Phoebe Wall Howard

Detroit

Automotive Reporter at Detroit Free Press

Car culture reporter: Shifting Gears on Substack. Contact [email protected] or 313-618-1034 (Alum) @freep @dmregister @mcclatchy @marinij @timeinc @mizzou

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Articles

Auto suppliers "freaked out" by China backlash, potential impact on consumers

5 days ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

Auto executives and their suppliers have been meeting for weeks behind closed doors to discuss privately the looming threat of disruption to the global supply chain, including a potential production shutdown, created by President Trump’s trade war against China, Shifting Gears has learned. “Suppliers are ‘very freaked out,’” said a global auto industry executive who revealed the confidential talks on the condition that the company not be disclosed.
Blue Water Bridge car traffic into U.S. declines

1 week ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

Greg Whitican, owner of Elite Feet in downtown Port Huron, Michigan, said he had a “huge Canadian following” that included a loyal group of runners at his shoe store. “We have zero shoppers from Canada now,” he told Shifting Gears. Whitican isn’t the only business operator noticing a change since President Trump confirmed in a Fox News interview that he’s serious about annexing our longtime ally.
He's a former Wall Street Journal editor, and son of a Ford car salesman, running X media strategy

1 week ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

John Stoll, a church deacon and father of seven children, spent most of his career as an automotive journalist in Detroit. He now heads media strategy and news partnerships at X Corp. — formerly Twitter, purchased by Elon Musk for $44 billion in 2022. Stoll began his job on Jan. 6, 2025.
The son of a Ford car salesman is running X media strategy

1 week ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

John Stoll, a church deacon and father of seven children, spent most of his career as an automotive journalist in Detroit. He now heads media strategy and news partnerships at X Corp. — formerly Twitter, purchased by Elon Musk for $44 billion in 2022. Stoll began his job on Jan. 6, 2025.
2026 Detroit Auto Show will kick off with iconic Route 66 cross-country drive

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

• Up to nine vintage cars, primarily from the Big 3 automakers, will make the journey from Santa Monica to Chicago, then Detroit. • The drive aims to honor Detroit's automotive heritage and its role in connecting America. A cross-country drive along Route 66, stretching from California to Illinois, will kick off the 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
With $3K + dream: Young couple now makes bagels in Ford dealer's repair dept.

2 weeks ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

You won’t find a big sign for Brazen Bagels, a tiny sandwich shop with a cult following, located inside the parts and service department at Village Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. On weekday mornings, people line up outside the locked door at 23403 Kean Street waiting for owners Jacob and Megan Anson. Within minutes of opening, customers included a pastor from Grosse Pointe Park, a pharmaceutical rep from Dearborn, engineers from Royal Oak and Waterford, a nurse from Detroit, a mechanic from Romulus.
Young couple get their feet on the ground with bagel shop inside Dearborn car dealership

2 weeks ago | freep.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

Brazen Bagels, a popular sandwich shop, operates out of a Dearborn Ford dealership. They started by selling bagels online and at a local burger joint before moving to Village Ford. Despite their success, they maintain a modest lifestyle and prioritize financial security. You won’t find a big sign for Brazen Bagels, a tiny sandwich shop with a cult following, located inside the parts and service department at Village Ford in Dearborn. No sign is needed.
What I discovered at the Canadian Embassy

3 weeks ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

Our relationship with Canada no longer feels effortless. Americans are watching closely the election now unfolding across the border. Canadian tourists have dramatically cut air travel to the U.S.Canadian sailors on Lake Ontario have voted to re-route racecourses to avoid U.S. waters “for safety and security.”Yet when I walked past the Embassy of Canada to the U.S. in Washington, D.C., I noticed that its gallery was devoted entirely to our historic friendship.
Trump stronghold in Michigan is anxious

3 weeks ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

People in Michigan are genuinely concerned right now, said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell. “People are worried about their country. People are worried about their freedoms,” Dingell told Shifting Gears. “We’ve never had so many protest rallies as we have in the last couple weekends — or in one day.
When Serena Williams hid from her kid in a Lincoln

3 weeks ago | phoebewallhoward.substack.com | Phoebe Wall Howard

Serena Williams posted the alert on Good Friday, two days before Easter Sunday. “I’m in my car…. my Navigator To be exact I’ve got the Massage seats on. I’m sadly Hiding from my kid. Today is a holiday and no school,” she wrote at 2:05 p.m. on the site formerly known as Twitter. “Judge away I don’t care I need 10 mins,” Williams said. Parents online applauded her candor. And 11,000 people “liked” her note.