Tracy Samilton
Tracy Samilton covers the auto beat for Michigan Radio. She has worked for the station for 12 years, and started out as an intern before becoming a part-time and, later, a full-time reporter. Tracy's reports on the auto industry can frequently be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as on Michigan Radio. She considers her coverage of the landmark lawsuit against the University of Michigan for its use of affirmative action a highlight of her reporting career.
Tracy graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. Before beginning her journalism career, she spent time working as a legal assistant at various firms in the Ann Arbor area.
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Some day, your car might be able to "talk" to other cars and traffic signals. In this brave new world, wireless devices will alert drivers to traffic jams, dangers ahead and even take control of the vehicle from the driver to avert a collision. In Ann Arbor today, the largest real-world test of connected vehicles was launched.
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Ford Motor Co.'s new three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is one of the smallest on the vehicle market. Will Americans pay more money for a smaller motor if they're getting better fuel economy out of it? -
Some car companies have adopted "three crew" work schedules, forgoing regular graveyard shifts and the traditional three shifts a day. It's a highly efficient way to get more out of workers, machines and factories, but it can also wreak havoc with employees' sleep needs and home lives. -
The residents of Windsor, Ontario, say they're being invaded by an irritating sound that's emanating from outside Detroit. It's known as the "Windsor Hum" and, with U.S. officials claiming Americans can't hear it, no one seems to know who should be in charge of shutting it up.
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Toyota is still the leading foreign carmaker in the U.S., but the company was severely tested by back-to-back crises: in 2010, massive recalls; then last year, the Japan tsunami. Although it lost U.S. market share, Toyota stayed in the black through its darkest hours. -
Eddie Alterman, an editor for Car and Driver magazine, says he doesn't want to live in a world without stick shift vehicles. "It's a world without guys building treehouses for their kids. It's a world without train sets. It's a world without fun." Alterman has started a movement to save the manual shift. -
During the Great Recession, hundreds of parts makers went bankrupt or slashed their payrolls. But now that Detroit automakers have turned the corner and stepped up their orders, many of their suppliers find themselves short-handed. -
Craftsman's CTX is fast, powerful and loaded with automobile-inspired features, including cup holders. The company hopes its new line of riding lawn mowers will appeal to consumers of luxury vehicles. -
Cadillac is drawing notice in the luxury car scene with its new ATS model, a small, high-performance car that directly competes with the likes of Audi and BMW. The stakes are high for GM. Luxury cars like the ATS bring in more profit per car than small economy models like the Chevy Cruze. -
In 2011, the Italian automaker introduced its first car for the U.S. market in 27 years, the Fiat 500. It opened new dealerships to sell only that model, but dealers had to manage without national advertising for months. And when an ad featuring Jennifer Lopez did finally come out, it was panned.
