Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup February 9-15, 2025

Auto Central Louisville, Kentucky, February 16, 2025; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Auto Channel Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior Detroit editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, compile The Auto Channel's "take" on this past week's automotive news, condensed into easy to digest news Nuggets.

EARN MORE: Complete versions of today's news nuggets, along with hundreds of thousands of pages of relevant news, information and opinions are stored in a million-page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel during the past 30 years. Complete information can be found by copying a headline and inserting it into any Site Search Box.

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.

* New-vehicle prices. December’s surprisingly hot sales month has cooled according to new data from Kelley Blue Book that shows the average new-vehicle transaction price (ATP) in January dropped 2.2% from December to $48,641. Incentives also decreased, falling from 8.0% of ATP in December to 7.2% in January. The average price for EVs in January was $55,614, up nearly 1% from a downwardly revised December. Compared to the overall industry, EV ATPs were higher by 14.3%. A year ago, the price premium versus the industry was 17.4%. Top luxury brands, including Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Lexus posted significantly fewer sales in January compared to December, with some brands’ sales volumes lower by more than 50%.

* Tariffs, again. From Reuters we read: "After backing off tariffs on Mexico and Canada – to investors’ relief – President Donald Trump has returned once more to his foreign policy tool of choice with a 25% border tax now in place on all U.S. imports of steel and aluminum "without exceptions or exemptions" to protect local producers. As the United States is reliant on imports for most of its aluminum, this could have far-reaching effects on several industries including autos. It also brings the threat of retaliation, to which Trump responded: “I don’t mind.” One important caveat is the tariffs don’t go into effect until March 12, which could mean they might still not happen. Next up, Trump says he will announce reciprocal tariffs on many countries. He has, for instance, often complained about the EU's 10% tariff on auto imports, which is higher than the U.S. car rate of 2.5%. Trump says tariffs will fix America’s problems. Various industries, economists and U.S. allies say it will drive up costs yet again for consumers for whom inflation played a not insignificant role in Trump’s election victory. We may find out who’s right relatively soon."

* NEVI paused. The U.S. Transportation Department (DoT) has rescinded all guidance related to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program through a Federal Highway Administration letter to state transportation directors, as instructed by the Trump administration. Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that suspension of funds is forbidden under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act. More details here: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5132717-trump-administration-suspends-electric-vehicle-charging-network/

* Don't help China. Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley warned that if the federal government under President Donald Trump repeals provisions of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act like the electric vehicle battery production tax credits, the company could resort to layoffs. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2025/02/11/ford-gm-ceo-ira-layoffs-tariff-chaos-wolfe-conference/78412424007/

* Meanwhile. U.S. Senate Republicans proposed a pair of bills to kill the country's $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit and impose a new $1,000 tax on EVs to pay for road repairs. Senator John Barrasso, joined by 14 senators including Senate Majority Leader John Thune introduced legislation to repeal the tax credit for new EVs and kill the $4,000 used EV credit. Another bill would impose a one-time $1,000 fee charged at the time of purchase, which would be roughly equivalent to what drivers of conventional vehicles pay in federal gas taxes. Read it here: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/republican-senators-call-1000-tax-new-ev-sales-pay-road-repairs-2025-02-12/

* J.D. Power Dependability. Vehicle problems after three years of ownership have reached the highest level since 2009, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. Compared with 2024 results, the industry experiences a 6% increase in problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), which is 12 PP100 worse than a year ago. Lexus ranks highest overall in vehicle dependability for a third consecutive year. Buick ranks highest in the mass market segment. Complete details here:https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2025-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds

* Buick half time star. The Super Bowl halftime show with Kendrick Lamar made people start searching for Buick Regal Grand Nationals/GNXs. During the Big Game halftime show, Buick stole the spotlight. Used Buick pages saw a 182% lift on Cars.com and used Buick Regal pages had a 451% boost. Here's more about Lamar's own Buick GNX. https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a63727200/kendrick-lamar-brought-a-gnx-to-his-super-bowl-halftime-show/

* A Ford in a Jeep. Actor Harrison Ford headlined the Jeep brand’s epic Big Game commercial on Sunday's Super Bowl. The spot, which was kept top secret until its reveal during the telecast on Sunday night, features Ford in the two two-minute film "Owner's Manual." Stellantis is the only automaker that aired commercials during this year’s Big Game, with appearances from both the Jeep and Ram brands. See it here: https://www.jeep.com/

