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How the Musk-Tesla backlash is opening doors for EV startups like Rivian

Automotive / Automotive News /

Dan Kurland strolled out of the Rivian entertainment center in Laguna Beach, California, wearing a baseball cap with “Canada is not for sale” just above the bill.

Kurland and his wife, Sue, were kicking tires on a recent Saturday, looking to replace each of their Prius models. On this day, the couple was considering the R1S SUV built by ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla shares drop amid auto tariffs and 'brand crisis'

Automotive / Automotive News /

Tesla shares took a hit Monday after a leading analyst slashed his price target by more than 40%, citing a "perfect storm" created by President Trump's auto tariffs and Elon Musk's deteriorating reputation.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives cut his price target from $550 to $315 over the weekend while maintaining his "outperform" rating of ...Read more

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Motormouth: How does it know the speed limit?

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: There is a little display on my dash that tells me the speed limit of whatever road I’m on. It is amazingly accurate, changing at the very moment I pass a sign with a new limit. But it also knows the speed limit on roads I enter where there is no sign. How does my car receive this information?

C.M., Chicago

A: You are being followed by ...Read more

Mangel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Why Trump's tariff orthodoxy won't change auto reality

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — In a company town that’s seen more than its share of economic hardship, President Donald Trump’s Tariffpalooza could get ugly for Detroit real fast.

It's a presidential choice, marked Thursday by plunging stock markets around the world not seen since the outbreak of COVID-19. Just hours after Trump unveiled import taxes against ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Stellantis joins Ford in offering customers employee discount pricing following tariffs

Automotive / Automotive News /

The parent of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram on Friday said it's following Ford Motor Co.'s lead in offering employee discount pricing to its customers in the wake of tariffs being instituted on imported vehicles.

Stellantis NV's offering will run through the end of the month, the automaker confirmed in a statement. The promotion comes a day ...Read more

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Auto review: All-wheelin' Honda's Passport to adventure

Automotive / Automotive News /

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Honda is more than an appliance maker. It has thrilled enthusiasts with racy motorbikes, Civic Type Rs, S2000 sports cars on road — dirt bikes, FourTrax ATVs, Talon side-by-sides off-road.

Now it has an armored, dirt-kicking SUV to tow them. Say hello to the rugged all-wheel-drive Passport SUV with standard orange ...Read more

NATHAN LEACH-PROFFER/TOYOTA/TNS

Auto review: 2025 Land Cruiser is almost exactly what you'd expect

Automotive / Automotive News /

The Toyota Land Cruiser returns for a second season in its current iteration, a slimmed-down SUV that lacks the V-8 engine and opulent interiors previously offered. While previously Land Cruiser was priced similarly to its Lexus sibling, that changed for 2024 when Toyota switched the truck architecture used for the Toyota 4Runner, Sequoia, ...Read more

DREW PHILLIPS/Hyundai/TNS/TNS

Auto review: Calligraphy an expression of flair, elegance for Hyundai Santa Fe

Automotive / Automotive News /

Hyundai’s Santa Fe entered its fifth-generation with a radical, boxy new look, some even comparing it to the pricier and rugged Land Rover.

The 2025 Santa Fe is undeniably cool, accented by its H-pattern hazard lights up front and taillights in the rear. Coming off a redesign last year, the midsize SUV has a broad but short front grille, ...Read more

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla estimates cut further on 'unprecedented brand damage'

Automotive / Automotive News /

One of Wall Street’s most bearish Tesla Inc. analysts further reduced estimates for the company’s earnings, citing the magnitude of car-buyer backlash against Elon Musk.

Tesla’s first-quarter vehicle deliveries were far below even JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Ryan Brinkman’s pessimistic estimate, “confirming the unprecedented brand ...Read more

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Stellantis to lay off 900 US workers, pause Canada and Mexico plants as tariffs arrive

Automotive / Automotive News /

Stellantis NV is pausing production at some of its Canadian and Mexican assembly plants as new U.S. tariffs placed on automotive imports take effect — a move that is set to trigger about 900 temporary layoffs at several of the automaker's American powertrain and stamping facilities.

