automotive industry

• Opinion

Maryland needs to keep its electric vehicle credits rolling

The day may come when Maryland doesn't need to offer a tax credit to purchasers of electric cars but that time hasn't arrived yet.

• News

Maryland's electric vehicle rebate is so popular it ran out of money even before the fiscal year began July 1

Demand for electric vehicles is surging so much that a Maryland tax credit program designed to entice buyers cannot keep up, and ran out of money within days.

By Scott Dance

Jul 8, 2019

• Maryland

Safe Kids Carroll: Safety tips for small kids when traveling

Babies under 2 years old are best restrained in a rear-facing car seat, and a forward-facing car seat can protect toddlers up to 40 pounds or more.

• Opinion

Baltimore Sun's 2019 Business and Civic Hall of Fame honorees: Roslyn and Leonard Stoler

The Stolers have used their fortune from their auto business to donate tens of millions of dollars to help local hospitals and other charities.

• Baltimore's Best

Baltimore's Best health and lifestyle services

The Baltimore Sun’s readers and staff scoured the region for the best service providers, from audiologists to veterinary surgeons. Here's who came out on top 2019.

• Maryland

Safe Kids Carroll: Seat belt, trunk potential hidden dangers in your vehicle

Safe Kids Carroll County is warning of two potential hidden dangers to children found in vehicles. 

• Commentary

Zirpoli: Trump's tariff and trade war is failing

Has anyone explained to the president that his tariffs on imported goods are paid for by American companies who pass the cost on to American consumers?

• Business

General Motors to idle White Marsh plant by May 4, displacing 296 workers

General Motors will idle its White Marsh plant by May 4, displacing the facility's 296 workers. The company announced the shutdown previously.

• Business

About 1 in 5 VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini vehicles sold in U.S. to be imported through new Sparrows Point facility

Volkswagen Group of America plans to develop a new vehicle import facility at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrow Point.

• Business

Sinclair Broadcast forms mobile TV venture with South Korean wireless company

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced a joint venture with a South Korean wireless communications company to offer mobile TV and other services through a next generation broadcasting standard.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Jan 8, 2019

• Maryland

Letters: Carroll residents will March for Life; local roads like 'bumper cars'

Co-Chair of Carroll County Pro Life group invites others to join them at Washington, D.C., March for Life; a Westminster reader wonders what can be done to limit vehicle crashes.

• Opinion

Driverless car bill a disaster waiting to happen

Despite almost daily reports of crashes or non-responsive technology on public roads involving driverless cars, Congress is trying to hitch a new law to Santa’s sleigh in the form of the year-end-keep-the-government-open spending bill, just ahead of a new majority come January.

• Opinion

Electric cars remain a very good deal for buyers

Maryland ought to promote used electric vehicles and they are cost-effective for motorists and the environment.

• Opinion

Overcoming the inequity of incentives for electric vehicle ownership

To overcome the inequity of current Electic Vehicle incentives, Maryland should concentrate public charging facilities in exurban/rural and multifamily locations, where they are scarce, and steer financial incentives toward EV taxis, shared-ride and car-sharing fleets and pre-owned EVs.

• Maryland

New Windsor parents-to-be face excitement, heartbreak, generosity; Sykesville auto shop donates minivan

When Mitch and Mady Osterhouse, of New Windsor, conceived triplets, they needed help. Their friends and family reached out to Trust Auto, of Sykesville, which Tuesday donated a mini-van to the couple.

• Politics

GM chairman to meet with U.S. lawmakers from Maryland and other states over recent plant closure decisions

General Motors' CEO to meet with U.S. lawmakers from Maryland and other states this week. Maryland lawmakers say the decision to end operations at its White Marsh facility demonstrates "extremely poor corporate citizenship.” The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday night in Washington.

By Jeff Barker

Dec 3, 2018

• Commentary

Pyatt: GM plant closures shouldn't have come as a surprise

I've noticed more and more SUVs in parking lots and on the highways, so it’s no surprise that General Motors is cutting production of certain models.

• Opinion

With climate warnings, no time for a retreat on electric cars

Between GM closings and diminishing tax credits, EVs look like a novelty, not the national priority they should be.

