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Ford F-150 bumps Camry from top of Cars.com American Made Index

With July 4th just around the corner, what better time could there be for Cars.com to announce that the Ford F-150 is the Most American car of 2013? This may be especially true since it was the Toyota Camry, a car produced by a company based in Japan, that had held the top spot from 2009 to 2012.
Cars.com compiles its Most American list by considering the amount of parts each vehicle uses that come from America, where it's final assembly takes place and how many units per year are sold. "While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn't change from 2012-2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot," according to Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com.
As far as automakers go (as opposed to individual models), Toyota retains the top spot it held in 2012, with General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Honda (in that order) rounding out the list. The motivation behind this list each year, according to Olsen, is "to help car shoppers understand that 'American-Made' extends beyond just the Detroit three" and because "a study we conducted in 2012 indicated that 25 percent of shoppers surveyed preferred to buy American."

Waymo bids its self-driving bubble cars farewell

Say goodbye to Waymo's quirky bubble-shaped autonomous cars. Google's former self-driving car division is retiring its fleet of "Fireflies" - also known as "koalas" and "gumdrops," among many other nicknames - to focus on integrating its technology into more traditional vehicles. It particularly aims to give more people access to its self-driving technology through a fleet of 600 Chrysler Pacifica minivans, which the team has equipped with its latest custom-built radar, lidar and vision systems. The minivans also come with Waymo's newest AI platform that can see farther and more clearly. Plus, they run like normal vehicles do, unlike the Fireflies, which are limited to 25mph. This move doesn't exactly come as a surprise. A report from late 2016 said Alphabet's Larry Page scrapped Waymo's plans to manufacture bubble-shaped driverless vehicles to make the company's strategy more feasible. It said Page's new plan involves collaborating with automakers to design and make cars with no pedals and steering wheels that use Google's self-driving tech. Shortly after that report came out, Waymo introduced its heavily modified Chrysler Pacificas with altered electrical, powertrain, chassis and structural system to accommodate the extra weight of the company's equipment. While Waymo will no longer use its Fireflies for future tests, you can still catch a glimpse of the cute bubble cars in various locations. This August, they'll be on display at the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix before making their way to the The Thinkery in Austin, Texas, this October. You'll also find a Firefly at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California and another at the Design Museum in London.Written by Mariella Moon for Engadget. Waymo Related Video:

President Trump to visit Michigan on Wednesday to attend auto-related event

President Trump will visit the Detroit area on Wednesday for the first time since taking office, the Detroit News reports this morning, to meet with officials of automakers, suppliers and unions, and to attend a rally of autoworkers. Trump might use the event to announce his intentions to roll back fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks. The automakers agreed to the standards, which set a goal of a fleet average 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025, under President Obama, but they have lobbied Trump to repeal them. "This is a continuation of a dialogue with the auto industry leaders, and also going back and reconnecting with a lot of the people who elected him," Chris Liddell told the News. Liddell is former chief financial officer of General Motors and now assistant to the president for strategic initiatives at the White House. Trump might also use Wednesday's visit to advocate the House Republicans' proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Later Wednesday, he will attend a campaign-style rally in Nashville, and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said the president intends to hit the road to sell the American public on the Obamacare replacement plan. The auto industry has been high on Trump's agenda - and a focus of his rhetoric to return manufacturing jobs and facilities to the United States. During his first week in office, Trump met privately at the White House with the CEOs of Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler, and GM CEO and Chairman Mary Barra and Ford CEO Mark Fields are members of Trump economic advisory groups. He has criticized Ford and GM for making cars in Mexico and took credit when Ford scrapped plans for a new plant there. Related video: Government/Legal Green Chrysler Ford GM Fuel Efficiency Detroit Michigan