Sonari Glinton

Credit Doby Photography / NPR

Sonari Glinton is a NPR National Desk reporter based in Detroit, primarily covering the auto industry and transportation. He focuses on the business of cars as well as the economy and the business climate of the Detroit area and the industrial Midwest.

In this position, which he has held since late 2010, Glinton has tackled big stories including GM's road back to profitability and Toyota's continuing struggles. Glinton has traveled throughout the Midwest covering important stories such as the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and the 2012 presidential race. He has also covered the U.S. Senate and House for NPR.

Glinton came to NPR in August 2007 and worked as a producer for All Things Considered. During that time he produced interviews with everyone from UN Ambassador Susan Rice to Joan Rivers. The highlight for Glinton came when he produced Robert Siegel's 50 Great Voices piece on Nat King Cole.

Glinton began his public radio career as an intern at member station WBEZ in Chicago. He went on to produce and report for WBEZ. While in Chicago he focused on juvenile justice and the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Prior to journalism Glinton had a career in finance.

For his work on a series uncovering abuse at the Cook Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, Glinton was honored with the Society of Professional Journalist's Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting.

Glinton attended Boston University.

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Business
4:44 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Bringing Audi Back, For A Younger Audience

Despite the sluggish economy, it's been a pretty good year for luxury carmakers. Deluxe brands such as Mercedes, Volvo and BMW have seen double-digit growth.

But the German carmaker Audi is the standout. It's seen a near tenfold growth in the past 20 years, and the company has also become the new status car for young urban professionals.

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Getting To 55 MPG
11:01 pm
Tue November 22, 2011

A Push To Make Gasoline Engines More Efficient

Credit Courtesy Automotive Research Center
Professor Anna Stefanopoulou (left) examines an internal combustion engine test with engineers Jacob Larimore and Xinfan Lin at the University of Michigan's Automotive Research Center. The researchers model engine performance to improve efficiency.

Third in a three-part series

The auto industry has work ahead to meet ambitious fuel efficiency goals of 55 miles per gallon by 2025 — nearly twice the current average required. Hybrid and electric cars will play a role, but the plain old internal combustion engine can't be overlooked.

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Getting To 55 MPG
11:01 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Automakers Set To Steer Customers To Hybrids

Credit The Henry Ford Museum
To drive the 1916 Woods Dual-Power hybrid car, the operator moved a lever to start an electric motor. After hitting 20 mph, the driver engaged the clutch, starting the gasoline motor. The two power sources could be engaged together or independently.

Second in a three-part series

Hybrid cars will take a lot of floor space at the Los Angeles Auto Show beginning this weekend, but they still represent a tiny portion of the U.S. car market.

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Around the Nation
11:01 pm
Sun November 20, 2011

Can Electric Cars Help Automakers Reach 55 MPG?

First in a three-part series

Under rules announced by the White House this summer, cars will have to get an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 — nearly twice what the current average is. Reaching that goal will take not only feats of engineering but also changing how Americans think about their cars and how they drive them.

The electric car is one of the ways carmakers expect to lower their average fuel consumption and get to the 55 mpg average. The problem is, people aren't buying, whether all-electric or plug-in hybrid.

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Business
3:00 am
Fri November 18, 2011

Honda Works To Assure Quality Cars

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Los Angeles Auto Show begins today. It's the first of America's car shows and it's where manufacturers put their best foot forward or try to reinvent themselves. One those carmakers is Honda. Honda's production was badly hurt by Japan's earthquake and tsunami, and as it was getting back on track, the floods in Thailand crippled production again. But as NPR's Sonari Glinton reports from the L.A. Auto Show, natural disasters may be the least of Honda's problems.

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