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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As much as fully autonomous vehicles are in the news, none of us will be commuting to work in a self-driving car for at least two decades. Meanwhile, Toyota says it will use technology, called V-2-V, in all its cars within a few years with claims it will save thousands of lives each year — as cars talk to each other on the highway.
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Ford Motor Company is scrambling to find another supplier that can make a key part for its highest profit vehicle, the Ford F-150 pickup, after an explosion and fire at a key parts supplier. Ford has shut down its truck plants, and it's likely there will be a ripple effect because the plant made parts for other automakers, too.
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In Flint Michigan, hundreds of people have filed lawsuits over that city's lead water crisis. Most of the lawsuits have been consolidated into one massive case. On Thursday, a federal district judge in Ann Arbor ordered all the parties into mediation.
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Drone technology is quickly becoming more sophisticated — and more affordable. Now, criminals are using drones to smuggle drugs, cell phones and even weapons to inmates in prisons.
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Despite its recent water crisis and economic troubles, there is a trend of urban hipness in Flint, Mich.'s small downtown and a partnership to help the city's children.
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U.S. manufacturing jobs have rebounded since the recession, but many of those positions pay less than they used to. Some states are now questioning whether competing for those jobs is worth it.
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The automaker reached most of the last targets which were set shortly after Fiat took over Chrysler in 2009. Fiat Chrysler's CEO will again answer questions about the company's long-term viability.
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For auto companies, that Environmental Protection Agency-approved MPG sticker on a new car is a high stakes and expensive process. These days it can be damaging to a company's image if customers can't achieve that great fuel economy in their own commutes.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon issue a final ruling that aims to force oil companies to replace E10, gasoline mixed with 10 percent ethanol, with E15. This move could come just as widespread support for ethanol, which is made from corn, appears to be eroding.
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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.