Auto Tech

New Car Loan Tax Break Has a Catch: Many Michigan Vehicles Won’t Qualify

DETROIT — A new federal tax break aimed at helping Americans afford new cars is now in effect—but for Michigan drivers, the fine print may come as a shock. The 2025 tax law allows buyers to deduct up to $10,000 a year in interest on auto loans, but only if the vehicle meets strict requirements—including

By |2026-03-18T17:28:15-04:00March 18th, 2026|Auto Tech, News|

High Torque, Non Rare Earth Motors Made In Michigan

FARMINGTON HILLS - Modal Motors designs and manufactures electric propulsion systems using standard domestic materials. The Michigan-based company eliminates rare-earth magnets to lower costs and secure the supply chain without sacrificing quality, speed or torque. Explaining the company and its products on MITech TV is CEO Michael Van Steenburg. In this video interview he covers

By |2026-03-18T15:15:52-04:00March 18th, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD, mitechtv|

Dodge Charger Review, Gas Price Impact On Auto Industry

ANN ARBOR - Long-time auto reporter Paul Eisenstein discusses his recent trip to the east coast where he tests drove several versions of the Dodge Charger - a muscle car - in the snow. He also talks about recent Ford Motor Company recalls that primarily involve technology glitches. Plus he discussed with host Mike Brennan

By |2026-03-10T10:45:03-04:00March 10th, 2026|Auto Tech, mitechtv|

Michigan Job Cuts Surge to Nearly 20,000 — Auto Transition, Tariffs and AI Reshaping Workforce

LANSING — Michigan recorded nearly 20,000 job cuts in January, one of the highest totals in the United States, raising new questions about how economic shifts in the automotive and manufacturing sectors could reshape the state’s workforce. According to a new national layoffs report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Michigan employers announced 19,714

By |2026-03-04T17:10:59-05:00March 4th, 2026|Auto Tech, Featured, News|

Tariffs Cost Detroit Billions: What the Supreme Court Ruling Means for Michigan Auto Jobs

DETROIT - Michigan’s auto economy took a direct hit in 2025 as tariffs piled billions of dollars of costs onto Detroit automakers and their supply chains — pressure that can ripple into hiring, profit-sharing and investment decisions across a state packed with auto workers. Now the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the legal authority

By |2026-02-26T16:49:48-05:00February 26th, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD, Featured|

Ford’s Mechanic Shortage Signals a Broader Workforce Misalignment — Not a Lack of Willing Workers

DEARBORN - When Ford Motor Company says it cannot fill thousands of open mechanic jobs — even with wages that can approach six figures — the issue is not about people refusing to work. It is about whether workforce training systems are keeping pace with how work itself has changed. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently

By |2026-02-06T15:16:20-05:00February 5th, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD, Featured|

$50,000 Cars, $750 Payments: Why Affordability Is Becoming A Sales Problem For Michigan’s Auto Industry

ANN ARBOR - In Michigan, the auto industry doesn’t just build vehicles — it builds livelihoods. Assembly plants, suppliers, dealers, logistics firms and engineering centers all depend on one fundamental reality: consumers have to be able to afford what gets built. That assumption is now under pressure. As new-vehicle prices push toward — and increasingly

By |2026-01-28T16:28:19-05:00January 28th, 2026|Auto Tech, Business, Featured|

Michigan’s Long Road to Driverless Cars — And Why Musk’s Latest Claim Doesn’t Change The Timeline

DETROIT -If self driving cars were judged by promises alone, Michigan highways would have been filled with autonomous vehicles years ago. Instead, the state that built the modern auto industry has spent more than a decade quietly stress-testing a harder truth: getting a car to drive itself reliably, everywhere, and in all conditions is far

By |2026-01-27T17:41:26-05:00January 25th, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD, Featured|

Auto Loan And Lease Burdens By Generation: How Rising Vehicle Costs Are Pressuring Household Budgets In 2025

ANN ARBOR — As U.S. auto prices and monthly payments hit historic highs, new data reveals generational differences not only in borrowing but in how these costs are squeezing household finances. A LendingTree analysis of ~66,000 anonymized credit profiles from mid-2025 highlights stark contrasts in debt loads, payment burdens, and now leasing vs financing payment

By |2026-01-24T16:56:17-05:00January 24th, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD|

Attorney General Lawsuit Targets Oil Cartel As EV Manufacturing In Michigan Faces Headwinds And Opportunity

LANSING -Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a high-stakes federal antitrust lawsuit this week targeting major oil companies—including BP, Chevron, Exxon and Shell—and the American Petroleum Institute, alleging a decades-long conspiracy to stifle competition from renewable energy and electric vehicles. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in western Michigan, frames the case as not

By |2026-01-24T16:56:19-05:00January 23rd, 2026|Auto Tech, ESD, Government/Politics, Politics, Politics/Government|