Why you should buy a diesel car right now — or keep the one you own

Volkswagen is in a world of hurt. So are Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the others who sell diesel passenger cars. Diesels are distressed properties which, ironically, make them a great deal if you’re in the market for a new car. Seriously: Buy a diesel now. If you’re thinking of investing in VW stock, that’s a different matter. It’s hard to say if the market has fully digested all the bad news.

Virgin may build electric vehicle to compete with Tesla

The genesis of the Virgin-builds-EVs story is based on Virgin’s think-different, think-outside-the-box interests. Once it got into Formula E, hints were dropped, and amplified perhaps to the point where signal and noise match up, that Branson might consider building passenger EVs. At the Miami Grand Prix Formula E race, Bloomberg TV popped the passenger-cars question. Branson’s response: “We have teams of people working on electric cars,” Branson said. “So you never know—you may find Virgin competing with Tesla in the car business as we do in the space business. We will see what happens.” If it’s not a yes, it’s not a no.Virgin and Richard Branson may enter the electric vehicle business, Branson hints. The Virgin name is already on airplanes, spaceships, and cruise ships, as well as music and health clubs. The company also competes in the Formula E racing series for electric-only vehicles. Recently Branson said “you never know” when asked about the odds of Virgin’s entry into EV passenger cars.

Top tech cars of the Chicago Auto Show: Honda Pilot leads the pack

Honda stole the Chicago Auto Show this week with the unveiling of a tech-centric Honda Pilot midsize SUV. Chicago is the last of the major fall-winter US auto shows that ranged from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (CES is an auto show) to Detroit and Washington. Chicago bills itself as the nation’s largest auto show, meaning in the number of car-prospecting attendees after press and charity days. LA, Detroit, and New York have more impact in the number of new car intros, journalists, and high-level execs. Scheduling a new-car intro in Chicago is a crapshoot: fewer journalists around to cover it, but if you’re the most important car there, you win. That’s the case with the 2016 Pilot.

Why Apple should build its own car

Here are five reasons for Apple to move forward with a new car.Can Apple build a new car? It’s no more laughable than the idea that Apple, or Radio Shack, could create a personal computer infrastructure in the 1970s and challenge the dominance of IBM mainframes or Digital Equipment Corp. minicomputers. Multiple published reports of the past week say Apple has hired hundreds of people known for automotive expertise, with an eye toward Apple building a car of its own. The most likely car would be an electric vehicle in the shape of a small minivan or crossover. Even if the Apple iEV never goes forward, the thinking is that Apple has nicely hedged its bets. Research into big electric batteries translates into future iPhones or iWatches that run longer. A carbon fiber car shell that saves lives might make for an indestructible iPhone.