Keith Naughton

Step-by-step directions for Detroit's new car czar.

A strategy for surviving the possible collapse of the Big Three

Distilling the Big Three into a single player could save Detroit.

Electric storage is the weak link in a high-tech world. Fixing it could improve our lives—and the planet.

Are automakers putting their worst foot forward to get even more aid from Washington?

How McCain let Michigan go blue

The demise of an iconic American automaker.

Ten percent of U.S. showrooms could be gone by late 2009.

Hot Wheels are hot again. Parent company Mattel is now worth more than GM. Got an old Beach Bomb VW model in the attic? You're rich!

After the controversy over the exact number of homes owned by each U.S. presidential candidate (McCain: seven; Obama: one), it seems fitting to note that the GOP nominee also bests the Dem when it comes to car ownership. Obama's lone vehicle is a green machine, a Ford Escape hybrid, purchased in 2007 to replace the family's Chrysler 300C. (Obama made the change after being criticized for driving a gas guzzler even as he was haranguing Detroit for not building enough fuel-efficient vehicles.)John and Cindy McCain, on the other hand, have stocked their garages with a fleet of 13 vehicles, from golf-cart-style electric cars to a Ford pickup truck. McCain's personal ride—a 2004 Cadillac CTS—is not very energy-friendly, but it should make Detroit happy since it's a General Motors product. Such consideration is not insignificant, with Michigan's 17 electoral votes in play. In an interview with a local Detroit TV station, McCain boasted, "I've bought American literally all my life and I'm...

A startup is betting free coffees and groceries will encourage reluctant recyclers.

When you have seven homes, that's a lot of garages to fill. After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.One vehicle in the McCain fleet has caused a small flap. United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger, an Obama backer, accused McCain this month of "flip-flopping" on who bought daughter Meghan's foreign-made Toyota Prius. McCain said last year that he bought it, but then told a Detroit TV station on Sept. 7 that Meghan "bought it, I believe, herself." (The McCain campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)Obama's lone vehicle also is a green machine, a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid. He bought it last year to replace the family's Chrysler 300C, a Hemi-powered sedan. Obama ditched the 300C, once 50 Cent's preferred ride, after taking heat for driving a guzzler...

Do the big three automakers deserve $25 billion in federal aid?

How the Detroit mayor's fall hurts Obama.

Rising fuel costs have forced students to find new ways of getting around. Scooters, anyone?

New auto-sharing services bet that you can

With gas above $4 a gallon, hybrid cars are hotter than a laptop battery. But is gas-electric propulsion the future of personal transportation? It's definitely on the fast track. Federal forecasters predict hybrid sales could approach 2 million vehicles by 2013, accounting for 11 percent of the total U.S. auto market, up from 2.5 percent today. By then, we'll have 89 hybrid models from which to choose (including the hot little Honda pictured), up from 16 today.But one well-respected forecaster, J.D. Power and Associates, sees another technology overtaking hybrids: diesel engines. That's right, those clanky motors powering big rigs. Why? Carmakers are developing smooth-running clean diesels that get up to 30 percent better mileage than gasoline engines. And the diesel option is cheaper—$2,000 to $3,000—than paying the extra $4,500 hybrids cost over conventional cars. Still, with diesel fuel now 17 percent more costly than gas, most forecasters see a hybrid in your future. By...

Honda has unveiled the future of personal transportation: the FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell car that emits only water from its tailpipe and can get the equivalent of 119 kilometers per gallon. The first Claritys were delivered to southern California on June 16, and Hollywood crowds are already lining up to lease it for $600 a month. "This is a must-have technology for the future of the earth," said Honda president Takeo Fukui at the rollout. "Honda will work hard to mainstream fuel-cell cars."Sounds great, but sadly the mainstreaming of fuel-cell cars will come much farther out. Honda, for all its good intentions and buzz-worthy PR, is heavily subsidizing the Clarity, which actually costs several hundred thousand dollars to produce per model. Fukui says it will take 10 years to get the price of the car below $100,000, and it plans to lease only 200 models over the next three years. But the biggest roadblock is beyond Honda's control: a dearth of hydrogen-filling stations...

Who needs an auto show when you've got your own skin flick? BMW just went viral with a YouTube posting of GINA, a curvaceous concept car with plastic skin instead of metal. In a week, it generated 2 million hits. In the languid vid, GINA stretches her gull-wing doors and blinks her cat-eye headlights. Chief designer Chris Bangle explains that her jumpsuit can be zipped on in two hours. The message: A car's steel skeleton protects you, so why not wrap your ride in something more lifelike? Sadly, BMW has no plans to bring GINA to life. But it's building plenty of Bimmer buzz.

Speedo's new and controversial high-tech LZR suit is helping swimmers smash dozens of records. How the company plans to capitalize on Olympic gold.

What we'll be driving in five years.

Hybrids are hot, but some drivers are concerned about the high cost of replacing that gas-saving battery.

Are the city's execs ignoring the mayor's sex scandal?

Investors had hoped to make a quick buck in ailing Detroit by 'stripping and flipping.' No such luck.

As prices of organic foods rise, plain old fruits and vegetables suddenly look better.

Harmonix, creator of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, is changing videogames.