* Maserati World Premiers. At the exclusive “The I.C.E.” event, to be held in St. Moritz, Switzerland on Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22, Maserati is ready to “break the ice” and play a leading role with its current range and two exclusive world premieres, in the spirit of “Italian grand touring” and the Trident's performance. The I.C.E. St. Moritz is not only a competition, but also a unique event combining culture, entertainment and driving in extreme conditions, serving as an the unmissable opportunity for car enthusiasts, collectors, and fans of the automotive world. Maserati will be at the 2025 event – accompanied by the Fuoriserie Customization Program team – with two world premieres. All spotlights will be on the GranTurismo and GranCabrio product ranges, available in both internal combustion and 100 percent electric powertrains, come with all-wheel drive (AWD) and an air suspension standard to ensure the utmost performance without sacrificing comfort in full “granturismo” spirit, even in the open air.

* O Canada. The four winners of the 2025 Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY), presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), were announced during the opening ceremonies of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The 2025 CCOTY winners are: Canadian Car of the Year – Honda Civic, Canadian Electric Car of the Year – BMW i4, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Santa Fe, and Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

* Tesla sales in free-fall. Tesla sales are plunging worldwide amid Musk’s new role in Trump politics...down 13% in January in the US and down 11.5% in China. Sales are plunging up to 60% in Europe amid Musk's support for the far-right. So, yeah; consequences. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tesla-elon-musk-trump-administration-b2695738.html

* Cold weather and EVs. Subzero temperatures and winter conditions on a Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) comparative drive between Ottawa and Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, saw every electric vehicle participating fall short of its federally estimated range, a majority by 30 per cent or more. Range fall-off in cold weather is a know characteristic of EVs. Read more here. https://www.caa.ca/news/caa-conducts-road-test-of-ev-range-charge-in-winter-conditions/

* Toyota recall. Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 106,061 Tacoma pickups due to a brake fluid leak that can reduce braking ability and increase the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The recall affects certain 2024-2025 Tacoma four-wheel drive vehicles.

* GM recall. General Motors is recalling 70,768 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles over faulty attachments for chrome grille deflectors that could result in the part detaching, NHTSA said.

* Headlines that got our attention: --- Democrats say Trump illegally withholding state EV charging funds. --- Republican-leaning states most at risk of losing EV jobs. --- Trump creating ‘cost and chaos,’ Ford CEO Jim Farley says. --- Trump’s rollback of EV rules encounters regulatory maze and hard math. --- EV sales growth will stagnate in 2025, J.D. Power says.

* Corvette lap records. The Corvette ZR1 has set five new production car track lap records. With four different General Motors drivers behind the wheel, the Corvette ZR1 has set new production car lap records during a U.S. track tour at Watkins Glen Long Course, Road Atlanta Road America, Virginia International Raceway Full Course and Virginia International Raceway Grand Course. Details are here: https://pressroom.chevrolet.com/gmbx/us/en/chevrolet/pressroom/news.detail.html/Pages/news/us/en/2025/feb/0211-zr1.html

* Daytona 500 EV Pace Car. The 2025 Blazer EV SS – the quickest SS model Chevrolet has ever produced – will pace the 67th DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Sunday, February 16, 2025. The Blazer EV SS, set to go on sale later this quarter, is equipped with Wide Open Watts (WOW), which propels the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, and produces 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft torque. The pace car set for the DAYTONA 500 is a production vehicle with no performance upgrades and features custom graphics and embedded strobe lighting.

* NASCAR’s “Great American Race.” Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe qualified first for this Sunday’s Daytona 500. It is the first Daytona 500 pole for Briscoe, who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing this season when Stewart-Haas Racing closed at the end of 2024. His move to the No. 19 gave Toyota its first pole in NASCAR’s biggest race of the season. Briscoe’s lap of 182.745 mph held off a slew of Ford challengers. Former race winner Austin Cindric driving a Ford for Team Penske will start second. The new “world-class driver” provisional that guarantees entry as a 41st car to one driver who doesn’t compete full-time in NASCAR and brings marketability and visibility to the series’ biggest race will be used by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. The 49-year-old Brazilian is driving for Trackhouse Racing.

Stay safe. Be Well.