Free Republic

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department is expected to declare that fuel economy rules issued under then President Joe Biden exceeded the government's legal authority by including electric vehicles in setting the rules, automakers said on Monday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday submitted its interpretive rule, "Resetting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program" to the White House for review. He said in a statement the prior administration had "illegally used CAFE standards as a backdoor electric vehicle mandate – driving the price of cars up."

Tariffs of up to 45 per cent on Chinese-made electric cars imported into the European Union may be replaced with a new ‘minimum pricing’ system after previously stalled discussions between the two trading partners were re-started. A ‘minimum pricing’ arrangement – also referred to as ‘price floors’ or ‘price undertakings’ – between the European Union (EU) and China would see tariffs abolished and set minimum prices agreed upon. According to Reuters, European trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic has said any new policy would have to be as effective as tariffs, given the approach has previously only been applied on ‘homogenous commodities’....

The factory sector came roaring back in President Trump’s first full month in office. Industrial production in the United States surged in February, rising 0.7 percent, more than triple the 0.2 percent increase economists had expected. The latest data from the Federal Reserve marks a significant expansion in industrial activity, with total output reaching its highest level on record. Manufacturing output, which accounts for roughly three-fourths of total industrial production, rose 0.9 percent, the largest monthly gain in a year. A particularly notable driver of February’s expansion was the auto sector, where motor vehicle and parts production jumped 8.5 percent....

Well...huh?I wonder why?Mandates and Green dreams still can't change what people want and are willing to pay for, it seems.European automotive suppliers are experiencing unprecedented turbulence as electric vehicle market uncertainties trigger a wave of dramatic workforce reductions. Major manufacturers are confronting a perfect storm of economic challenges that threaten the industry’s traditional foundations.In a stark illustration of the sector’s volatility Robert Bosch, ZF Friedrichshafen, Continental and Schaeffler have collectively announced 54,000 job cuts in 2024. This figure represents a record number of redundancies surpassing those announced during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 combined according to the European...

Executives at Ford Motor Company, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis are begging President-elect Donald Trump to keep in place President Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates. The plea comes as automakers have invested billions in EVs that have failed to turn a profit. In March of this year, Biden issued a federal regulation to begin phasing out gas-powered cars, requiring American automakers to produce EVs and ensure that by 2032, the majority of new cars sold in the U.S. market are electric. Since then, Ford, GM, and Stellantis have staked their futures on EVs. The results have been bleak as...

Cars once represented a pillar of the American dream — mobility and independence. But they've become something of a luxury product, and customers and auto dealers are growing frustrated. The average price for a car in the U.S. is nearly $50,000, an increase of close to 30% in the past five years, according to Kelley Blue Book. Monthly payments are also near an all-time high. A record number of owners are underwater — paying more than the vehicle is worth — according to Edmunds. Despite record profits in 2023, automakers face challenges: the need to invest billions into software and...

Ranked: The Most Reliable Car Brands As the saying goes, “It’s not how fast you can go, but how far you can get”—and in today’s world, a dependable car is crucial for getting you wherever you need to go. Reliability, or how consistently a vehicle performs without experiencing mechanical failures or issues over time, remains a key factor when choosing which brand of vehicle to purchase. This graphic visualizes the predicted reliability scores of various automakers, as ranked by Consumer Reports. The data is updated as of November 2023. Asian Automakers Lead The Pack Lexus and Toyota ranked first and...

DETROIT — A Democrat running for Congress in one of America’s top manufacturing districts once called auto “a dying industry,” a comment sure to tick off his Motown-area voters — and they’ll be reminded of it over and over again in a 30-second ad his Republican opponent launched Tuesday, which The Post viewed exclusively.GOP incumbent Rep. John James is facing a rematch in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District against Democrat Carl Marlinga, whom he defeated in 2022 by just 1,601 votes.The race is expected to be just as close this year — and James is determined to hold onto his seat,...

The chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission will propose a potential new rule Wednesday that would subject automakers that sell internet-connected cars to a telecommunications law intended to protect domestic violence survivors. Cases of technology-enabled stalking involving cars are emerging as automakers add ever more sophisticated features, such as location tracking and remote control of functions like locking doors or honking the horn. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel last month wrote to nine large automakers and three telecom providers seeking more information about their policies involving internet-connected car technology and domestic abuse. The federal Safe Connections Act gives the FCC authority...

Burn on, Bidenomics! The Biden administration is reportedly considering easing tailpipe emissions regulations, a move that was designed to force Americans from gas and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the plan. This potential policy adjustment is in response to concerns from major automakers and labor unions and comes amid sliding EV demand, recently prompting companies such as Ford Motor Company to reduce EV production and lay off workers. “Instead of essentially requiring automakers to rapidly ramp up sales of electric vehicles over the next few years, the administration would...

