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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/29/2025 in all areas

  1. To clarify, CX-50 production will remain in the US but will only be for US market customers. The pause is only for Canadian market builds. Mazda is increasing US market builds to make up the difference, likely because they know that other imported models will take a sales hit from the additional taxes and Mazda can capture those with a domestically manufactured CX-50. Mazda very specifically said in a statement that overall production volume is not expected to change.
    3 points
  2. Interesitng post WW 2 footage of Germany, non censored. Houston strikes me as one of the last places I would want to live in the USA.
    2 points
  3. Stellantis makes a lot of interesting fashionable giant paper weights for your driveway. Building actual reliable vehicles might help them. Also, not pricing everything in the stratosphere.
    2 points
  4. Yes, and we will likely see Subaru shift more crosstrek production to the US for US market with that capacity. It might mean that Forrester production moves here too.
    2 points
  5. I don't know about that. People still have to want to buy a Chinese owned and built vehicle. That's a pretty big sell here unless it were to be vastly cheaper than the competition.
    2 points
  6. Tariff Tuesday is the day where we cover how President Trump's tariffs, if fully enacted, will impact the auto industry, increase costs, and limit consumer choice. We started this series on April 15, Tax Day for those in the United States, because Trump's tariffs amount to one of the largest single increases in taxes on the American People. The tariffs which, if fully implemented, will raise $1.4 trillion in revenue, an increase per household of $1,900 to $7,600 per year. Last week we discussed Buick's Tough Spot - Killing it in China, Killed in the U.S. and one of our readers brought up an excellent point: Big Trouble in Little Crossovers The little crossover segment is one of the hottest and most competitive segments in the industry. So much so that even before tariffs, a few models were already driven from the market without replacements. The Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Nissan Rogue Sport, and Ford EcoSport were all models competing in this segment in the U.S. that just couldn't quite make it and were canceled after a single generation, though the Jeep Renegade lives on in other markets. The commentator above is right. With few exceptions, nearly all of the little crossovers available in the US are imported. Because there is a lot of fuzziness in the size of vehicles in this class, for this list we will generally be looking at the smallest crossovers a particular brand offers. We are also including vehicles regardless of price as the tariff impact in this size class appears to transcend price. Where Are Small Crossovers Built? Acura ADX - Mexico Alfa Romeo Tonale - Italy Audi Q3 - Hungary Audi Q4 eTron - Germany Audi has indicated they may move production of some models to the U.S., likely through partnership with parent company Volkswagen and their production facility in Tennessee. Audi has paused all imports of their vehicles to the U.S. due to the tariffs and is holding vehicles already in the U.S. at ports. BMW X2 - Germany BMW X3 - United States Buick Envista - South Korea Buick Encore GX - South Korea Buick Envision - China Cadillac XT4 - United States (model canceled) Cadillac Optiq - Mexico Chevrolet Trax - South Korea Chevrolet TrailBlazer - South Korea Chevrolet Equinox - Canada Chevrolet Equinox EV - Mexico Dodge Hornet - Italy Ford Bronco Sport - Mexico Ford Maverick - Mexico Ford Escape - United States Genesis GV60 EV - South Korea Genesis GV70 - South Korea GMC Terrain - Mexico Honda HR-V - Mexico Honda CR-V - United States Hyundai Venue - South Korea Hyundai Kona - South Korea Hyundai Ioniq 5 - United States as of 2025 model year to take advantage of EV Tax Credit eligibility from the Biden Inflation Reduction Act. Eligibility for the tax credit is still in limbo. Hyundai Tuscan - United States Infiniti QX50/QX55 - Mexico Infiniti has announced they have suspended all new orders of these models in the U.S. due to Trump's tariffs. The models remain in production for other markets. Jeep Compass - Mexico. Kia Soul - South Korea Kia Seltos - South Korea Kia Niro - South Korea Kia Sportage - United States Kia EV6 (exc. GT) - United States as of 2025 model year to take advantage of EV Tax Credit eligibility from the Biden Inflation Reduction Act. Kia EV6 GT - South Korea Range Rover Evoque - United Kingdom Discovery Sport - United Kingdom Lexus UX - Japan Lexus NX - Canada Lexus RZ - Japan Lincoln Corsair - Mexico Lincoln Nautilus - China Maserati Grecale - Italy Mazda CX-30 - Mexico Mazda CX-5 - Japan Mazda CX-50 - United States The Mazda CX-50 is produced in the United States, and until the tariffs, was exported to the Canadian market. Mazda has since shuffled production and will now supply the Canadian market from Japan. Mercedes-Benz GLA - Germany Mercedes-Benz GLB - Mexico Mercedes-Benz EQB - Hungary Mercedes-Benz GLC - Germany Mini, Mitsubishi, Porsche - Austria, Japan, and Germany respectively Nissan Kicks - Mexico Nissan Rogue - United States Polestar 2 - China Polestar 3 - United States Rivian R2 - United States (not in production yet) Rivian R3/R3X - United States (not in production yet) Subaru Crosstrek - Japan and starting in 2024 United States for select trims Subaru Forrester - Japan Tesla Model-Y - United States Toyota Corolla Cross - United States Toyota RAV-4 - United States and Canada Volkswagen Taos - Mexico Volkswagen Tiguan - Mexico Volkswagen ID.4 - United States Volvo EX30 - China Volvo EX40 - Belgium Volvo XC40 - Belgium Volvo C40 - Belgium The Impact on Consumers Of this list of 70-ish small crossovers, only eleven models plus some versions of a twelfth are assembled in the United States. For the sixteen that are assembled in Canada or Mexico, they may possibly qualify for reduced or exempted tariffs if they can prove compliance with the USMCA. However, meeting the USMCA regulations is an arduous process for a product with as many components as a vehicle. A vehicle with a significant amount of components produced outside of the USMCA zone will likely fail to qualify for a tariff exemption. For example, a vehicle assembled in Canada may lose its tariff exemption if the steel used in its construction was purchased from China or the stamping took place outside of the USMCA zone. It's a complex process for manufacturers to calculate, and some, such as Audi and Infiniti are simply opting to stop shipments for now. It's likely that EVs built in Canada or Mexico that currently qualify for the tax credit from Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will also qualify for a USMCA exemption. Some manufacturers are hit harder than others. Ford's recent smash hits, the Bronco Sport and Maverick truck are both built in Mexico and represent a significant portion of Ford's recent sales. Dodge, already struggling to move the Hornet crossover, will face significant price increases as it is not able to be exempted from tariffs via the USMCA. Toyota will gain an unusual prices advantage here with the RAV-4 and Corolla Cross being built in the United States, but can also afford to not discount prices much as demand will be higher. All of the burden of Trump's tariffs trickles down to the consumer eventually. Consumers will either pay higher taxes on imported vehicles, pay higher prices for manufacturers to comply with the USMCA, or lose choices and supply with lost model availability driving up the costs of the remaining options on the market. For one of the most competitive segments of the auto industry, this signals a time of turmoil with consumers taking the brunt of it. View full article
    1 point
  7. Dodge can keep Hornet at pre-tariff pricing until 2027 at the rate they're selling.
    1 point
  8. I think Forester production was supposed to move here...before the trade war. Not sure though. BYD makes great products, I don't think they would face a lot of resistance.
    1 point
  9. Toyota makes money through and Stellantis kind of struggles and has a lousy stock price. @Drew Dowdell @G. David Felt Question on the Buick Encore and Lincoln Nautilus, are they 25% tariff die to imported auto or 145% tariff due to Chinese goods?
    1 point
  10. Subaru will be building a ton of stuff apparently for the Canadian and Mexican markets in Japan that was formerly built in the USA. It will only get worse. BYD builds buses, SUV's and all sorts of other stuff. They are killing it in every market outside of the USA. If they were alowed to sell inside the USA Tesla would go bankrupt. Quickly. BYD is also the biggest selling electric in Brazil, a huge market.
    1 point
  11. The Mazda CX50 is a compact that built in the U.S. for Canada and is now paused for production and jobs as they will import them from Japan to avoid the idiotic tariffs. Then we also have Subaru, Honda and Stellantis that has all paused production of select models that are exported to Canada, Mexico or outside North America for sale that have been paused with temp layoffs due to the tariff's stupidity.
    1 point
  12. I don't look at number built as the ultimate metric, how interesting of a car are you building. Some one of one MOPAR muscle cars are fantastic, Toyota built nine billion nine hundred ninety nine trillion Corollas and they are universally boring cars. Cadillac is building interesting Iron.
