Welcome to the Daily 5 report for Thursday, May 15.
It's early, but we have the first data showing the possible impacts of President Donald Trump's tariffs on North American light-vehicle production.
John Irwin reports today that the region will produce about 126,000 fewer vehicles this quarter because of tariffs than it otherwise would have, according to an estimate by AutoForecast Solutions. The estimate accounts for production changes announced by automakers through May 1, including both cuts and planned volume increases, the story says.
The number is small, accounting for less than 1 percent of the 16 million vehicles the region produced in 2024, Irwin writes, but it illustrates the effects tariffs are already having on the industry as automakers respond to rapidly changing trade rules.
Read more: Live updates on tariff news and impacts
This kind of data will no doubt get politicized. Tariff critics could say it's only going to get worse as the auto industry recoils from higher costs. Tariff advocates could say such a minimal loss of production will be quickly made up as trade details get worked out with Canada, Mexico and other partners. Irwin's story explains more, but it'll be months before all the relevant data arrives.
From the product world today, GMC is giving the Hummer EV its first major update, with the 2026 model getting quicker acceleration and new off-road functionality.
Both the pickup and SUV versions of the Hummer are getting a midcycle freshening including new software-enabled driving abilities, color options and some minor interior changes, Lindsay VanHulle reports today. One new feature, a rear-steering mode called King Crab, is even being rolled out wirelessly to previously sold Hummers, her story says.
Tired of dealing with all the technology in your car? You're not the only one. Consumers are unimpressed with many driver-assist features and uncertain if more advanced systems will be useful, Pete Bigelow wrote today. That's the assessment of a new J.D. Power white paper, which questions whether automakers' efforts on driver-assist upgrades are worthwhile.
"Driver assistance has an identity crisis," Kathleen Rizk, J.D. Power's senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology and co-author of the paper, told Automotive News.
That's it for now. Have a great rest of your day. If you want to view this story in your browser, click here.
— Philip Nussel, online editor
No comments:
Post a Comment