Latest Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

2018 Was Big Year for Robot Employment

Feb 28 2019 // U.S. companies installed more robots last year than ever before, as cheaper and more flexible machines put them within reach of businesses of all sizes and in more corners of the economy beyond their traditional foothold...

State Farm to Cut Auto Insurance Rates in South Carolina

Feb 27 2019 // State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Companies, the largest auto insurer in South Carolina, will cut its auto rates in the state for the second time in two years, according to a statement from the insurer. Overall...

1 Killed in 100-Plus Vehicle Wisconsin Pileup

Feb 26 2019 // Authorities have rescued dozens of people stranded by a blizzard that howled across southern Minnesota and dumped about a foot of snow in some places. In east-central Wisconsin, one person was killed and several others...

Zurich Insurance Acquires Dallas Digital Applications Firm, Sea Pine Technologies

Feb 26 2019 // Schaumburg, Illinois-based insurer Zurich North America has acquired 100 percent ownership of Sea Pine Technologies, a Dallas-based company specializing in digital applications for the marketing of vehicle protection...

How to Get Autonomous Cars to Pull Over for Police

Feb 25 2019 // It was still dark on a Friday morning in November when a California Highway Patrol officer started following a Tesla Model S on Route 101 between the San Francisco International Airport and Palo Alto. The gray sedan was...

Florida Deputy Arrested for Filing False Auto Claim with GEICO

Feb 25 2019 // A deputy with the sheriff’s office in Orange County, Fla., has been arrested after he allegedly filed a false and fraudulent automobile insurance claim with GEICO Insurance Co., according to a statement from the...

Rail Tank Car Leak Injuries Lead to Safety Recommendations

Feb 20 2019 // The National Transportation Safety Board has issued five safety recommendations following completion of its investigation of the Aug. 27, 2016, chlorine release from a ruptured rail tank car near New Martinsville, West...

Auto-Owners to Acquire Capital Insurance Group in California

Feb 19 2019 // Auto-Owners Insurance has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Monterey, Calif.-based Capital Insurance Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Auto-Owners Insurance Group is headquartered in Lansing, Mich....

How Pricing Insurance for Cars of Future Could Bring Insurers, Carmakers Together

Feb 19 2019 // Dan Peate, a venture capitalist and entrepreneur in Southern California, was thinking of buying a Tesla Model X a few years ago—until he called his insurance company and found out how much his premiums would...

Outlooks Revised to Positive for Michigan’s Auto Club Group

Feb 19 2019 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of Dearborn, Michigan-based Auto Club...

State Farm’s Ohio Auto Insurance Customers to See Rate Cuts

Feb 19 2019 // State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. announced it is cutting its rates in Ohio for the second year in a row. The overall personal auto rate in the state is dropping by 3.7 percent, effective Feb. 18. The total...

State Farm to Lower Auto Insurance Rates in Louisiana

Feb 18 2019 // Beginning in April, Louisiana customers of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. will see a decrease in their auto insurance rates, the insurance department announced. The department reported that Insurance...

5 Reasons Autonomous Cars Won’t Be Available Anytime Soon

Feb 18 2019 // In the world of autonomous vehicles, Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley are bustling hubs of development and testing. But ask those involved in self-driving vehicles when they might actually be seen carrying passengers in every...

Eating an Elephant: Tales from 9 Agency Start-Ups

Feb 18 2019 // What motivates people to take a risk in an industry dedicated to managing risk? New independent agencies are born of various circumstances. Sometimes it’s about seizing an opportunity that comes along; other times,...

Washington Business Owner And Mom Charged with Insurance Fraud

Feb 15 2019 // Two Yakima County, Wash. residents were charged in Superior Court this week in connection with separate auto insurance fraud claims. The charges followed investigations by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s...

State Farm Announces 4.9% Auto Insurance Rate Decrease in Virginia

Feb 15 2019 // State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company will cut its rates in Virginia for the second time in two years. As a result, its overall personal auto rate will drop by 4.9 percent. The total state-wide expected impact for...

Travelers to Provide Auto Insurance for Lexus Complete Lease Program

Feb 15 2019 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. will be the auto insurance provider for the new Lexus Complete Lease, a two-year, 20,000-mile lease program for the Lexus UX compact crossover vehicle. The full-service leasing option bundles...

New Ventures, Driver Shortage Among Challenges in Trucking Insurance Market

Feb 15 2019 // The transportation industry is considered a barometer of the U.S. economy. If freight is trending up, so too is the U.S. economy. But capacity constraints for trucking – including a shortage of qualified drivers, low...

Auto Loan Delinquencies Keep Rising But Economists Hold Off on Alarm

Feb 14 2019 // Borrowers are behind in their auto loan payments in numbers not seen since delinquencies peaked at the end of 2010, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. More than 7 million Americans were 90 or more days...

Nationwide’s ‘SmartMiles’ Auto Insurance Targets Low-Mileage Drivers

Feb 14 2019 // For those who work from home, carpool frequently or use public transit more than they drive, Nationwide is launching SmartMiles, an auto insurance policy for low-mileage drivers. BuildIng on its telematics SmartRide...