Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Wrapup December 8-14, 2024
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Here are Larry's top story picks from this past week's important to you, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as expertly crafted easy-to-understand automotive news nuggets.
Nutson's Auto News Wrapup Week Of December 8-14, 2024-
Vehicle prices continue to climb. New-vehicle prices in November climbed higher year over year for the second straight month, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. Last month, the average transaction price (ATP) for a new vehicle was $48,724, an increase of $699, or 1.5%, from November 2023. The November ATP was also higher by $720 compared to the downwardly revised ATP in October of $48,004. Sales incentives for new vehicles in November averaged 8.0% of ATP, up from 7.8% in October. Incentives have now increased for five straight months. New electric vehicle sales were also strong in November, with initial estimates suggesting that November volume in the U.S. market was the second-best ever, behind only August 2024. In November, Kelley Blue Book estimates show that the average transaction price for a new EV was $55,105, a decrease of 1.8% from the downwardly revised October price. Incentive spending on EVs jumped, reaching 14.9% of ATP, the highest level since the pandemic and an increase from the upwardly revised 14.6% in October.
- Money's Best. Money's 2025 edition of Best Cars & Trucks is out. Money drove and evaluated hundreds of vehicles on the market to arrive at over 50 standouts. Above all, Money rewarded cars that stand out for delivering a lot for the price. See it all HERE
- Truck of the Year. MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, announced the Ram 1500 as its 2025 Truck of the Year award winner. The truck was chosen on the strength of its value, excellent new powertrain, and broad appeal, among other criteria. Each MotorTrend Truck of the Year competitor is judged against MotorTrend’s six key criteria: safety, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, and performance of intended function. For a more in-depth analysis of why the Ram 1500 was named 2025 Truck of the Year, see it. HERE
- US DoE factoid of the week. Global sales of light-duty vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine peaked in 2017 at over 80 million. Although overall global vehicle sales were down relative to 2017, sales have been recovering following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since 2020, consumers have had more plug-in choices in the marketplace and most of the increase in sales was attributable to battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As plug-in vehicles have gained in popularity, sales of vehicles powered only by internal combustion engines have declined or remained flat during that recovery, remaining below 60 million after 2021.
- Emerging Electric Three-Row SUV and Crossover Market. Data from AutoPacific’s Future Vehicle Planner reveals Millennials are the most likely generation to want to go fully electric, and they are also very likely in their family-raising years. The typical consumer who would consider buying an electric three-row SUV/XSUV is a married female Millennial parent living in a single-family home in the suburbs and driving less than 30 miles per day. More than half of all shoppers and considerer's believe they can have home charging equipment installed relatively easy and cost effectively, while a quarter are aware of possible required extensive, expensive electrical upgrades. HERE
- Buyer beware. Odometer fraud, meaning odometer rollback, has increased Nationwide to 2.14 million vehicles. This is up more than 18% since 2021, costing unsuspecting buyers thousands of dollars. Read the report from Carfax: HERE
- No GM robotaxis. General Motors’ Cruise unit is abandoning its effort to develop robotaxis. The automaker has invested more than $10 billion in Cruise since 2016. Cruise will be folded into its group working on driver assistance technology. The move comes on the heels of GM scaling back plans for electric vehicles. Read the details here: HERE
- City speed limits may be too high. IIHS researchers analyzed pedestrian crashes to develop injury risk curves showing how speed affects crash outcomes. The findings suggest that the 25 mph speed limit commonly used in residential neighborhoods in the U.S. may be too high for bustling city centers or other areas with large numbers of pedestrians. “A small increase in crash speed can really ramp up the danger to a pedestrian,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Our fondness for tall SUVs and pickups in the U.S. has intensified that effect.” HERE
- EV winter driving tips. Ford has some winter driving tips tailored for electric vehicle owners. With the temps dropping, it is important to navigate the winter season safely and smartly. This guide provides tips to educate electric vehicle owners on how to achieve optimal performance and safety in colder conditions. Although this is from Ford, it can be applied to all EVs. Have a look. HERE
- USPS EVs in the mix. Donald Trump’s transition team is considering canceling the United States Postal Service’s contracts to electrify its delivery fleet, as part of a broader suite of executive orders targeting electric vehicles, according to three sources familiar with the plans. The sources told Reuters that Trump’s transition team is now reviewing how it can unwind the Postal Service's multibillion-dollar contracts, including with Oshkosh Corp. and Ford for tens of thousands of battery-driven delivery trucks and charging stations. In 2023, Congress gave USPS $3 billion as part of a $430 billion climate bill to buy EVs and charging infrastructure. It plans to buy some 66,000 electric vehicles to build one of the largest electric vehicle fleets in the nation by 2028. The USPS is an autonomous federal agency with its own governing board, making severing the contract legally challenging, but Trump's stated policy aims are poised to test the boundaries of executive power on a range of issues, from trade to federal spending.
- What classic to buy? Hagerty Media just released its Hagerty Bull Market List, their annual deep dive into the collector vehicles most poised to increase in value in the year to come. This year, 2025, marks the eighth installment of their expert insights. Have a look and start shopping. HERE
- One very fast pony. The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is the first car from an American brand to complete a lap around Germany’s iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes. The Mustang GTD fulfilled Ford's sub-7-minute Nürburgring promise, completing a lap of the 12.9-mile, 73-turn “Green Hell” in 6:57.685 HERE
- Goodbye Mercedes F1. Lewis Hamilton's career of 12 seasons, 246 Grands Prix, 84 victories and six drivers’ championships as a Mercedes F1 driver has come to an end. The 39-year-old announced before the start of this season that he would join Ferrari in 2025. Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2025 F1 season.
- McLaren on top again. Lando Norris won the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP race to give McLaren F1 the Constructors' Championship in 2024. Just seven years after McLaren, one of F1's oldest and most storied teams, appeared at their lowest ebb after finishing second from last in the constructors' standings, last Sunday's title-winning result absolutely confirmed their return to the very top of the sport. McLaren took the lead in the constructors' championship race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in mid-September, putting an end to Red Bull's run of 55 races at the top of the standings. Red Bull's slow decline continued into the final seven races of the season, with Ferrari emerging as McLaren's only remaining competitor for the crown ahead of the race. Stay safe. Be Well.