By Dan Rodricks

Nov 27, 2018

• Opinion

GM closings: Washington had a role

GM's decision to close White Marsh plant reflects not just market forces or GM choices but some questionable policy decisions by the federal government.

• Business

GM set to cease production at White Marsh plant, will slash 14,000 jobs in North America

A source said the plant being shuttered in Canada is just the beginning as GM prepares for the next downturn, shifting trade agreements and potential tariffs on imports.

By Doug Donovan

Nov 26, 2018

• Business

General Motors Baltimore-area plant, by the numbers: What closure could mean

General Motors is potentially closing its White Marsh transmission plant. Here is a breakdown of the decision by the numbers.

By Lillian Reed

Nov 26, 2018

• Business

Five Minutes With Lou Cohen of BMW of Towson

Five Minutes With Lou Cohen, president and CEO of BMW of Towson

By Lorraine Mirabella

Nov 2, 2018

• Maryland

Former Bel Air auto auction site slated for redevelopment

The former Bel Air Auto Auction property along Route 1 could become a residential community with a small mix of office and retail under a concept plan scheduled for a community input meeting next month.

By Allan Vought

Sep 21, 2018

• Business

Five minutes with Eddie McKinnon, president of Driven, an Annapolis-based luxury car service

Eddie McKinnon is the new president of Driven, an Annapolis-based executive travel company, which uses a fleet of 15 vehicles in the Mid-Atlantic — and a new concierge business with affiliates across the globe — to offer flat-rate, membership-based luxury ground transportation.

By Colin Campbell

Sep 21, 2018

• Automotive Industry

With its business in new location booming, Bel Air Auto Auction hosts visit from the governor

The Bel Air Auto Auction has seen a significant increase in its business since it opened its larger vehicle auction facility off of Route 7 in Riverside in September of 2017. Gov. Larry Hogan got to see the business humming during a visit Thursday.

By David Anderson

Aug 23, 2018

• Opinion

Trump EPA steers clean car policy into a ditch

President Trump has given the green light to polluting gas guzzlers.

• Maryland

Westminster Council talks bids, Fiber project, history at regular meeting

The City of Westminster’s Mayor and Common Council met Monday, July 23 to address the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory, vote on the purchase of police vehicles and a bid to pave city streets and to review blueprints for the new city offices.

• Opinion

The pickup truck: an American icon

For a sizable contingent of Americans, the pickup truck has emerged as a means of establishing their ties to a distinctly blue-collar identity in the course of flaunting their bourgeois prosperity. And the pickup’s political implications have most commonly skewed right, even far right.

• Maryland

Trash Toters distribution costs Aberdeen more than expected

Delivery of the new trash and recycling containers to the city of Aberdeen’s 4,500 residential customers cost the city more than anticipated, officials said Monday night as they approved an emergency budget amendment to cover the costs.

By Erika Butler

Jun 28, 2018

• Maryland

Harford's Ronald Spangler, who lived a life in the fast lane, dies at 81

Ronald L. Spangler, who died suddenly on April 5 at age 81, liked to be known as somebody who kept fast company.

By Allan Vought

Apr 12, 2018

• Business

After legal battle, Ford licenses hybrid engine technology from Baltimore-based tech firm, Abell Foundation

Ford will license hybrid engine technology from inventor Paice and the Abell Foundation, an investor. The agreement ends more than a decade-long legal battle.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Apr 12, 2018

• Maryland

Saunders:  Are prime-ers ready for the exponential age of robots and smart machines?

“The future is approaching faster than one can handle!” Prime-ers already know this, but I thought my fellow prime-ers would like to read some of these predictions, since it is April, but not April Fool’s information.

• Opinion

Charging stations needed for electric cars

Maryland must invest more in charging stations to accommodate the growth of electric vehicles.

• Opinion

Maryland must stand with California on clean cars and clean air

With EPA seeking to roll back fuel efficiency standards, states must again take the lead on fighting pollution and climate change.

• Opinion

The driverless future is still a long way off

There are still major technological, economic and logistical hurdles to overcome before autonomous and driverless cars become the norm.

