Drew Dowdell

To me, the fill-up time argument is becoming rather pointless. We are rapidly approaching the time where you're going to be able to charge while you're out and about doing other things, so even if you live in an apartment, you can charge in your daily routine. The major grocery stores in my area are getting charging stations. Walmart is putting in charging stations everywhere. The office complex where one of my clients is has two separate charging stations, 14 plugs total. There's a charging station at the YMCA I go to. There's two, a small one and a big Tesla one at the IKEA. Costco is rolling them out. One of our gas chains, Sheetz, is partnered with Tesla and their larger locations have them. I know that I can drive from my house in Pittsburgh to my relative's house in Manassas Virginia 200 miles away with several chargers on route. I'm probably going to be converting my dryer outlet to the correct plug here soon so I can get test vehicles from the manufacturers, so I'll just charge at home. Is that the case everywhere? Of course not. It will be the case in the areas of higher population though. Can you put gas in faster? Sure. Will it matter? Only once in a while on road trips if you're trying to Cannonball Run it. Most of the time you'll plug in at home and go inside and sleep/eat/watch tv. If you live in an apartment, you'll fill up while you're getting groceries or at work or out with friend in the hip part of town. I can be inside, have my hot pocket microwaved, and on my couch in a lot less time than 6 minutes and 31 seconds.

That's every car company out there. Toyota and Honda only exist today because of the US government getting Japan back on its feet and then later the Japanese government supporting them with currency manipulation and socialized pensions and medicine. Subaru was originally Fiji Heavy Industries which built busses, trains, heavy construction machinery, and was a major supplier of airplanes. FHI is still a major aerospace company who supplies parts for the Airbus 380 and just about every model Boeing makes or has made that starts with a 7. They also make military helicopters and both military and commercial drones. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and VW are all here today because of the Marshall Plan and later their countries' social medicine and pension programs. Mercedes makes a lot of military and construction equipment purchased by governments. BYD (and others) is where it is because the Chinese government spent loads on battery development and incentives to its citizens to by EVs. Prior to that, BYD built their industrial might on building busses and other heavy machinery for the Chinese government and local governments all over the world. GM and Ford had major defense contracts during WWII, the 2008 bailouts, the Biden EV tax credits, the Obama cash-for-clunkers incentives, and much more. However, they famously have always had to manage their own healthcare and pensions systems which are what put them at a competitive disadvantage throughout the 80's and 90's. Stellantis's ownership timeline is too convoluted to even tackle, but Chrysler was bailed out in 1979, then they bought AMC/Jeep which had been kept afloat by the military, then they were bailed out again in 2008 by both the US and Italian governments. Fiat is/was a major equipment and bus supplier in Europe. The French government has always supported Peugeot and Citroen... the list goes on.

I got a mid-size portable one rated for 4500w. It doesn't run the whole house. It's enough to keep the downstairs fridge and freezer going, the internet up, and the phones/laptops charged. In the wintertime it can also be used to run the furnace. We lost power for 18 hours overnight this past winter when it was 11 degrees out, so getting one that will run the furnace was on my list of requirements. We get multi-hour outages several times a year, during the worst of covid we had a transformer blow a couple streets over and they couldn't get a replacement for days, so I think it was an overdue investment. While it does have a connection available to wire into the breaker box, my breaker box is not set up for it. So for me, it was just stringing orange extension cords under the garage door and out the living room window to plug into the unit in the driveway. We got power back for a short time at 11 p.m., then again at 3 a.m., I was able to power down the generator at 3. Last I looked, there were still 134k without power, over 400k at the worst of it. They're saying more bad storms tonight.

We got walloped here in Pittsburgh last night. Power company is saying 5-7 days before power is restored. No damage to my property. I ran out and bought a generator first thing this morning. T Mobile cell network is struggling and I lose service once I leave my WiFi connection. 70 mph winds and lots of destruction.

Dodge can keep Hornet at pre-tariff pricing until 2027 at the rate they're selling.

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.

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.

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. 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 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

We're going to be in a huge natural gas crunch by next winter. I just locked in my rate for 12 months.

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.

Having worked in energy not long after this happened and going through SOX audits was..... fun

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.

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.

True, but there are exemptions for vehicles that are able to comply with USMCA

At a minimum of $10k more than the Cadillac, higher due to tariffs if they don't build it in the US.

