automotive industry

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

By Lorraine Mirabella

Nov 2, 2018

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

“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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lyft will bring its Lyft Lux and Lyft Lux SUV

By Colin Campbell

Jun 29, 2017

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

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

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

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