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Name
Richard Truett
Reporter covering technology, engineering and Jaguar Land Rover for Automotive News
rtruett@crain.com
313-446-1638
Richard Truett’s passion for technology goes back to childhood when he took the electric motors out of his toys. He dismantled his first automobile engine, a Corvair flat 6, when he was 10. At 16, he completed his first automotive project, converting his 1976 Chevrolet Vega from automatic transmission to manual. He has restored more than a dozen classic British sports cars. After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Central Florida in 1985, Truett worked at three Florida newspapers: The Evening Herald in Sanford, The News-Journal in Daytona Beach and The Orlando Sentinel, where he was transportation reporter. He reviewed new cars and wrote about automotive topics. Truett became the engineering reporter for Automotive News in 2001. In late 2009 he began a three-year stint leading powertrain communications for Ford Motor Co. Truett returned to Automotive News in 2013 to cover engineering and technology. He cowrote the book "Drive" in 2018, published by The Smithsonian, which chronicles the history of driving.

Latest from Richard Truett

10 supplier-created innovations that helped build the auto industry

The modern automobile would be unrecognizable today if not for the pioneering components developed by suppliers. Suppliers have made cars faster, cleaner, safer, more comfortable and better looking.

Roy Sjoberg, father of the Dodge Viper, remembered as charismatic leader

Roy Sjoberg, the first chief engineer of the Dodge Viper, built the team that built the V-10 sports car that helped turn Chrysler around in the 1990s.

Tariff turmoil hits global suppliers at Detroit conference

A number of suppliers at a Detroit trade show and conference said they are trying to understand how their companies will be affected by the Trump administration's tariffs.

Land Rover Defender Sport takes shape, takes to the track

It’s the first of two smaller Land Rovers that JLR is expected to roll out before the end of the decade.

Electrified gasoline engines may be the powertrain of the future

EVs have taken center stage in recent years, but improvements in gasoline engine technology continue. Analysts see a technology merge with advanced hybrid powertrains staking a middle ground.

Technician shortage also a problem for classic car industry

New-car dealer service departments aren't the only ones short of technicians. Businesses that repair and restore classic cars also need techs.

Classic car importers, parts dealers engulfed in tariff confusion

The dealers who import classic Japanese and European cars, and the companies that sell restoration parts for American classics, are not sure if their businesses will be subjected to the 25 percent tariff on cars and parts.

Aston drops the top on Volante with twin-turbo V-12 roadster

Aston Martin's most powerful roadster, the 823-hp, twin-turbo V-12 Vanquish Volante, is set to arrive in the fall.

Lawsuit alleges Bollinger Motors is broke; production on hold

Robert Bollinger has sued his former company, Bollinger Motors, after it missed a loan payment. His suit alleges the company is broke.

Brakes go electric: First by-wire systems coming soon from ZF, Brembo

Traditional hydraulic brakes are about to be replaced by electric by-wire systems that improve safety, shorten stopping distances and may lower consumers' costs.

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