An email sent to Stellantis employees from North American ...Read more

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GM increasing truck production in Indiana as tariffs take effect

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — General Motors Co. is increasing production of full-size pickup trucks at its assembly plant near Fort Wayne, Indiana, and hiring hundreds of temporary employees, according to a company source.

The automaker declined to specify how much production it's adding of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, or exactly how many ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

VW and Mercedes answer Trump with price hikes, output shifts

Automotive / Automotive News /

Europe’s automakers are raising prices and preparing to shift car production to the U.S. to try to protect themselves from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Volkswagen AG plans to add import fees to the sticker prices of its vehicles shipped into the U.S., indicating Trump’s 25% auto duties will have an immediate effect on Europe’s ...Read more

Ford/Ford/TNS

Ford extends employee discounts to customers as auto tariffs take effect

Automotive / Automotive News /

Starting Thursday, Ford Motor Co. is extending employee pricing discounts to customers on most of its U.S. lineup, including foreign-built models, just as the Trump administration imposes 25% tariffs on imported vehicles.

The "From America, For America" campaign offers what is known as "A Plan" pricing and is expected to run through June 2. It ...Read more

Chad Livengood: China's auto industry on offense while Trump plays tariff defense

Automotive / Automotive News /

WASHINGTON — Nobody ever won a battle playing defense.

That's loosely paraphrasing George Patton, the World War II general who led American troops in pursuit of liberating France from Nazi domination.

Wednesday morning, on President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day," automotive industry analyst Michael Dunne was quoting Patton to describe how ...Read more

Stellantis pausing some Canadian, Mexican assembly plants as tariffs arrive

Automotive / Automotive News /

Stellantis NV is pausing production at some of its Canadian and Mexican assembly plants as new U.S. tariffs placed on automotive imports take effect — a move that is set to trigger about 900 temporary layoffs at several of the automaker's American powertrain and stamping facilities.

An email sent to Stellantis employees from North American ...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Stellantis sales fall again due to weak fleet performance

Automotive / Automotive News /

Stellantis NV's U.S. sales fell by 12% in the first quarter compared to last year, continuing a recent trend of weak performances by the automaker.

But the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram said its quarterly vehicle sales to retail customers — traditional shoppers at dealerships — held steady compared to the first three months of 2024...Read more

Ford/Ford/TNS

Ford sales slip in first quarter despite March bump

Automotive / Automotive News /

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales fell 1.3% in the first three months of 2025, concluding the period with March when sales grew 10% year-over-year.

The Dearborn automaker sold 199,672 vehicles last month for a total of 501,291 vehicles in the first quarter. The kickoff of spring sales, however, could not overcomes declines from January and February, ...Read more

Robin Buckson/The Detroit News/TNS

GM sales strong in first quarter but tariffs loom

Automotive / Automotive News /

General Motors Co.'s U.S. sales increased 17% in the first quarter of 2025 on strengths in trucks, SUVs and electric vehicles, but new tariffs loom.

Delivering 693,363 vehicles in the first three months of the year, GM outpaced its competitors in total U.S. sales. The Detroit automaker, however, is more vulnerable to the 25% tariffs on imported...Read more

Louis Aguilar/The Detroit News/Louis Aguilar

Impending auto tariffs have some Detroit shoppers racing to beat price increases

Automotive / Automotive News /

DETROIT — Maybe it's the eye of the storm or maybe it's another false alarm, but sales and customer traffic were brisk early Saturday afternoon at Ray Laethem Buick GMC dealership in Detroit.

General sales manager Che Shaydak knew the reason for the uptick: "It's the potential tariffs. People are scared. They don't know if in the very near ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: Battery terminals

Automotive / Automotive News /

Q: I'm confused about applying dielectric grease to battery terminals. Since it is non-conductive I thought it should only be applied to the outside of the assembled terminal and clamp. Your recent answer doesn't make that clear.

E.S., Northbrook, Illinois

A: You are absolutely right. I should have made it clear that the grease (including ...Read more