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Automobiles

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  2. PhotoSelf-driving Uber vehicles in a lot in Pittsburgh. One vision of the future sees fleets of cars hailed as people need a lift and less private vehicle ownership.
    CreditGene J. Puskar/Associated Press

    Wheels

    Who Will Own the Cars That Drive Themselves?

    Fleets of vehicles roaming streets waiting to be hailed are more efficient. But the coronavirus has made people think twice about the future of car ownership even when autonomous tech arrives.

    By Jim Motavalli

    1. PhotoMexico City’s ring road, known as the Periférico, on May 8.
      CreditMarco Ugarte/Associated Press

      The Traffic Trade-Off

      Fewer cars on the road during the pandemic has meant cleaner air, but not necessarily fewer traffic deaths. Can we have both?

      By Tanya Mohn

    2. PhotoGary Jones, the former president of the United Auto Workers union, acknowledged using more than $1 million in union funds for himself.
      CreditBill Pugliano/Getty Images

      Former U.A.W. President Gary Jones Pleads Guilty

      Mr. Jones, who was accused of embezzling $1 million, will cooperate with federal prosecutors who have been investigating corruption at the autoworkers union.

      By Neal E. Boudette

  3. Wheels

    PhotoThe Chiron’s custom Michelin tires are changed every 8,000 miles.
    CreditJake Michaels for The New York Times

    This Car’s Yearly Tune-Up Costs as Much as a Civic

    The Bugatti Chiron commands a fortune, but for serious car aficionados in the 1 percent, it represents perfection. Perfection that can top out at 261 miles an hour.

    By Eric A. Taub

  4. Wheels

    PhotoThe Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2019. The annual event routinely attracts up to 20,000 spectators.
    CreditTony Avelar/Associated Press

    Classic Car Auctions Upended by Coronavirus

    Splashy events that drew big, lucrative crowds have been canceled, and a market that is already growing more comfortable with online sales may find them more attractive in the future.

    By Robert C. Yeager

  1. PhotoA showing of “Trolls World Tour” at the Four Brothers Drive-In in Amenia, N.Y.
    CreditJohn Minchillo/Associated Press

    Together, Alone: The Car as Shelter in the Pandemic

    The fears of infection from the coronavirus have created a new role in society for the automobile, where birthdays, weddings and other events are being celebrated.

    By Christine Hauser and Judith Levitt

  2. PhotoHerbert Diess, left, Volkswagen’s chief executive, and Hans Dieter Pötsch, the chairman of its supervisory board, have denied wrongdoing.
    CreditFabian Bimmer/Reuters

    Volkswagen Settles Emissions Charges Against 2 Managers

    The carmaker will pay a relatively modest fine to resolve criminal cases involving the chairman and chief executive. They were accused of not warning shareholders about a scandal.

    By Jack Ewing

  1. Wheels

    Life on the Road in Pandemic America

    Truck stops instead of motels, hand sanitizer instead of candy and 16 tanks of fuel to buy an oddball van and drive it home.

    By Mercedes Lilienthal

  2. Honda Hackers May Have Used Tools Favored by Countries

    A recent cyberattack that disrupted the operations of the company may have been the first time criminals used sophisticated software previously known to be used by state agents.

    By Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno

  3. Beyond the World War II We Know

    How a BMW and a Truck Full of Leather Shoes Helped Me Get to America

    After World War II, I spent three years in a displaced persons camp, trading everything I could until I saved enough money to start over in the United States.

    By Jack Oltuski and Romy Oltuski

  4. To Disinfect a Police Car in a Pandemic, Software Cranks Up the Heat

    The N.Y.P.D. and other departments were concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in vehicles. Ford’s answer is software to raise the temperature.

    By Neal E. Boudette

  5. Hertz, Car Rental Pioneer, Files for Bankruptcy Protection

    The company, which had amassed a large debt, has been devastated by the sharp drop in travel during the pandemic.

    By Niraj Chokshi

  6. Wheels

    Rise of S.U.V.s: Leaving Cars in Their Dust, With No Signs of Slowing

    Sport utility vehicles outsold sedans two to one in 2019, just four years after surpassing them for the first time. This shift shows little sign of stopping.

    By Tom Voelk

  7. Why Driving in New York City Now Feels ‘Post-Apocalyptic’

    Fifth Avenue moves like a country road. The F.D.R. Drive is smooth sailing. The coronavirus pandemic has made steering a car through the city an eerily normal activity.

    By Michael Wilson

  8. Coronavirus Wrecked Tesla’s Momentum and Elon Musk Is Furious

    Mr. Musk opened his California factory this week in defiance of local orders. He has also criticized the response to the pandemic as “dumb” and “fascist.”

    By Niraj Chokshi

  9. Two New Cars, Designed From the Inside Out

    Byton and Canoo offer radically distinct approaches to the way cars work for their owners. Canoo even does away with the idea of ownership.

    By Bradley Berman

  10. The Pandemic Will Permanently Change the Auto Industry

    Plunging sales could force factories to close and lead to takeovers and mergers, but also bolster sales of electric cars.

    By Jack Ewing