Ford recently announced it is planning to discontinue virtually all of its cars, save the iconic Mustang. And, a reasons it is planning that move are excellent car-based crossovers like the Escape, Explorer, and Edge.

Auto correspondent Casey Williams shares highlights of the L.A. Auto Show, where an array of hot new vehicles includes roomy crossovers, plug-ins, and handsome redesigns of old favorites.

The European carmaker is planning to introduce a $30,000 to $40,000 electric car in 2020 to compete with similarly priced American vehicles.

The company says more than 6,000 employees work at these plants. It expects to cut 15 percent of its workforce in order to save some $6 billion by the end of 2020.

One recall covers about 229,000 Indiana-made Outback and Legacy vehicles from the 2018 model year.

The Kia Forte is not quite an Audi, but auto correspondent Casey Williams says it is a surprisingly desirable car without the big brand mark-up.

There are far more sophisticated and roomier compacts for the same price, but the Kona has just enough crossover cachet, technology, city friendly dimensions, and interior style to feel like much more.

There was still some contention over the latest draft of the plan at Wednesday's Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund committee meeting.

Auto correspondent Casey Williams says the Atlas is a very American Volkswagen, built in America for for very large and adventuresome American families.