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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Ford Motor Company will soon have a new CEO: Mark Fields, who's currently the chief operating officer. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports that Ford hopes this will quell doubts among investors.
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Critics have blamed General Motors' delayed recall of a defective ignition switch on its dysfunctional culture. But there is already a shift underway to prioritize customers and communication.
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General Motors is signaling its plans to ask a bankruptcy judge for protection from lawsuits related to a defective switch recall. This could further complicate its current public relations crisis.
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General Motors CEO Mary Barra faces a tough week of testimony before congressional committees about defective ignition switches linked to 13 deaths.
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John Dingell of Michigan, the longest-serving congressman in U.S. history, announced he won't run in 2014. As Tracy Samilton reports, Dingell's state will lose more than an icon when he retires.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.