The Optic competes with the EQB which it out accelerates, charges faster than, has more range than, has more power than, looks better than, and has a substantially nicer interior than. The EQB interior is just trash for the price. It feels like they took a Dodge Colt Vista and tried to make it luxury. BMW doesn't even compete in this space yet. Audi has the Q4 eTron, but the Optiq again has more range than, has a nicer interior than (though the Q4 is closer than the EQB), and I think the Cadillac looks better than. Sure there's the Q6 eTron and Q8 eTrons, but then you're into Lyriq and Lyriq-V price range. Optiq seems to be selling pretty decently too. Anyone selling EVs these days needs to switch their advertising to torque instead.

Horsepower means next to nothing nothing in EV. It’s a meaningless metric. Show me torque at zero rpm.

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

@ccap41 I think they've already committed fraud on multiple occasions. There's the odometer issue playing out in the courts now. There's the tax credits issue where Tesla suddenly submitted tax rebates for thousands of vehicles. There's been material misrepresentations in product presentations. Misrepresentations about autopilot capabilities. Misrepresentations about range. There's probably a service and warranty class action brewing. It's shocking that they haven't been sued more. @G. David Felt can't play with automotive stocks without informing me. We have an ethics agreement here for writers that we do not directly hold shares of automotive companies or their suppliers. Holdings through broad based managed funds are fine. If he does start buying/shorting shares, we have to put a disclaimer of his holding on all of his articles.

Yeah, I meant that if Brand or RWD wasn't a concern, an Envision Avenir would be a great alternative to an X3 or GLC of the same price. The Terrain Denali wouldn't be.... if for no other reason than you're stuck with that weaksauce 1.5T. And before @smk4565 comes in here talking about 0-60 or horsepower of the Envision v. X3, the buyer I'm talking about doesn't care about those things. Buick geared the Envision right so that the torquey 2.0T always feels effortless to drive. Will it lose to an X3 in a drag race? Yes, but the people buying these just want quiet and effortless power to get out of the Target parking lot.

Eh, no. The Envision is more desirable to a different customer. It has a substantially nicer interior, better sound isolation, better standard engine, and frankly, looks a lot better too. I'd buy an Envision, I wouldn't buy a Terrain Denali over it. The Enclave has less powertrain differentiation, but the interior, again, is substantially nicer. GMC did up the niceness of the Denali, but the Buick is above it still. The Encore GX is the one that is too close for comfort to the Trax. The Envista is a different style of vehicle than anything Chevy has.

Yeah, BYD is already in central and south America.

Oddly enough it's the Envision, the Chinese one, that is the most unique of the Buick lineup. While it is plaform-shared with the Terrain and 'Nox, it has different dimensions in and out and does feel like a significantly more premium vehicle. Unless someone is really hung up about brand and RWD, I would recommend an Envision Avenir over a X3 or GLC any day. I can't say the same about a Terrain Denali though.

Lexus has unveiled the all-new 2026 ES at the Shanghai International Auto Show, marking the eighth generation of their legendary luxury sedan. The eighth-generation ES offers electrification across all models. Built on a redesigned TNGA GA-K platform, the new ES was developed specifically to handle both hybrid and battery-electric powertrain. Standard and offered either in front- or all-wheel drive, the ES350h features a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder hybrid paired with a CVT. Horsepower numbers weren't in the press release, but a similar setup in the Toyota Crown produces 236-hp through a CVT. For electric vehicle shoppers, the ES will come in two flavors, an ES350e with front-wheel drive or a more powerful ES500e with all-wheel drive. Range for the ES350e is estimated at 300 miles, but Lexus did not release range numbers for the ES500e yet. Lexus upgraded the rear suspension to a new multi-link design that enhances power delivery and handling while the front suspension remains a MacPherson strut design. Overall, the body structure rigidity, already an ES strong point, has been further enhanced to reduce body vibrations and noise. The largest departure for the new ES is the screen-centered interior. A 14-inch floating touchscreen dominates the center of the dash much like most other EV brand these days. The Lexus Interface Multimedia system gets an upgrade to the latest version of the software and includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For the first time in North America, the ES is offered with an Executive Package on the FWD ES350e Luxury Trim and includes a more spacious rear passenger experience, reclining rear seats, passenger side ottoman, rear outboard massaging seats, and rear seat head and ventilation. The 2026 ES is the second of three new Lexus BEV models scheduled to be released by this time next year. It will go on sale in 2026. View full article