    1 point
  13. They do look substantially better, yes, I will agree with that.
    1 point
  14. Porsche, Mercedes and BMW are 3 of the most profitable car brands, I am pretty sure they know what they are doing. Cadillac sold 160,000 cars in 2024 (US sales) Audi sold 196,000. Mercedes, Lexus and BMW are in the 300s. I think Cadillac is on the right track with their EV's and they have to keep advancing the tech, going into Formula 1 is a right move. Cadillac is doing a lot of correct steps, but there is still a long journey ahead to overtake BMW.
    1 point
  15. Doesn't BMW sell more EV's than Cadillac and Genesis? And once Mercedes redoes their EV's they'll be fine. CLA this year, the AMG EV sedan is being shown this year, electric GLB and GLC I think next year, electric E-class in 2027 and so on. And not that I am big plug in hybrid believer because I think it adds a lot of weight and complexity, but Mercedes makes 11 plug-in hybrids, Cadillac and Genesis don't have any. And a lot of people think PHEV is where the market is going in the near future.
    1 point
  16. For being a large metro area, people are unusually nice at restaurants, stores, etc., and even strike up conversations with you in coffee places, but they become demonic on their big freeways. I'm put into high defense mode when I drive there. Add the big highways and multi-lane boulevards in big Florida cities to that.
    1 point
  17. This is true. Cadillac has leapt out in front of the Germans on the EV front. Not just in tech, but broad visual appeal. The Cadillacs look significantly better than their BMW and MB counterparts. Only Audi is competitive in looks, but Cadillac eclipses them in range and self-driving tech. It's strange bedfellows that Genesis and Cadillac are luxury brand with the better tech and styling over the Germans for EVs.
    1 point
  18. If the Germans were HONEST with their sales numbers and profits per model, the coupe / sports cars that are just 2 doors are probably money losers. As such, why have an auto just for Auto Sake, The current V series already kick ass over the Germans and the money is made in the SUVs, so at this point in time, your grabbing at straws to justify the German brands which are past their prime as they are behind in EV technology and have lost their luxury shine even in performance to others. As they say, every dog has its day and they had theirs and now Cadillac is surging again to come back to the top dog position.
    1 point
  19. I would argue it's because they wouldn't sell regardless. Even the German ones don't sell in any number. Cadillac does have sport sedans and C&D just rated the CT5 V-Blackwing higher than the Germans.
    1 point
  20. BMW has come down, Cadillac Lyriq interior compared to like an XT6 is a big leap forward. Still some cheap bits even in a Lyriq interior. Buick and Cadillac have about 15 models combined, pretty close to BMW. But I would argue back why doesn’t Cadillac make a coupe or a convertible or a sports car, etc. Because they probably fear it would not sell because they are not on par with a Mercedes or BMW.
    1 point
  21. Envista/Encore GX? Yes. Envision, only high end Hyundai like top trim Palisade or Santa Fe Calligraphy. That said, the Santa Fe Calligraphy bats way out of its league. It is significantly better than the Lexus TX. So comparing an Envision or Enclave to it really isn't an insult, but more a measure of how far Hyundai has come. Buick still does better with noise isolation than Hyundai, but it is getting a lot closer. Na, Cadillac has closed the gap on interior material quality. Some of that is Cadillac moving up and some of it is BMW moving down. Cadillac has a more coherent interior design as well. And again, an Optiq EV and an ICE X3 have reached price parity. BMW has many more models than Cadillac and Buick combined. It's like saying Chevy outsells Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler combined.
    1 point
  22. I'd say Buick interiors are more Hyundai/Kia level. Yes they are better than Chevy, but Chevy has historically had bad interiors. The new X3 interior is a design mess, but probably still better than anything GM has near that price. BMW outsold Cadillac and Buick combined last year in the US. Despite Cadillac's EV resurgence that I think is going pretty well, they still have a long way to go. GMC to Chevy is Jeep to Dodge, basically the same, a little more trucky and less brand image stigma.
    1 point
  23. But that’s what I’m saying. The Envision is much nicer than the Chevy inside, and for the price nicer than the BMW too. The Enclave could be powered better, but the interior is appropriately luxury car level. The only one I’d question is the Encore GX but it sells really well, so it’s gotta be making them a profit pre-tariffs. GMC is much closer to Chevy
    1 point
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