(FOX40.COM) — Days after over 80 vehicles were towed during a sideshow in Stockton, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said that no one will be getting their cars back anytime soon. “We’re getting a tremendous amount of calls from people wanting their vehicles back,” said San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow. “To those people whose vehicle we have in our possession, they can stop calling.” [snip] He added that vehicles deemed to be a public nuisance face the possibility of being destroyed.

Nearly 4,000 car dealerships are begging Joe Biden to pull back on the “unrealistic” EV mandates. The EVs are piling up on lots and carmakers are losing billions of dollars. A group of 3,882 dealers sent President Biden a letter begging him to lighten future EV sales requirements. EVs are not ready for the average buyer and may not be for some time. It’s amazing that Biden’s advisors didn’t see that before demanding the regulations. In the letter dated November 28th, 2023, dealers say that while BEVs are ideal for many people, “demand today is not keeping up with the...

Soviet Joe Biden, who is a believer in Soviet-style command economies where rather than rely on free market capitalism, we now have CC (Crony Communism) running the US economy. Into the ground. But in the tradition of bad Federal policiies, Soviet Joe and Energy Secretary Granholm (with help from Congress) mandate green energy transition at all costs, watch the auto industry suffer, then bail them out. Sounds a lot of like the banking crisis of 2008 where The Federal government pushed homeownership until it helped almost collapse the banking sector, then the Federal government bailed out the banks. Rinse, repeat,...

Biden’s approval ratings are terrible. Okay, Biden is the worst President in history, weak, can’t speak coherently and is letting chaos reign on the southern border. But from a consumer standpoint, he and crazy spending Congress have helped make America simply unaffordable for miillions. Once again, Biden’s obsession with foolish green energy, Congress using Covid to spend trillions, then the green energy subsidy Act (aka, Inflation Reduction Act) where Biden and Congress agreed to make massive payoffs to big donors (the donor class). All this resulted in 40 year highs in inflation leading The Federal Reserve to raise interest rates...

One of the greatest barn finds of all time was recently uncovered in the Netherlands and will soon be sold at auction. The Palmen Barnfind Collection is named after its former owner. Mr. Palmen began collecting special cars over 40 years ago. He eventually stored over 230 vehicles in a church and two warehouses, where the cars were rarely seen by anyone. Due to circumstances and his increasing age, Palmen can no only longer keep his impressive collection, and Gallery Aaldering, a classic car dealer, acquired the massive historic fleet.

I once believed that GM had everything needed for a successful EV program. The Detroit carmaker invested billions in overhauling its factories and building new ones. Its EV plans looked rock solid, with more than a dozen EV models planned, some in the mass-market segments. GM even started partnerships with battery makers and raw material suppliers to ensure it has everything in place for a successful execution of its EV plan. I smiled when Mary Barra vowed to surpass Tesla by 2025, although I thought if anyone were to challenge the EV leader, it would be GM. With all the...

Used car prices have soared, recording the largest February increase in 14 years, according to reports. The spike in prices comes as inflation continues to drive consumer prices. Wholesale used-vehicle prices increased 4.1 percent from January through the first half of this month, signifying the largest February increase since 2009’s full-month 4.4 percent gain, according to the mid-month Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index from Cox Automotive. This comes just a month after markets were hit with a massive rise in used car prices, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. The used vehicle index rose to 234.0, down 7.3...

This morning I discovered something *extremely* alarming happening in the car market, specifically in auto lending. I'm now convinced that there is a massive wave of car repossessions coming in 2023. Here's what I discovered (and what no one knows): Background: Over the past 2 years, many people took out exorbitant loans on cars. Car values were inflated (and frankly, still are to some extent). But many people simply had no choice and bought an overpriced a car. Well... Car valuations are now plummeting. Some cars have declined in value as much as 30% y/y. And these same people that...

A growing percentage of Americans with auto loans are struggling to make their monthly payments. Subprime borrowers in particular are feeling the impact of higher prices for both new and used vehicles. The rise in delinquencies also follows the end of loan-accommodation programs set up during the pandemic. With inflation cutting into the budgets of Americans, a growing percentage of people with auto loans are struggling to make their monthly payments. TransUnion, which tracks more than 81 million auto loans in the U.S., said Tuesday the percentage of loans that are at least 60 days delinquent hit 1.65% in the...

An Arizona man was facing multiple theft charges last week after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a critical role in reducing vehicle emissions. The discovery followed a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. “We were very surprised at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said in a police video taken Thursday as officers were pulling...