Automotive News Daily Drive

Ford refreshes the F-150 for 2027 with more V-8 availability and hands-free towing. Stellantis eyes a Ram production shift. Plus, part two of our exclusive interview with Toyota CEO Kenta Kon.

Toyota CEO Kenta Kon speaks with Automotive News in his first international media interview since taking the helm. Plus, Hyundai delays driver-assist software, Tesla teases the Roadster, and Chinese automakers eye North America. 

Ford counters Washington with a billion-dollar move. Plus, a look at Volkswagen’s truck ambitions and China’s opportunity amid the U.S.-Canada trade war.

Ford drops a billion dollars on its most profitable plant just days after a broadside from the Trump administration. Plus, Bozard Ford COO Ed Roberts talks about his mobile service success.

Range Rover Global Managing Director Martin Limpert talks about electric ambitions, a new model and the U.S. bespoke push. Plus, Volkswagen puts a staggering number on its overhaul.

Sonatus CEO Jeff Chou talks about the software challenge of fitting artificial intelligence inside today’s vehicles. Plus, Ford fires back after the U.S. Transportation Secretary calls out its CATL and Geely deals.

Volkswagen signals a major U.S. pivot toward pickups and SUVs while German labor pushes back on restructuring. Plus, KPMG’s Lenny LaRocca talks about why the tariff meltdown has not come.

Volkswagen’s supervisory board has unanimously approved an ambitious restructuring plan but leaves the hardest decisions for later. Meanwhile, Ford plots a quality turnaround.

Fraud is surging, and dealerships are vulnerable. Volkswagen Group’s restructuring takes a step forward. Plus, Tesla’s Cybercab officially launches, but it has a long way to catch up with Waymo.

Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly on leasing, his 500,000 sales goal and surviving “Liberation Day.” Volkswagen Group gets a new U.S. chief. Plus, a look at Carvana’s threat to traditional dealers.

Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly talks tariffs and hybrids with Automotive News. Uber cuts 3,300 jobs. Plus, August sales results beat expectations.

Ted Ogawa, CEO of Toyota Motor North America, talks about affordability, incentives and trade. Canada’s China electric vehicle quota resets. Plus, Nissan fast-tracks the Rogue hybrid again.

Unifor ratifies its General Motors Canada deal with 80 percent voting yes. Toyota and Honda face the steepest Canada tariff exposure. Plus, Emerald Battery Labs’ David Bell details sodium ion’s potential.

Mini is borrowing from sneaker culture with limited-edition Icon Drops. Plus, the brand is sending dealership technicians to work pit service at rally events nationwide.

The UAW and Honda both push back on the escalating U.S.-Canada trade war. Plus, Jeep heads back to China, and Lincoln revives the Corsair.

The UAW wants the U.S. and Canada to stop escalating the trade war. Volkswagen may bypass its own board on restructuring. Plus, Informativ’s Teresa Bordenet talks about the rising threat of auto loan fraud.

President Donald Trump doubles down on 50 percent Canada tariffs. China orders a massive electric vehicle recall. Plus, Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association on what the trade war is doing to the auto supply chain.

Honda says a new U.S. plant hinges on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Hyundai makes its biggest product bet yet. Plus, AlixPartners’ Soumya Sen on why the software-defined vehicle race is an execution problem.

Canada retaliates with 50 percent countertariffs on U.S. goods. Jeep returns production to China. Plus, AlixPartners’ Soumya Sen on what Ford’s Apple Maps deal means for the software-defined vehicle race.

U.S.-Canada trade talks collapse and President Donald Trump escalates. Unifor and General Motors reach a deal in Ontario. Plus, the Mitsubishi Pajero is back.

Nissan is spending big on incentives while the rest of the industry pulls back. On this bonus episode, Larry P. Vellequette and Michael Martinez break down whether that bet can stick and what Nissan needs to do next to make it count.

Ford plans a product blitz with a Bronco pickup, a four-door Mustang and a luxury off-roader for Lincoln. Plus, Carvana is charging thousands more for new cars than local competitors, and customers are paying it.

