Quick Drive: 2016 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium

And you actually think this scenario will exist? You guys are down a fascist road. You have been on this road for a few months now. Legalities rae ignored with fascist regimes.  Besides, Trump has been impeached before. Twice I believe and nothing has changed. Trump has been indicted and nothing has happened. France convicted their former leader and is now serving jail time for lesser crimes...   Serious crimes, but less corrupt than Trump.   He will spend time in jail despite Sarkozy appealing his verdict.    You folk better fight back for your country, you guys are slowly losing it... https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp98kepmj9lo Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. The ruling means he will spend time in jail even if he launches an appeal, which Sarkozy says he intends to do.  

Peter DeLorenzo said this: https://www.autoextremist.com/ Detroit. The negative auto industry news is starting to pick up speed. For instance, the Robert Bosch company is cutting 13,000 jobs, or close to 3 percent of its global workforce, due to a difficult market, tariffs and high costs. VW is “pausing” EV production at its German facilities due to the tariffs and drastically slowing demand in the U.S. Valmet Automotive Oyj, the Finland-based contract supplier that produces various Mercedes-Benz models, is reducing its workforce by one third due to the darkening industry outlook in Europe. U.S. tariffs on Canadian parts and autos exploded to $380 million this past July. Lucerne International Inc., an auto supplier, decided against a $50 million facility in Detroit directly due to the tariffs. And GM is expected to make major cuts to its "Factory Zero" output in October. These developments represent just the tip of the iceberg, as suppliers are upending or scrapping future plans altogether due to the capriciously unpredictable nature of the tariffs. And that isn’t even getting to the automakers themselves. Product plans are being upended or cancelled altogether, as uncertainty reigns throughout the industry. All because the current occupant of the White House is stuck with an 80s mindset on everything, and is wreaking havoc on an industry that he and his minions haven’t even the first clue of understanding.   This is best exemplified given the attitude that the Dear Leader believes he can snap his fingers and that “fixes” will be immediate and dramatically positive, even though the required transformation to supply chains, factory builds and product planning will play out in years, not months.   The industry is trying to adapt to the current “finger-snap” mindset in Washington, and it isn’t going well. Short-term solutions such as Stellantis turning back the clock and going all-in on ICE muscle machines again are just that: short-term. How long Stellantis can live with that and how far it can carry that product strategy remains to be determined, although it’s clear that for a certain faction of the car-buying population, this direction is exactly what the doctor ordered.   But let’s not forget that two of the three “domestic” (I use that term purposely, as people forget that Stellantis is a foreign-owned company) automakers spent billions on top of billions on EV research and development, battery manufacturing facilities and a plethora of products. Was all of this work wasted? Not in the least, as the lessons learned in the process will prove to be invaluable going forward. But the current reality in Washington – which equates EV development as the Devil’s Work – means that those billions spent on bringing EVs to the masses will have to be tabled, except for selective instances of appropriate products for certain segments, of course. (And no, that does not mean EV pickups, which have turned out to be a fool’s errand as they don’t – or can’t – function as real working pickup trucks.)   So, Ford, GM and Stellantis are being forced to approach the next few years with a scattershot approach, cranking out ICE vehicles to stay alive and afloat, while plotting their next move to meet whatever is coming in the future, as advanced battery development – emphasizing light weight and density – continues at a torrid pace and an actual working national charging network slowly but surely solidifies.   Let me emphasize that none of these developments will be happening in a vacuum or with any degree of certainty. As long as the current administration is allowed to conduct “business” on the whims of Dear Leader, these auto manufacturers and their suppliers will be teetering on the brink of disaster for the foreseeable future.   Vehicle prices are soaring, and the typical auto buyer will be pressed to the limit in order to afford a new (or used) vehicle. This is the ugly reality facing this industry right now.   I’ve been accused of being overly negative on the future of this industry, but frankly, I haven’t been sounding the alarm loudly enough. Suppliers are going to fall by the wayside, costing countless jobs, and the manufacturers will be forced to jettison thousands of employees too.   This is not going to end well for this industry, and for those who are unwilling to believe it I’m afraid you’re in for a very rude awakening.   The clock is ticking on the U.S. automobile industry as we know it. And the most pathetic thing is that it didn’t have to unfold this way.   But here we are.   And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Something interesting is happening ... at least to me. We know ITA Airways is going from Sky Team (Delta) to Star Alliance (United).  That's because Lufthansa acquired that big stake in them. When you go scout out redemption options on United, there is very little crossing of the pond on Lufthansa's if you are going to Italy ... slim to none.  United carts you on the over-the-water segment and ITA takes care of the rest from the Italian gateway.   It's almost as if they picked up ITA to be a low-cost workhorse for them.  Between the mileage redemption flyers and conventional paying passengers, the ITA planes are sure to be (close to) full. However, I'd much rather be on Lufthansa than domestic United for the longest leg. Because they haven't still disengaged, ITA segments are still being offered up on the Sky Team (Delta, specifically) website.  There will be that overlap for about 2 to 3 more months, I believe. Fleets change, alliances change, etc.  Many times, change sucks.

So not everyone can read the WSJ artical, but to summarize it: Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, is adjusting the company's ambitious electric vehicle (EV) goals due to a slowdown in market growth and changing consumer demand. Market Slowdown and Production Capacity Mary Barra has recently acknowledged that the electric vehicle market is experiencing a slowdown in growth, leading GM to revise its previous forecast of producing 1 million electric vehicles by the end of 2025. At a recent event, she stated, "We’re seeing a little bit of a slowdown right now... the market’s not developing as quickly as we anticipated". This shift indicates that GM is now taking a more cautious approach to its EV production timeline, recognizing that the anticipated demand may not materialize as quickly as expected.  Consumer Demand and Affordability Concerns Barra emphasized that GM's production decisions will be guided by consumer demand. The company is facing challenges related to affordability, as many potential buyers are hesitant to invest in EVs due to high prices and limited charging infrastructure. GM plans to keep its electric car prices between $30,000 and $40,000 to stimulate demand, but this strategy may strain profit margins due to the high costs associated with EV battery production.  CBT Automotive Network Political and Economic Pressures The EV market is also influenced by political and economic factors. Changes in federal policies, including the potential rollback of EV incentives, have created uncertainty in the market. Barra noted that the regulatory environment has shifted, impacting GM's strategy and the overall pace of EV adoption. Despite these challenges, GM remains committed to its long-term vision for electrification, viewing the next decade as a transformative period for mobility.  c-suiteinsider.com Conclusion In summary, Mary Barra's decision to scale back GM's lofty EV ambitions is driven by a combination of market conditions, consumer demand, and political pressures. While GM continues to invest in electric vehicles, the company is adopting a more measured approach to align its production capacity with the current state of the market. This strategic pivot reflects the complexities of transitioning to an all-electric future amid evolving consumer preferences and regulatory landscapes. So how is this a "Joke in Clown Shoes" to use your phrase? Good CEO's adjust based on the market and political pressure all the time, so care to explain how this is any different than CEO's who are using Idiot47 and his clown administration to monopolize their profits? IQ79 aka Idiot47 is trying to stop legal voting as the population is fed up with his clown administration. At this point, he is in for a rude awakening and I hope he gets what he deserves, a Blue wave that give total control of the house and senate to the democrats so they can impeach him and his lemmings.

There was more troublesome talk to that speech. I just wanted to address the Canadian stuff.  What you poor suckers are going to go through come mid way in 2026 is more concerning at this juncture  before Canada has to deal with it...