Toyota is moving forward with plans to expand its battery-electric vehicle lineup in the U.S., even as demand softens and competitors pull back from the segment. The automaker currently offers four imported EVs and will add a fifth this month. Production of a new U.S.-made EV will begin later this year at its Kentucky plant, followed by another model in 2027, bringing its total lineup to seven. The push comes as EV demand declined after federal tax credits and subsidies were withdrawn last year. EVs accounted for 10.5% of U.S. new car sales in the third quarter of last year but fell to 5.8% by the end of 2025, according to Cox Automotive.

Source: CBT News

To Earn Customer Loyalty Before Competition Intensifies
Industry leaders at the New York Auto Forum delivered a pointed message last week: Dealers have a window, most floating the year 2030 as a reference point, to strengthen their dealerships and the experience offered, so customers won't want to look elsewhere. The details: Stewart Stropp, vice president of customer success for J.D. Power, moderated a panel on customer experience.

Source: Car Dealership Guy

Hyundai Motor said Friday that exports to Europe and North Africa, which typically transit through the Middle East, are being disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the region, highlighting mounting pressure on global supply chains. The automaker said the disruption is choking key shipping routes, increasing logistics costs, delaying deliveries and adding strain on both Hyundai and its suppliers. Hyundai Motor, the world’s third-biggest automaker by sales alongside affiliate Kia Corp, warned that the impact could persist even if the conflict ends soon.

Source: CBT News

Recalls may be viewed as a routine obligation, but new data shows they are a powerful driver of service department performance across multiple fronts. According to CDK’s latest Service Shopper study, recall visits consistently generate high customer engagement, create opportunities for additional work, and reinforce long-term trust. The study found that 88% of customers who receive a recall notice ultimately bring their vehicle in for service, underscoring the effectiveness of recalls as a built-in touchpoint. Over the past six months, 35% of service customers reported receiving a recall notification, with the vast majority completing the required work.

Source: CBT News

New-vehicle sales softened in the first quarter of 2026, with affordability concerns pushing more buyers toward used cars as consumers also grappled with rising gas prices, according to CarGurus. Zooming in: The shift has pushed market days supply (MDS) for new vehicles to levels the industry has not seen in five years, as highlighted in the automotive shopping site’s latest market analysis.

Source: Car Dealership Guy

Ford is pressing the Trump administration for relief from aluminum tariffs after supply chain disruptions drove up costs for its top-selling Ford F-150, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The automaker’s request follows two fires at a key aluminum supplier facility in New York that halted production, forcing the company to source material from overseas at significantly higher costs due to import duties. The disruption has had a direct impact on Ford’s financial performance. The company has already absorbed billions in additional costs tied to tariffs and supply shortages and expects further losses as the situation continues into 2026.

Source: CBT News

Imperiling Tariff Deal, Report Says 
U.S. automakers have accused the European Union of trying to block imports of large pickups from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, with the American ambassador to the bloc saying that a rule change could violate the spirit of a trade deal with the Trump administration, according to a report in the Financial Times. The large pickups are imported under the EU’s Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) framework, which allows the sale of a limited number of models without having to go through the full homologation (type-approval) process.

Source: Automotive News

Prices of used vehicles are continuing to rise amid relatively tight supplies, according to a closely watched automotive industry barometer. Cox Automotive’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index — which tracks prices of used vehicles sold at its U.S. wholesale auctions — increased 6.2% last month compared with a year earlier. The index also hit its highest level since the summer of 2023, the company said Tuesday. Demand for used vehicles remains strong despite geopolitical tensions, high gas prices and the Iran war, according to auction data from Manheim.

Source: CNBC

Maybe, along with a Buick sedan and a redesigned Cadillac CT5.
There are rumors out there, citing reliable sources reported in reputable media outlets, that the Camaro—the mighty, mighty Chevrolet Camaro—is coming back. Hallelujah!

Camaro was Chevy’s pony car of record, debuting in 1967, just two and a half years after the original pony car, the Ford Mustang. It kept up quite well over the course of six generations. Over the years, the big-engine, long-hood, two-door, 2+2 seater managed to combine good looks, high performance, and a relatively affordable MSRP.

But while you and I liked them, there weren’t enough “you”s or “I”s to keep it in production. Sales figures for the Chevy Camaro were over 80,000 a year in the 2010s, then started dropping off after that to the low-30,000s and below by the 2020s. The last Camaro rolled off the assembly line as a 2024 model, and Camaro Nation wept.

Well rejoice, Camaro fam! Both GM Authority and Automotive News, reporting independently, say Camaro is coming back. And not just Camaro: Both sources say the Camaro’s platform will also ride under a new Buick sedan, the first such offering from Buick since the Regal went away in 2020, as well as the next-gen Cadillac CT5 (CT4 production is slated to end in June). GM Authority says the platform is the GM Alpha 2 made for mid-size vehicles with longitudinally mounted front engines driving the rear wheels. The first Alpha platform carried the 2013 Cadillac ATS, the 2014 Cadillac CTS, and the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.

Production of the new Camaro is supposed to begin in 2027, with the new car going on sale as a 2028. It’ll be built on the same GM Lansing Grand River assembly line as the coming Buick and Cadillac models.

However, GM Authority tossed out a cryptic warning: “The Chevy Camaro replacement that I’m referring to here might not be exactly what you would expect from a vehicle called the Camaro,” said the Authority’s Alex Luft. “I’m afraid that’s all I can share at the moment, but we will be back very, very soon with more info.” What to make of that? Let’s hope it’s not another Mustang Mach-E. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Source: Autoweek

Mercedes-Benz reported a sales slump at the start of 2026 as the tough Chinese market continued to pressure the German premium carmaker during an overhaul of its model lineup to regain lost ground. First-quarter sales in the company's core car business fell 6% to 419,400 vehicles globally from the same period a year ago, it said in a statement on ⁠Thursday.

Source: Reuters