details of their exploits, federal officials said they feared they could encourage people with malicious intent to infiltrate vehicles.

Car owners and independent mechanics will soon learn more on whether copyright laws could hinder their ability to repair and modify vehicles.

In hearing after hearing last year, members of Congress took turns admonishing auto executives and federal regulators for their roles in prolonging an ongoing series of safety crises. Now, Congress is taking action.

In many circles, the prospect of autonomous and self-driving cars taking over American roads is greeted with enthusiasm. Among car enthusiasts, however, the idea of removing the driver from the driving often sounds like a soulless and grim transportation future.