• Business

Maryland's utilities propose spending $104 million on statewide electric-vehicle charging network

In pursuit of Maryland’s ambitious goal of 300,000 electric vehicles on the street by 2025, utility companies and other stakeholders are proposing to install a $104 million network of 24,000 charging stations across the state — which would be the second-largest in the country, after California’s.

By Colin Campbell

Mar 26, 2018

• Business

Baltimore area businesses brace for tariffs on steel and aluminum imports

Local businesses are bracing for tariff's that President Donald Trump plans to impose on steel and aluminum imports, with some concerned about higher costs and delays and others hopeful about a more level playing field for U.S. manufacturers.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Mar 2, 2018

• Maryland

Yesteryears: A century ago, Carroll dealers were selling cars for $200 to $4,000

If you are thinking of buying a new or used car this year, you might be interested in the kinds of vehicles sold locally 100 years ago and what they cost.

• Business

GM Maven service to bring 'Gig' car-sharing program to Baltimore

General Motors’ car-sharing service, Maven, is bringing its “Maven Gig” option — which allows users to rent cars for freelance driving jobs such as ride-share or delivery — to Baltimore.

By Colin Campbell

Nov 14, 2017

• Opinion

Hogan's road expansion plan is a good one

Are toll roads worth it and will I benefit as a daily commuter? The answer to both of these questions is a resounding, yes.

• Opinion

Life on Baltimore's electric vehicle frontier

Being a pioneer in the world of electric vehicles opens up a whole new world -- with assorted perils for early adopters.

• Health

FDA approves country's first gene therapy

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a ground-breaking gene therapy treatment in which a patient’s blood cells are genetically engineered to attack and kill cancer cells.

By Andrea K. McDaniels

Aug 30, 2017

• Baltimore County

Competition keeps Baltimore County gas stations nimble

When it comes to filling up his GMC SUV, every penny counts for Frank Beales, a retired corrections officer from Violetville. He stopped at the U.S. Gas in

By Jon Bleiweis

Aug 30, 2017

• Baltimore County

A UMBC engineers' race drives innovation

UMBC'S Baja Racing team, which started in 1991, is an extracurricular activity at the university. About 20 students work on the team's single-seat dune buggy.

By Jon Bleiweis

Jul 5, 2017

• Harford

'Tribute' vehicle honoring fallen Harford deputies is unveiled by Sheriff's Office

Sheriff's Office officials and local auto body shop employees got their first view of "Tribute," a police SUV refurbished to pay tribute to seven fallen deputies.

By David Anderson

Jul 3, 2017

• Business

Lyft to bring high-end, black-car ‘Lux’ service to Baltimore

Lyft will bring its Lyft Lux and Lyft Lux SUV

By Colin Campbell

Jun 29, 2017

• Business

Crofton-based InRoad Toys eyes bigger market for tape that creates roads for toy cars

Andy Musliner started Crofton-based InRoad Toys, which makes PlayTape, rolls of tape printed to resemble roads fit for tiny vehicles. It appears to have struck a nerve, meeting demand from parents who want to encourage creativity and from retailers looking to offer consumers something new in the toy category. It's also a twist on the growing decorative and crafting segment of the consumer tape industry.

By Lorraine Mirabella

May 6, 2017

• Maryland

Trucks face off at annual Buckwild Truck and Tractor Classic

While Dominic Toretto and the street racers of "The Fast and the Furious" live their lives a quarter-mile at a time, the drag racers at the annual Buckwild Truck and Tractor Classic are given just 250 feet to prove their worth. The show — featuring drag races, tractor and truck pulls, a car and truck show, and more — is an annual fundraiser for the Carroll County Agriculture Center, and helps keep the facility maintained and running throughout a year of events and celebrations held

• Opinion

Don't retreat on gas guzzlers

U.S. must stick with tougher fuel efficiency standards or lose jobs and competitiveness

• Business

GM launches Maven car-sharing service in Baltimore

General Motors will announce Wednesday the launch of its Maven Express Drive car-sharing service in Baltimore Wednesday, debuting a fleet of 40 Chevrolets, GMCs and Cadillacs that can be rented at 20 locations in the city for $8 to $20 per hour, or $80 to $200 a day.

By Colin Campbell

Apr 6, 2017