Nissan drops its plan to form an industrial bank. General Motors is selling its stake in a $3.5 billion Indiana battery plant. Plus, a Michigan Chevy service manager explains what mobile service actually looks like on the ground.

Mike Stanton, CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Association, says Volkswagen is cutting costs everywhere but where it matters. The U.S. and Canada have a tentative trade deal. Plus, Volvo reshuffles its leadership.

The U.S.-Canada trade standoff continues after President Donald Trump delays tariffs. Backup camera recalls pile up. Plus, LG Energy Solution North American President Bob Lee explains how a former General Motors joint venture plant is leading the company’s pivot toward energy storage.

A tariff deadline looms over U.S.-Canada auto trade. McLaren wants to grow its U.S. dealer network by up to 40 percent. Plus, Cespira Chief Technology Officer Scott Baker makes the case for decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks by changing the fuel, not the engine. 

A Stellantis plant in Canada could be heading to a non-automaker buyer right in the middle of bargaining season. Hyundai goes all-in on artificial intelligence and touts the numbers behind its rollout. Plus, JD Power’s 31st annual APEAL study finds car buyers are more satisfied with their vehicles than they’ve been in years, but premium brands are struggling to justify the price gap as mass market vehicles close in on features.

Nissan’s average incentive spend rose 14 percent in July to more than $4,000 per vehicle, while the industry average fell nearly 10 percent. Automotive News reporter Urvaksh Karkaria breaks down what’s driving the strategy: a push to move U.S.-built models, a heavy reliance on the Rogue ahead of its new-generation hybrid launch and a deliberate retreat from the rental fleet volumes that hurt the brand for years. 

Ford is pulling some Lincoln production out of China as tariffs make the math impossible. Toyota’s plug-in hybrid sales are exploding in ways no one quite anticipated. Plus, our panel reacts to the $25 million lawsuit against Polestar that raises hard questions about how automakers manage market exits. 

Tesla grabs 60 percent of a shrinking electric vehicle market. Public charging reliability hits a six-year high. Plus, Artificial intelligence is speeding up the finance and insurance process, but InformedIQ’s Tom Oscherwitz says many dealers are not checking the work, and that’s a problem.

Automotive News’ Clara Martinez and EVgo CEO Badar Khan explain why the company is betting on a gas station-style model to ease charging anxiety. Tariffs force Ford to move some Lincoln production out of China. Plus, a Polestar dealer files a $25 million lawsuit claiming the automaker’s U.S. ban is a cover for a planned exit from the market.

Mike Darrow, chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Association, talks about why his pro-import organization wants to keep Chinese vehicles out of the U.S. New-vehicle inventory holds steady in August, a good sign for the industry. Plus, a closer look at the Unifor-General Motors contract talks with Automotive News Canada’s Greg Layson.

Automotive News retail reporter Mark Hollmer explains why the used-vehicle market is not turning out to be the pressure valve the industry had hoped amid an affordability crisis. Tariff pressures are not the only reason Toyota and Honda are expanding in the U.S. Plus, Unifor wants General Motors to build more trucks in Canada as the two sides open contract talks.

Ford shows dealers a small crossover priced around $25,000 and teases a four-door Mustang. Volkswagen is overhauling its U.S. strategy with a pickup and new leadership. Plus, UL Research Institute’s Adam Barowy breaks down what firefighters are really up against when electric vehicle batteries burn.

Michael Martinez and Larry P. Vellequette break down Ford’s newly named Fathom electric pickup, dig into July sales results and discuss Molly Boigon’s reporting on a California court case that could reshape how license plate reader data is used in the repossession industry.

Automotive News Asia Editor Hans Greimel sits down with an AI avatar of Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda. Toyota gets hit by a typhoon the day after restarting from last month’s earthquake. Plus, Widewail CEO Cuyler Owens breaks down the company’s first-quarter Voice of the Consumer report.

