Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup July 13-19, 2025

AUTO CENTRAL - Louisville, KY - July 20, 2025: Every Sunday for the past 30 years, Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and TACH Executive Producer, compiled his take on this past week's automotive news, condensed into easy-to-digest news Nuggets.

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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.

Larry' News Nuggets July 13-19, 2025

* New-Vehicle Costs Rise in June. Data released by Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book revealed that the average transaction price (ATP) for new vehicles rose slightly in June to $48,907, the pace of sales slowed, and incentives ticked up. New-vehicle MSRPs rose for the third straight month, reaching an average of $51,124—the second-highest on record. This suggests that product costs are rising more quickly than transaction prices. The Kelley Blue Book team’s initial ATP estimate for a new electric vehicle in June was $56,910, down from the revised-lower ATP of $57,236 in May. Year over year, new EV prices in June were lower by 2.8%. EV incentives moved higher for the second consecutive month and reached a new record of 14.8% of ATP, or more than $8,400. See all the details HERE

* Used EVs are selling. Car buyers are turning a cold shoulder to new electric vehicles these days, but they are flocking to used models. Used EV sales topped 100,000 for the first time in the second quarter, according to industry-services business Cox Automotive. Used EV prices dropped nearly 32% in 2024, almost 10 times the drop in used gas car prices, attracting value-conscious buyers. Full story HERE HERE

* Florida's new Super Speeder law. Florida’s new “Super Speeder” law, officially House Bill 351, went in to effect on July 1. The law is put in place to save lives by preventing Florida drivers from engaging in dangerous excessive speeding by introducing stricter penalties. The law defines “super speeders” as drivers exceeding the speed limit by 50 miles-per-hour or more, or those driving 100 miles-per-hour or more. Penalties include mandatory court appearances, fines, and potential license suspension. Read about the first driver arrest HERE

* Robotaxi ramp-up. President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the nation’s top car safety regulator pledged to prioritize safety while at the same time making it easier for automakers to deploy self-driving cars.  Waymo intends to add robotaxis made in partnership with Geely's Zeekr brand to its U.S. fleet. The vehicles will be integrated with Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving systems starting this year.  Lucid Group, Nuro, Inc. and Uber Technologies, Inc. just announced a next-generation premium global robotaxi program created exclusively for the Uber ride-hailing platform. Uber aims to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver over six years in dozens of markets around the world, with the first launch in a major US city next year. As the saying goes, "Leave the driving to us." 

 * BMW 3 series - 50 years on. BMW of North America in partnership with the Petersen Automotive Museum announced the opening of “The Ultimate Racing Machine. 50 Years of the BMW 3 Series in Motorsports” exhibit in the Phil Hill Legends Room of the museum’s recently reimagined James H. Frank Family Vault. "The Ultimate Racing Machine" exhibit brings together seven of the most successful and important race cars—one from each generation. The exhibit traces the evolution of the iconic BMW model line through all seven generations, showcasing its impact on motorsport and the marque’s heritage. The core group of race cars has been combined with three wonderfully preserved street examples of the 3 Series including one of the three remaining V8 powered M3 GTR Straßenversion (homologation street version). "The Ultimate Racing Machine. 50 Years of BMW 3 Series in Motorsport" will run through June 2026.

* Ford recall record. Ford Motor Co. has broken the record for the most safety recalls in a year, surpassing the previous record of 77 recalls held by General Motors in 2014. By July 14, 2025, Ford had already issued 89 recalls, a number exceeding the combined recalls of the next five automakers. This surge in recalls is attributed to Ford's intensive strategy to identify and fix both hardware and software issues. According to Ford, 33 of the recalls were to audit software updates for vehicles that weren’t properly updated. More details HERE

* Land Rover recall. JLR is recalling 20,999 Range Rover Evoque SUVs for risk of airbag tears during deployment because of improper assembly, NHTSA said. The recall covers all 2021-24 and certain 2025 Range Rover Evoques.

* Ford recall. Ford Motor Co. is recalling 687,000 Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Escape SUVs in the US. Ford said the SUVs have faulty fuel injectors that  leak and could raise the risk of the vehicles catching on fire. The recall covers certain 2021–2024 model year Bronco Sport and 2020–2022 model year Escape SUVs with 1.5-liter engines. According to the NHTSA filing, fuel injectors in the impacted vehicles may crack, causing fuel to leak into the engine compartment and possibly ignite. Ford is still developing a solution to fix the issue. A previous software-based fix proved to still allow fuel leakage and possible engine fire.

* Toyota Charts Course for the 2025 Rebelle Rally. Last weekend at the XOVERLAND Ranch, Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) announced the renewal of its participation in the Rebelle Rally, the longest competitive off-road navigation rally in the United States known for featuring all-women two-person teams. For 2025, Toyota is fielding a team from outside the company, a first for the company, while continuing to send 12 internal team members to compete. Additionally, Toyota is returning as presenting sponsor of the live event webcast for the fourth consecutive year.

* NASCAR Chicago on hold. NASCAR won’t hold the Chicago Street Race in 2026 while exploring a new date and a shorter buildout. “Our goal is for the Chicago Street Race to return in 2027 with an event that further enhances the experience for residents and visitors alike, as we work together towards a new potential date, shorter build schedule, and additional tourism draws,” Julie Giese, NASCAR Chicago Street Race president, said in a letter to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. More details HERE

* RIP. Frank A. Aukofer, who parlayed an apprenticeship in the printing trade into a 40-year career as an award-winning newspaper reporter in Washington and Milwaukee, has died. He passed away peacefully on the morning of July 14 surrounded by friends and family at his residence at Goodwin House in Falls Church, Va. He was 90. Aukofer's reporting included the automotive industry and was a reviewer of motor vehicles in his DriveWays review columns. Aukofer was an esteemed juror and one of the founders of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and also a past-president of the Washington Automotive Press Association. 

Stay safe. Be Well.

Kind regards, 
Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy