We were intrigued during a visit to New York City by the large number of Ford Escape Hybrid taxis plying the streets of Manhattan.   ...[MORE]

It is a heck of a time to be introducing new, big trucks in a market that has taken a dramatic downturn.   ...[MORE]

John McCoy/staff photographer

Ford Motor Co. went back to the future in designing its 2009 Lincoln MKS as the flagship of the company's luxury brand.   ...[MORE]

Evan Lee/Staff Phototgrapher

First impressions can be important when it comes to cars and trucks. The 2009 Suzuki Equator pickup sure made a good one.   ...[MORE]

Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that it will report the first operating loss in 70 years, acknowledging that after a decade of rapid growth it can no longer escape the slowdown plaguing the global auto industry.   ...[MORE]

John McCoy/staff photographer

It's getting easier than ever to be a green driver.   ...[MORE]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Marina del Rey attorney was sentenced Friday to seven years and eight months in prison for his role in an auto insurance fraud ring that stole about $3 million, officials said.

Robert Belshaw, 56, was found guilty in March of five counts of money laundering and three counts of state income tax evasion.

A co-defendant and ring leader, Solomon Morris Davis, 61, of Rancho Palos Verdes, also was convicted on 20 counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy.   ...[MORE]

Michael Owen Baker/Staff photographer

The classic chase scene in the 1968 movie "Bullitt" lasted nine minutes and 42 seconds and brought attention to the Mustang GT 390 and the Dodge Charger.   ...[MORE]

Photo by David Crane/Staff Photographer

Five years after Toyota Motor Corp. launched its Scion Division, the urban-utility vehicle is living up to expectations.   ...[MORE]

The automotive mantra when a manufacturer launches a new or significantly upgraded vehicle is that it has held the line on prices, particularly when figuring in equipment now standard that was optional last year.   ...[MORE]

A new round of discount financing and the arrival of 2003 models are bringing car and truck buyers back into showrooms.

But in addition to kicking the tires and taking a test drive, consumers need to shop hard to make their way through an array of auto loans.

Despite a rocky economy, U.S. auto sales in August were up nearly 18 percent compared to a year ago and 2002 is shaping up as another strong year.   ...[MORE]

Children living near freeways have a greater chance of developing asthma, and people living in communities with airborne particle pollution are more likely to die earlier than those who don't, according to two studies released today...   ...[MORE]