New regulation would make most replacement tires low-rolling resistant.

The California Energy Commission, which has some authority over these things, launched a new regulation that will require low-rolling-resistance tires on most replacement tire purchases in the state starting in 2029. “The California Energy Commission (CEC) on Monday approved the Replacement Tire Efficiency Program (RTEP), the nation’s first efficiency standards for replacement tires sold for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks in California,” the CEC said in a release. The CEC says it will lower pollution by essentially giving all cars and light trucks better gas mileage or electric range, but will also save consumers money. “The standards, approved unanimously by CEC commissioners, will save California drivers nearly $1 billion per year in gasoline and electricity costs, putting money back in their pockets,” CEC said. “The standards will also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2 million metric tons per year, equivalent to taking approximately 400,000 gasoline cars off California roads.”

There were other opinions on the new regs.

Representing tire industry concerns during the California Energy Commission (CEC) proceedings, Goodyear lobbyist Bret Gladfelty was quoted in the New York Times saying that the new low rolling resistance tire regulations were “not ready for adoption.” Goodyear warned that the mandate would eliminate roughly 70 percent of currently available replacement tires, significantly drive up upfront consumer costs, and reduce market choice.

The CEC says it’ll cost relatively little.

“The incremental cost for consumers is very low—only $1.50 per tire during Phase 1 (2029-2033) and $6.50 per tire during Phase 2 (2033 and beyond). A typical driver of a gasoline car with more efficient tires will save $179 of gasoline over the life of a set of tires, or about seven times the incremental cost. These savings were calculated with gasoline prices of $4.60 per gallon. At the elevated gasoline prices of mid-2026, the savings could be 25 percent higher than estimated.”

Left unsaid was the safety benefits of having tires with more grip. While low-rolling resistance tires do roll with less resistance as long as you’re going in a straight line, they tend to grip less in corners. In an evasive maneuver you want performance tires, not hardened LRRs.
The tires that come on new cars are typically designed to give drivers better fuel mileage, the CEC argued. But average replacement tires are less efficient, meaning that consumers often lose mileage and range when they replace their tires. These cost-saving standards are designed to ensure that replacement tires are at least as energy efficient, on average, as tires sold on new vehicles, the CEC said.

“Today, we are proud to approve the nation’s first replacement tire efficiency standards,” said CEC chair David Hochschild. “This action will help Californians save approximately $1 billion a year on refueling while reducing pollution and extending the range of vehicles on the road. I would like to thank all the consumer organizations, industry leaders and public health advocates for their support of this important step forward for California.” “California's direction is consistent with Michelin’s all-sustainable and holistic approach for reducing the impact of tires at every stage of the life cycle without compromising safety and other performances that are important to consumers,” said Michelin North America Director of State and Local Government Affairs, Francesca Mosteller. “We support the efficiency goals and believe the proposed thresholds in this rulemaking are technically feasible within the defined timeframes.”

“[The state] is at the cusp of adopting a program that will deliver real cost savings and environmental benefits to the people of California, allowing you to drive forward energy and climate benefits,” said Karim D. Marshall, director of climate and energy policy, Consumer Federation of America.

Source: Autoweek

Issues with multimedia systems now account for a quarter of the problems drivers encounter with their vehicles, according to a new study from JD Power. Driving the news: The JD Power 2026 U.S. Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study found that issues with the infotainment system increased compared to other systems.

Source: Car Dealership Guy

The second quarter of 2026 was good for Canadian auto sales, with a 37.7 per cent increase over those in Q1. The latest data from Statistics Canada shows that Canadians registered 547,673 new vehicles from April to June this year compared to 397,601 in Q1. Of those Q2 registrations, 58,811 were classed as ZEVs. 

However, despite the increase in units sold, market share for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), remained almost unchanged at 10.7 per cent, compared with 10.8 per cent in Q1.

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) again made up most of those Q2 ZEV sales across Canada at 40,585 units, for a market share of 7.4 per cent. That is a tick down from the 7.5 per cent share in Q1. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles had 18,226 sales in Q2, making up 3.3 per cent of the market — identical to its Q1 percentage. 

Source: Electric Autonomy Canada 

The American Customer Satisfaction Index, which has measured consumer satisfaction across dozens of U.S. industries since 1994, has just released its 2026 findings on the auto industry. Rising 1 point to 83, Toyota sits in the number-one spot. Toyota and Honda (down 1 to 80) both offer sedan lineups that can offer lower transaction prices than the SUVs that largely fill their competitors’ lineups. Subaru dropped five points from the number-one position among mass-market brands in 2025. Stellantis’ truck brand surged 7 points, rising to 74, while both Kia and Jeep added 3 points, rising to 79 and 76 respectively.

Source: MotorTrend

Volvo Car said it is making its largest-ever product push, launching 13 new car models by the end of the decade in an effort to revive its fortunes. The Swedish carmaker—which is majority-owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group—on Thursday laid out its roadmap to navigate a tough auto market and deliver on its long-term goals of driving sales growth and higher profitability.

Source: Wall Street Journal

The vehicle most likely to reach 250,000 miles is the Toyota Sequoia, at nearly eight times the rate of the average vehicle. Driving the news: Building on its previous study, which showed the Toyota brand had the best chance of lasting to a quarter million miles, iSeeCars broke down data from 395 million vehicles to identify individual models hitting the mark.

Source: Car Dealership Guy

Florida car dealer Bill Wallace says the majority of customers lately are asking about hybrid options, eager for relief from high gasoline prices. Salespeople at his 16 dealerships — including Hyundai, Kia and Mazda — have plenty to talk about. But ‌not at his Chevrolet and Cadillac stores. Those General Motors brands each have a broad selection of fully electric cars, but the automaker has only one hybrid model: the Corvette sports car.

Source: Reuters