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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Every brake screech, whistle and rattle from the movie The Polar Express came from recordings of a historic locomotive, the Pere Marquette 1225. After four years of costly repairs, passengers can once again jump onboard and travel to see Santa Claus at the North Pole (imagination required). -
Mary Barra has broken through the glass ceiling of the auto industry to become the first female CEO of General Motors. She'll take the helm of GM in January. But Barra is actually a return to tradition in other ways: GM will be led by an insider, and an engineer, for the first time in many years.
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On Thursday, Ford will unveil the new generation of its iconic pony car in the U.S. and cities around the world. The Mustang is eagerly awaited in Europe, where it hasn't been sold since 1979. -
On Thursday, Ford issued a statement lowering the vehicle's stated performance for combined city and highway to 43 miles per gallon. The car had been advertised at 47 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, but tests reportedly showed the figure to be inflated.
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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 Yankee Air Museum must raise $3.5 million to buy a portion of the former Willow Run bomber plant in Michigan, where Rosie the Riveter worked during World War II. Otherwise, the factory is due for demolition. -
Amid the gloom about Detroit's bankruptcy, people associated with Ford have lots to celebrate: an amazing history and a current surge in profits and jobs. So there will be dancing and celebrating at the party for the automaker and inventor.
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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. -
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. -
Three years after its bankruptcy, General Motors has had a record year. The company, meanwhile, is hiring again — adding third shifts to meet increasing demand for its cars. But Republican presidential candidates still insist the bailout was a mistake.
