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Nutson's Weekly Auto News WrapUp - May 26 - June 1, 2025


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Larry Nutson

AUTO CENTRAL - Louisville, KY - June 1, 2025: Every Sunday, Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and TACH Executive Producer, compiles The Auto Channel's take on this past week's automotive news, condensed into easy-to-digest news Nuggets.

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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.

  • May sales outlook. May new-vehicle sales, when reported early next week, are expected to show a slower sales level from March and April's tariff-inspired buying surge, according to the Cox Automotive forecast. The May seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), or sales pace, is forecasted by Cox Automotive to reach approximately 16.0 million, up slightly from last May's 15.8 million level. However, this represents a significant decline from March's 17.8 million and April's 17.3 million pace.

  • Carfax Used Car Index. Prices for Hybrids and Electric Vehicles have popped. For the past two years, the Hybrids & Electric Vehicles (EVs) category has been the one that has seen consistent declines in prices, far outstripping the other groups. Now, they've bounced back with a big jump in prices in May, rising an average of $750 from April. (In the West, they rose a whopping $1,100.) Check out the details from Carfax HERE.

  • Best cars for teens. Looking to buy your teenager a car? Check out U.S. News & World Report's 2025 list of new and used vehicles that are safe and dependable. They've put together a list of the best new and used cars for teens. These vehicles have good safety scores, plenty of driver-assistance technology, and high predicted reliability ratings. More news HERE.

  • More uncertainty. Trump tariffs have been ruled illegal by a Federal Judicial Panel. The U.S. Court of International Trade said the president had overstepped his authority in imposing his "reciprocal" tariffs globally, as well as levies on Canada and Mexico. However, the ruling doesn't affect steel, aluminum and vehicle tariffs, as they were issued under separate legal authorities, according to NY Times. This ruling impacts tariffs invoked under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Stay tuned to see if all the tariff activity, including steel, aluminum and cars, is put to rest.

  • Southern hospitality for EVs. Waffle House, Inc. formed a new partnership with bp pulse to install 400kW ultrafast EV chargers at its restaurants across the Southeastern and Sunbelt regions of the United States. Beginning in 2026, the famously 24/7 diner chain will add EV charging to its menu of customer conveniences. Each participating Waffle House location will feature six ultrafast EV charging bays, equipped with both CCS and NACS connectors to support a wide range of electric vehicles. More news HERE.

  • EV charging rates are up. Nearly 40% of the country's 10,700 or so public fast-charging stations recently started adjusting rates often and aggressively, based on a myriad of factors that skew the supply-demand equation, from weather and events to holiday travel spikes and fluctuating electricity rates. More news HERE.

  • An EV perq. Vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging is a major perq of going electric. Per AutoPacific 2024 FADS data, 22% of all future EV and PHEV intenders want vehicle-to-home charging capability on their next vehicle. As more large battery packs make their way into the market, so too does the opportunity to tap that energy for other uses when the EVs are sitting idle or when an emergency strikes. Catch up on the details HERE. EVs and homes can help balance the grid with bidirectional energy storage

  • GM is still betting on EVs, just not right now. Evolution away from fossil fuels is "unstoppable." Worldwide, EV sales rocketed 30% in March of 2025 compared with the year before. One day, nearly all cars will be electric vehicles. General Motors is betting that America's reticence to adopt electric vehicles is temporary. More news HERE.

  • Goodby manual transmission. Automotive News reports that Nissan halted production of the manual-transmission Versa in Mexico. Nissan is reportedly prioritizing the production of Versa trims that are most popular and generate the most sales. With the Versa's manual production ending, the Nissan Versa might be the last new car with a 5-speed manual transmission available in the US, according to a Reddit thread. Automotive News suggests that this decision may be linked to production costs and the shift towards automatic transmissions, as well as US tariffs.

  • VW Dieselgate. A German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud and gave two of them prison sentences for their part in the manipulation of emissions controls, almost a decade after the scandal erupted over the company's rigging of diesel-engine vehicles. The entire affair cost VW Group more than 30 billion Euros ($33 billion). Get details HERE.

  • Dangerous auto parts. Counterfeit auto parts, especially air bags, are a concern among vehicle manufacturers and law enforcement. The majority of counterfeit auto parts are bought online and may be cheaper than genuine parts, says president of Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council. More news HERE.

  • Ford & Lincoln recall. Ford Motor Co. is recalling 1,075,299 vehicles in the U.S. over an issue that may prevent the rearview camera from displaying images increasing the risk of a crash. The recall affects certain vehicles among 2021-2024 Bronco, F-150, Edge, and 2023-2024 Escape, Corsair, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and F-600. It also impacts the 2022-2024 Expedition, 2022-2025 Transit, 2021-2023 Mach-E, Lincoln Nautilus, 2024 Ranger, Mustang and the 2022-2024 Navigator.

  • Route 66 will be 100 years old in 2026. If you are planning to motor west (or east) here are 25 iconic Route 66 attractions worth a stop on your next road trip. Driving the length of Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles is a memorable experience for many road trip enthusiasts. Crossing eight states—Illinois, Misssouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California—”the 2,448-mile trip is more about the journey than the destination, with no shortage of popular attractions to stop and see along the way. The highway was originally constructed in 1926 as the shortest, year-round route to connect the West Coast and the Midwest. Best Route 66 Attractions Worth a Stop on Your Next Road Trip.

  • Palou claims 1st Indy 500 win. Alex Palou, the three-time IndyCar champion, is the first Spanish driver to emerge victorious from "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Palou took the ceremonial swig of milk in victory lane for the Indianapolis 500. He then allowed his wife to have a sip, she in turn gave a sip to their baby, and team owner Chip Ganassi ended up with the bottle and took a drink, as well. Then the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500 took a victory lap with his family and Ganassi around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a pickup truck. Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, finished second for Andretti Global in a 1-2 finish for Honda. David Malukas was third for A.J. Foyt Racing and the highest-finishing Chevrolet. Josef Newgarden's bid to win three consecutive Indy 500s ended with a fuel pump issue. He was trying to become the first driver to come from the back row to win because he and Team Penske teammate Will Power were dropped to the back of the field for failing inspection before qualifying. Pole winner Robert Shwartzman had a DNF. Kyle Larson didn't complete "The Double" after crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 before he headed to North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race where he also crashed out.

  • Indy Epilogue. Indianapolis 500 runner-up Marcus Ericsson was penalized to the rear of the 33-car field along with Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood on Monday. Their cars were found to have unapproved modifications in post-race inspection Sunday that could have helped the aerodynamic efficiency of both of their cars. Ericsson will now be credited with a 31st-place finish and Kirkwood, who had finished sixth, has been relegated to 32nd. Callum Ilott's car for Prema Racing was found to have a different issue. He forfeited his 12th-place finish and was credited with last place.

  • Trackhouse Racing gets big victory. Trackhouse Racing has won nine NASCAR Cup Series races since opening in 2021. None as big as Sunday night's race. Ross Chastain became the first driver since Bobby Allison 56 years ago to win a race from an official starting position of last when he passed William Byron with six laps remaining to capture the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, giving team owner Justin Marks his first crown jewel win. In a time when the Cup racing seems largely dominated by Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske, the little guys got a much-needed breakthrough win.

Stay safe. Be Well.