BILL VLASIC | The Seattle Times

A Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, being operated with self-driving technology, makes its way around San Francisco on Nov. 28, 2017. GM’s pursuit of autonomous-driving technology led the automaker to acquire Cruise, a start-up focused on the field. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

November 29, 2017 at 4:47 pm

GM unveils its driverless cars, aiming to lead the pack

GM is taking the wraps off its prototype self-driving cars, a critical step for the automaker as it seeks to establish leadership in the hotly...

Business

This photo provided by General Motors Co. shows a Chevrolet Bolt, surrounded by nine electric and fuel cell vehicles covered by tarps. On Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, GM announced the company will produce two new electric vehicles on the Bolt underpinnings in the next 18 months and 20 electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2023. (Courtesy of General Motors Co. via AP)

October 2, 2017 at 5:41 pm

GM lays out plan for 20 electric vehicles by 2023

General Motors said it would introduce two new all-electric models within 18 months as part of a broader plan toward what the company says is...

Business

Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, with a self-driving Chevrolet Bolt EV at GM headquarters in Detroit, June 2, 2017. GM is redirecting energy and capital toward a race with Silicon Valley to create self-driving cars. “We are very, very serious and intent on putting something on the road,” Barra said of the company’s automated vehicles. “We definitely want to be first.” (Joe Vaughn/The New York Times)

June 6, 2017 at 5:56 pm

GM wants to drive the future of cars that drive themselves

General Motors CEO Mary Barra is making a big bet on self-driving cars. The question now is whether a company identified with the industry’s bygone...

Business

John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company created by Google’s parent company, Alphabet introduces a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid outfitted with Waymo’s own suite of sensors and radar at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

January 9, 2017 at 6:08 pm

Shifting gears: Google’s self-driving minivan takes spotlight in Detroit as industry changes

The introduction of the vehicle, built by Detroit automaker Fiat Chrysler, highlighted the industry’s fascination with autonomous-driving vehicles, as well as the rising sway of...

Business

December 1, 2015 at 4:37 pm

While U.S. car sales jump, VW’s go off cliff

Volkswagen, which stopped selling diesel cars in the U.S., said the impact of a widening emissions scandal caused its sales to plunge nearly 25 percent...

Business

May 22, 2015 at 10:27 pm

Inquiry into GM ignition defect said to find criminal wrongdoing

As investigation draws to a close, prosecutors are said to be negotiating a penalty that is likely to eclipse the $1.2 billion paid last year...

Nation & World

July 17, 2014 at 9:55 pm

Senator: Why hasn’t GM’s top lawyer been fired?

WASHINGTON — General Motors’ (GM) top lawyer came under withering attack from senators Thursday at a hearing investigating the automaker’s failure to recall millions of...

Nation & World

June 5, 2014 at 5:54 pm

GM ousts 15 over ignition-switch scandal

WARREN, Mich. — An internal investigation by General Motors found “a pattern of incompetence and neglect” in its decadelong failure to recall millions of defective...

Business

May 1, 2014 at 5:48 pm

Ford CEO Alan Mulally to retire in July

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford said Thursday that its chief executive, Alan Mulally, would retire July 1 and be succeeded by Mark Fields, a veteran executive...

Business

April 22, 2014 at 6:30 pm

GM moves to protect itself from liability

General Motors moved Tuesday to prevent future safety lapses by expanding its oversight of problematic vehicles even as the automaker continued to take an aggressive...

Business