Most of Japan’s auto industry is back online following the deadly July 28 earthquake, with one big exception. An international dealer group calls for a ban on Chinese brands in the U.S. Plus, Nicolas Hidalgo, ACLU of Northern California senior staff attorney, breaks down a California court case that could reshape how license plate reader data is collected and used.

Texas repo agent James Waldron, whose agency handles thousands of repossession cases a month, explains what’s driving the surge, why wrongful repossessions happen and when the work becomes dangerous. Lucid delays its mass-market Cosmos crossover to 2027 after a $1 billion second-quarter loss. Plus, General Motors doubles down on China with a 20-year joint venture extension.

Vehicle repossessions are on the rise, creating new issues for lenders and dealers navigating the affordability crisis. A 1967 California wiretapping law is being used to target dealership websites, with violations starting at $5,000. Plus, Ford and Toyota sales round out a mixed July for the industry.

Hybrids carry Honda, Hyundai and Kia to strong July results. Volvo reveals its new entry-level electric vehicle. Plus, John Pelliccio, QNX global product marketing director, explains how vehicle sound systems are moving onto the main chip in software-defined vehicles, saving automakers money and opening the door to a new kind of buyer experience.

China now ties the U.S. with 16 companies each on the Automotive News Top Suppliers list. In this bonus episode, four North American supplier executives from Aumovio, ZF, Denso and OPmobility weigh in on what that means for the competitive landscape, and share where they each see the most growth ahead.

Automotive News reporters Michael Martinez and Larry P. Vellequette break down Ford and Stellantis’ second-quarter earnings and what they reveal about where Detroit automakers stand heading into the second half of 2026. Plus, fallout from the Japan earthquake keeps spreading production disruption far beyond the original quake zone.

Japan’s earthquake fallout keeps spreading far beyond the quake zone. Audi reveals its largest vehicle ever, the Q9, targeting American families and dealers hungry for a product boost. Plus, TransUnion’s Satyan Merchant breaks down a new report showing auto finance fraud has nearly tripled since 2018.

Stellantis swings back to profit in the second quarter. Nissan is trying to build cars at China speed. Plus, four North American supplier executives share how they’re planning through an industry defined by tariffs, electric vehicle retreats and geopolitical disruption. 

Ford posts a $1.3 billion second-quarter net loss on charges tied to scrapped electric vehicle programs but raises its full-year guidance. The earthquake damage in Japan keeps growing for automakers. Plus, Frank Peña, who spent 30 years running stores for others before closing on three New Mexico dealerships of his own, talks about the road to ownership. 

Automotive News reporter John Irwin walks through the biggest trends in this year’s top suppliers list, from the rise of Chinese suppliers to a North American supply chain just trying to get through 2025. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake disrupts Toyota and Nissan production in Japan. Plus, NHTSA moves to overhaul car door rules after deadly Tesla incidents.

Honda is eyeing a lifted Accord hatchback to take on the Subaru Outback, potentially launching in 2029. America’s Car-Mart warns it may not survive without new financing. And Andrew Garberson of Recurrent explains why used electric vehicle prices keep climbing even as off-lease supply surges.

Ford and Chinese automaker Geely have formed a joint venture to produce new electrified vehicles from both brands at Ford’s factory in Valencia, Spain.

Honda has its sights set on a new North American factory. President Donald Trump has ordered 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian goods. Plus, General Motors is raising its guidance for the second time this year after profits jumped in the second quarter. Michael Martinez and Larry Vellequette break it all down on this edition of Weekend Drive.

Lexus ranked highest among dealers in the National Automobile Dealers Association’s winter Dealer Attitude Survey. Volkswagen has cut back on its 2026 revenue forecast as U.S. tariffs and competition with China tighten the operating margin, and Porsche’s new production boss has big decisions to make around the future of electric vehicle production. Plus, Todd Lawrence and Jim Pernas from Subaru join the show to talk about maintaining a loyalty loop with customers and incorporating artificial intelligence in the service department.