Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton

EPA's Push For More Ethanol Could Be Too Little, Too Late

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:23:00 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon issue a final ruling that aims to force oil companies to replace E10, gasoline mixed with 10 percent ethanol, with E15.

This move could come just as widespread support for ethanol, which is made from corn, appears to be eroding.

Mike Mitchell was once a true believer in ethanol as a homegrown solution to foreign oil imports.

Study To Test 'Talking' Cars That Would Warn Drivers Of Unseen Dangers

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:02:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j676bIqL4-8

States Ask Detroit: 'Build Us A Natural Gas Car, Please'

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:05:00 +0000

More than 20 state governors are taking an unusual step to boost the natural gas vehicle industry. Independent of the federal government, they're asking Detroit carmakers to build them a new kind of car: a midsize sedan that runs on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.

The governors are hoping to boost demand for natural gas cars with their collective buying power.

Ford's Little Engine That Could Challenge Hybrids

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Ford Motor Co. intends to prove that good things come in small packages — really small packages. The company has taken engine downsizing to a new level with its new three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which has been introduced in Europe and is set to hit the U.S. market next year.

The EcoBoost offers more power than many conventional four-cylinder engines, with fuel economy numbers a hybrid could envy.

New Schedules Push Graveyard Shift Off The Clock

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:44:00 +0000

As car companies struggle to meet growing demand, the third shift is making a comeback. But many factories running on three shifts are doing it differently from in the past. And that new "three crew" shift pattern could make what's normally a hard job even harder.

At Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, employees work 10-hour shifts four days a week. The so-called A crew gets days, while the B crew gets afternoons. But the C crew shift rotates its start time every week. On Fridays and Saturdays, workers start at 6:00 a.m.

Hear That? Annoying Hum Has Canada Making Noise

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Thousands of people in Windsor, Ontario, say they are being invaded by an obnoxious noise emanating from outside Detroit. They call it the "Windsor Hum," and it's really two sounds — a deep, very low-frequency hum, like a diesel truck idling in your driveway, and a deep, vibrating pulse that you feel more than you hear.

Roy Norton, Detroit's Canadian consul general, says the noise is coming from the man-made Zug Island, which sits in the Detroit River. The noise apparently began when U.S.

Rough Patches Behind It, Toyota Tries To Accelerate

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Paul Schubert and his wife decided to buy a new car last summer — a really fuel-efficient one. After a lot of research, they settled on a Toyota Prius. But there was a problem: They couldn't find one.

The tsunami that devastated Japan in March had dried up supplies of the Prius, which is made in Japan, and a dealer told them they would have to wait — "about four months," Schubert says.

Quality Of U.S. Cars Improve

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Well, from a classic American company to a classic industry. It turns out automobiles are improving, so much so in fact, that the U.S. seems to be entering a golden age of vehicle quality and reliability.

Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton has this story about the demise of the lemon.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Please step into the door.

TRACY SAMILTON, BYLINE: But before you step into the door, you slip blue booties over your shoes. This lab inside the Jefferson North Assembly Plant has to be kept pristine. Inside, everything is perfect.

Car Guru: Stop Downshift In Manual Transmissions

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Seventy years ago, 70 percent of U.S.-made cars came with a stick shift. The number is less than 9 percent today.

But at least one man is on a quest to reverse that slide.

Eddie Alterman loves automobiles. He's a gear head. He's the top editor at Car and Driver magazine. His whole career, he has watched the sales of cars with stick shifts decline. And when Ferrari failed to offer a manual option for the new 458 Italia, he said, enough's enough. Basta.

Alterman is making converts one by one.

Auto Parts Suppliers Hiring As Fast As They Can

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Part of a series

Detroit automakers are creating thousands of new jobs amid a sales boom. And as they expand, their suppliers are racing to keep up, adding tens of thousands of new jobs.

At Bridgewater Interiors in Warren, Mich., for example, the pace is intense. Hundreds of union employees scurry to fill a growing list of orders.

Luxury Tractor Makes Debut At Detroit Auto Show

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it's clear that the industry's love affair with alpha-numeric designations hasn't waned. There's the ATS, the 700C, the MKZ. Now comes the CTX, a new line of Craftsman riding lawn mowers. They are fast, powerful and loaded with amenities.

"Everybody knows that Detroit's the national stage for cars — Motor City is where autos come from. So this show made perfect sense to come here and launch the tractor," says Onney Crawley, Craftsman's director of brand management for lawn and garden.

Like cars, the CTX has automatic traction control.

Cadillac Gears Up To Take On German Automakers

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:03:00 +0000

This year's auto show in Detroit could set the stage for a shake-up in the fiercely competitive — and hugely profitable — luxury car scene. That's because there's a new kid on the block, and its name is Cadillac.

The General Motors company says its new small, high-performance ATS will allow it to compete for the first time with Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Fiat's First Year Back In The U.S. Marred By Missteps

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deNRiBQiQ3Q

China Slaps Tariffs On Large U.S.-Made Cars, SUVs

Michigan Radio: Tracy Samilton — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:15:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And let's turn now to the latest volley in the ongoing tariff war. American politicians have vowed to fight new Chinese tariffs on U.S. made cars and SUVs. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton has more.

TRACY SAMILTON, BYLINE: In 2010, the U.S. won a Chinese tire-dumping complaint before the World Trade Organization. Then China complained about U.S. poultry dumping. The U.S. said China subsidizes solar panels. Now the fight's over cars.