Sonari Glinton
Sonari Glinton is a NPR Business Desk Correspondent based at our NPR West bureau. He covers the auto industry, consumer goods, and consumer behavior, as well as marketing and advertising for NPR and Planet Money.
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. In addition, Glinton covered the 2012 presidential race, the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well as the U.S. Senate and House for NPR.
Glinton came to NPR in August 2007 and worked as a producer for All Things Considered. Over the years Glinton has produced dozen of segments about the great American Song Book and pop culture for NPR's signature programs most notably the 50 Great Voices piece on Nat King Cole feature he produced for Robert Siegel.
Glinton began his public radio career as an intern at Member station WBEZ in Chicago. He worked his way through his public radio internships working for Chicago Jazz impresario Joe Segal, waiting tables and meeting legends such as Ray Brown, Oscar Brown Jr., Marian MacPartland, Ed Thigpen, Ernestine Andersen, and Betty Carter.
Glinton attended Boston University. A Sinatra fan since his mid-teens, Glinton's first forays into journalism were album revues and a college jazz show at Boston University's WTBU. In his spare time Glinton indulges his passions for baking, vinyl albums, and the evolution of the Billboard charts.
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Tesla's first Model 3 comes off the assembly line Friday, a pivotal moment for the company. It's Tesla's mass-market electric car — with a $35,000 price. But it faces challenges ramping up production.
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After two record sales years, investors are worrying about the health of the auto industry, especially as automakers are looking toward the future.
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Most consumers test drive only one vehicle before they buy. But with so much new technology and features in today's cars and trucks, a thorough test drive is more important than ever.
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Takata pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1 billion in a settlement with the Justice Department over its airbags that were prone to rupture. Three Takaya executives have been charged with conspiracy.
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With the rise of self-driving cars, there's a need to define the "five levels of autonomy," referring to the gradual change from driver-assisted to fully automated cars.
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Being the state capital, home to Ohio State University and attractive to younger workers has made Columbus a nearly recession-proof economic hub of Ohio. Can its success be replicated elsewhere?
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For the first time on a mass scale, a car built in China will be on sale in the U.S., joining countless other Chinese-made products. It comes as Chinese firms invest billions in the auto industry.
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The LA area is home to the most manufacturing jobs in the U.S., from clothes to metal parts to new aerospace tech. Companies have reinvented themselves, even as they struggle to find skilled workers.
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For Detroit automakers, there's likely no bigger prize than being the No. 1 truck. The Detroit three — GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler — are essentially truck companies that sell cars.
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The massive auto recall announced this week is different from most. It affects more than one-third of air bags on the road and there are no simple fixes, short of a full air bag replacement.