How does the Detroit Symphony Orchestra get to Carnegie Hall ? Like everyone else – practice, practice, practice. But the Motor City musicians also added a little imagination.

The orchestra announced Monday that it is one of six major orchestras heading to the famous New York performance venue next year for the third Spring for Music festival. The Detroit ensemble said its three-hour performance, scheduled for May 10, 2013, will consist of all four symphonies by the late 19th- and early 20th-century American composer Charles Ives.

Having grown up in Detroit during its muscle car-era glory days I was taught to revere things like horsepower, displacement, torque and the ability to squeal tires. My dad, who worked for Ford, fed us a steady diet of hopped-up Mustangs, Cougars and and Rancheros while neighbors all around us wrenched on classic GTOs, Chargers and Barracudas.

Times change, of course, and even though I’d still love to stable a vintage Mustang in my garage, writing about electric and alt-fuel vehicles has changed my priorities a bit. Sure, I still value performance metrics and old-time, flat-out speed but these days things such as range, MPG-e, time-to-charge, regenerative braking technologies and battery configuration have become prime considerations when I evaluate an automobile.

Despite a 12% increase in homicides from 2010 to 2011, Detroit experienced an overall decrease in serious crime, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Detroit Police Department. More >

Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the billionaire whose companies control Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge to Canada, and a company executive were jailed Thursday for failing to comply with a court order to build roads that would route cross-border traffic out of a Detroit neighborhood. More >

The 2012 North American International Auto Show has opened in Detroit, Michigan.  The annual showcase is the auto industry’s premier event to showcase new cars and technology. This year’s show comes amid stronger sales for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. But despite new growth, analysts say business is not entirely back to normal as high unemployment nationwide continues to weigh on potential customers. More >

The North American International Auto Show 2012 welcomes the global automotive community to downtown Detroit beginning January 9 as thousands of journalists get a preview of what’s new in the world of vehicles. More >

Chrysler Group announced today that it’s adding a third shift of workers at a Detroit factory to keep up with soaring demand for its redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and said it will build a diesel version for North American consumers. More >