THE CHANGING CAR

More mpg -- ASAP

Four years after gasoline prices spiked and carmakers threw themselves into developing models with vastly improved fuel economy, those new vehicles are arriving -- and cleaning up against older, less fuel-stingy competition.... Read More »

MPG: Not just for CAFE anymore

After three decades of heavier vehicles and little improvement in mpg, automakers are in a breathless sprint to bring out models that dramatically move the needle on fuel economy.... Read More »

Step 2: Invent some new high-mpg technologies

The auto industry has signed on to proposed federal mandates to dramatically improve vehicle fuel economy. But for automakers to meet new standards, some technologies will have to be invented.... Read More »

Fuel economy can sell new cars. Used cars? Not so much

Automakers expect to excite new-vehicle buyers with big gains in fuel economy over the next few years. But when those highly efficient vehicles are sold as used, mpg may not matter so much.... Read More »

Downsizing an engine? 'That's no small feat'

BMW made its name in America in the 1970s selling cars with racy four-cylinder engines. But the company last offered a four-cylinder in 1999 on the 318ti. Now this high-performance company is moving to smaller engines, including a new generation of four-cylinders, on multiple models.... Read More »

Ford, Chevy take stop-start to the big time

Stop-start technology has been a mainstay of hybrids and in Asia and Europe. Now it's going mainstream in Detroit. The 2013 Ford Fusion and the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu have stop-start systems.... Read More »

Cars, phones are tricky combo

Consumers love their smartphones and want their cars to do all the engaging things their digital devices can do. But for automakers, what might seem like a simple request -- make consumers' smartphones and their automobiles work together with few limitations -- is fraught with safety and technical obstacles.... Read More »

Aftermarket gadgets will link smartphones, autos

While automakers and suppliers wrestle with how best to marry the automobile to mobile electronic devices, aftermarket companies are swiftly creating ways to use smartphones in autos.... Read More »

How full-sized pickups can shed weight, boost mpg

Can a full-sized pickup go on a diet and lose about 800 pounds? It's a challenge, says Richard Schultz, managing director of Ducker Worldwide in suburban Detroit, but it's feasible by 2020.... Read More »

Trucks do the bling thing, and stickers soar

Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Co. are testing the limits of truck buyers' appetites for pickups loaded with leather, chrome and heated seats -- with price tags that can top $50,000.... Read More »