Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup July 28 - August 2, 2025
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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 27-August 2, 2025* EU tariff deal. President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who leads the EU’s executive body, announced the preliminary deal that puts baseline tariffs at 15% for most European goods. In parallel, the EU said European companies would buy $750 billion of American energy products over three years and invest an additional $600 billion in the U.S. Aircraft and their components, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment and some agricultural products looked set to be exempted from the new tariffs. Automobiles appeared on course to face 15% tariffs...on top of the already existing 2.5% tariff, but lower than the current 25% level. So now we have EU and Japan at 15%. But, autos from Canada and Mexico are still at 25%. Stay tuned! And let's see what happens to new vehicle pricing. For years auto tariffs have been 2.5%, now they will be six times higher.
* Tariffs bite hard. Ford Motor Co., the second-largest American carmaker, prides itself on making most of its vehicles in the U.S. Some 80% of the cars Ford sells in the U.S. are built there, and it makes more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker. However, Ford’s made-in-America strategy hurts it in Trump’s Trade War. Ford said it paid $800 million in tariffs in the second quarter. Get the details HERE
* Used car prices have increased. What a difference a year makes! Back in July 2024, prices for used vehicles were falling in nearly every segment. Now, we’re seeing big year-over-year increases. The Carfax Used Car Index tells us what’s happened to prices since Summer of 2024. Get the scoop HERE
* New IIHS crash ratings. Two midsize luxury SUVs, the all-electric 2025 Tesla Model Y and the 2025 Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid, earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards in the latest batch of vehicle ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. New ratings are also available for a gas-powered midsize SUV, the 2025 Jeep Wrangler, as well as two small pickups, the 2025 Chevrolet Colorado and the 2025 GMC Canyon. None of these vehicles earn an award. More detail HERE
* More EV chargers, in spite of the Feds. Despite uncertainty around federal EV charging policy, fast-charging in the U.S. is only speeding up. A new report from EV data firm Paren shows 2025 is on track to break records, with a 19% jump in DC fast charger installations - adding 16,700 new ports on top of 2024’s all-time high. On the pricing front, fast charging got slightly cheaper overall. The national average price per kilowatt-hour fell to $0.48, down from $0.50 in Q1. The shift is driven by more stations adopting time-of-use pricing. More details HERE
* Best cars for car seats. Cars.com’s 2025 Best Cars for Car Seats list compiles a year’s worth of our Car Seat Checks in 55 vehicles. Cars.com tests the vehicles as they are made available to them by automakers. Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks launched in 2010, and they’ve installed car seats into more than 850 vehicles over the years. Read who is the best for 2025 right HERE
* Change in plans. Cupra, a brand Volkswagen Group was counting on for further growth in the critical U.S. market, has postponed its planned entry to the country beyond 2030, citing evolving market dynamics. The company announced plans to sell sporty SUVs in the U.S. last year. It would have been the second new VW Group brand in recent years, as the company is deep into plans to relaunch the classic Scout brand by 2027.
* Consumers hate in-car subscriptions. Automakers are increasingly turning to in-car subscriptions to generate recurring revenue, despite growing consumer resistance. According to a study by S&P Global Mobility, only 68% of drivers are willing to pay for connected car services, down from 86% in 2024, primarily due to cost and privacy concerns. Automakers such as Ford Motor, General Motors, Kia and Toyota are experimenting with feature bundling, pricing and data collection to gauge what drivers are willing to pay for. More on this HERE
* Art Center exhibit. The new “Cruising J-Town” exhibit at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California tells the story of Japanese-Americans and the cars they drove and raced. “Cruising J-Town broadens our understanding and appreciation of Southern California car scenes by exploring the many ways that Japanese Americans have participated and innovated within them,” exhibit curator Oliver Wang said. The exhibit runs from July 31 to Nov. 12 at the Art Center’s Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery on the South Campus. More info HERE
* History made at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval, surviving a late rain delay, two overtimes, concerns over running out of fuel and a hard-charging Kyle Larson on Sunday in the Brickyard 400. The third NASCAR Cup victory of Wallace's career was also his biggest. It snapped a 100-race winless streak that dated to 2022 at Kansas. He also won at Talladega in 2021. It's his first win at one of NASCAR's four crown jewel races.
* Nürburgring takeover. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X and ZR1 are now the fastest cars from an American manufacturer. The Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X took over the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit where, for the first time in the track’s history, an automaker brought three different cars with three non-racecar drivers to record three lap times in a single visit. Three of the Chevrolet engineers who helped develop these cars, and have extensive experience and advanced driving credentials, piloted them during the fast laps. The Chevrolet team now has the fastest official laps set by an American manufacturer at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Corvette ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell completed a 6:49.275 lap in the electrified all-wheel drive ZR1X and now has the fastest lap time of any non-professional racecar driver at the Nürburgring in the list of official record laps. ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace set a 6:50.763 time in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1. The 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever put in a production car, set a lap of 7:11.826 with vehicle performance manager Aaron Link behind the wheel. The new documentary “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story” goes behind the scenes and showcases the journey from GM’s Milford Proving Ground to Germany. See it. HERE
* RIP. Vic Wilson, who won the first Baja 1000 in a Meyers Manx, has died. Co-driving with Drino Miller, Wilson won what was then called the NORRA Mexican 1000. Here's more about Vic from Autoweek. HERE
Stay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards,
Larry Nutson,the Chicago Car Guy