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LEARN MORE FROM THE WEB'S LONGEST RUNNING AUTOMOTIVE COLUMN
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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's Automotive News Nuggets August 17-23, 2025- July EV sales in high gear. The looming expiration of the federal tax credit on Sept. 30 drove a rush in new and used electric vehicle purchases in July, Cox Automotive reports. New EV sales increased 19.7% year over year and 26.4% from June, with a record 130,082 vehicles sold. Used EV sales increased 40% year over year and were up 23.2% over June. The average transaction price for a new EV dropped to $55,689, a slight drop from June, per Cox. Details HERE
- Impact of No EV tax credit. The latest data and forecast EV sales from automotive market research and consulting firm AutoPacific reveal the considerable impact of the upcoming September 30 elimination of the Federal tax credit. The recent passing of H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, includes the elimination of the Biden-era Federal tax credit for EV purchases and leases that can currently save the consumer up to $7,500 off the purchase price of a full battery electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicle, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The impact of the repeal effectively raises the cost of EVs significantly. The elimination of the tax credit comes at a particularly unfortunate time for the upcoming wave of what were to be affordable EVs. AutoPacific’s Future Vehicle Planner data have shown year after year that affordability is one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption, with 32% of EV rejectors in 2025 saying the cost to purchase or lease an EV is too expensive and 35% saying lower vehicle prices would make them reconsider. AutoPacific expects EV adoption rates to flatten considerably as the price of entry into the EV market increases by as much as $7,500 just on the elimination of the tax credit alone, even without accounting for other increased costs stemming from recently imposed tariffs on imported vehicles, parts, and raw materials.
- Meanwhile. Affordability, or the lack thereof, has long been a major stumbling block for electric vehicle adoption. But with a wave of deeply discounted offers, EVs on average are cheaper to lease than gas-powered cars. A Mercedes EQB is one of the cheapest cars in the US, with a lease price of $352 a month, including the down payment, according to Edmunds.com. On average, EV leases are cheaper than gas-powered cars, with an average EV lease of $624 a month, compared with $670 for internal-combustion cars and trucks, according to Edmunds. Car companies are offering discounted EV leases to lock in loyal customers before losing federal tax credits and to move current inventory, with leases now comprising nearly three out of four EV transactions, according to Edmunds.com. More on this HERE
- Tariffs not lowered yet. The U.S. will maintain 27.5% tariffs on EU automobiles until the EU reduces levies on U.S. seafood and agricultural goods. Once the EU proposes tariff reductions, the U.S. will lower automotive levies to 15% and apply it to most European goods. Swift action by the EU could have U.S. tariffs on autos apply retroactively to Aug. 1. More details HERE
- EV fast chargers have a surprising health downside. EV fast chargers, while promoting cleaner transportation, present an unexpected health downside related to fine particulate matter pollution. The powerful cooling fans within fast charging stations' power cabinets can stir up and disperse fine particulate matter like dust, tire particles, and brake debris into the surrounding air. A study by the University of California, Los Angeles’ Fielding School of Public Health has revealed that the concentration of these harmful particles near fast chargers can be significantly higher than background levels and even surpass levels found at gas stations in some cases. There is a solution. Incorporating filtration systems into charging cabinets, strategically placing charging stations away from sensitive areas like schools and residences, and increasing the height of air intakes and exhausts will help address the issue.
- Fewer auto loan delinquencies. WalletHub reports many cities had significant decreases in the auto loan delinquency rate between Q1 and Q2 2025. This demonstrates either that economic conditions are improving or that people are prioritizing getting current with payments on secured debt like auto loans so they don’t get their property repossessed. Whatever the root cause of reduced delinquency rates, it’s good news for consumers and the economy overall, according to WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. Winston-Salem, NC is the city where auto loan delinquency is decreasing the most, as nearly 43.5% fewer loans were delinquent in Q2 2025 compared to Q1 2025. See the full report HERE
- It's about price. The Dave Cantin Group, an auto dealer M&A firm, has a new market outlook this week that concludes that “affordability concerns are rewriting the rules of the road” in the U.S. vehicle market. Why does that matter to the EV business? The Cantin Group says this: “Forty percent of U.S. consumers say they would consider a Chinese-made vehicle, and 75% of dealers expect Chinese brands in the market within a year. This openness is rooted in price sensitivity, with buyers motivated by even modest savings over U.S., European, Korean or Japanese options. While large-scale entry in 2025 is unlikely, a controlled rollout under the Trump administration is plausible. Abroad, Chinese OEMs doubled EU market share in the first half of 2025, with sales up 91% year-over-year and BYD outselling Tesla in Europe for the first time in April.” Hat tip to Joe White and his High Speed Rodeo automotive industry news from Motown for this info. HERE
- Corvette recall. GM has announced a voluntary recall and issued a stop-sale order for certain 2023 to 2026 model-year Corvettes over a fire risk while owners fuel up their vehicle. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and ZR1 units are equipped with a left-side radiator/cooling fan combination which is near the fuel filler. Excess fuel spilled into the fuel-filler pocket can leak down on an ignition source. Fuel spilling onto an ignition source, such as in this case, increases the risk of a fire.
- Suzuki motorcycle recall. Suzuki is recalling the 2020 and 2024 Katana, as well as all V-Strom 1050 variants from 2020 to 2025 because their high beams are too bright, creating a potential blinding hazard for other drivers and riders. The recall affects 150 Katana models and 1,393 V-Strom models, including the 1050, 1050XT, and 1050XT Adventure models from 2020 to 2022, as well as the 1050, 1050DE and 1050DE Adventure models from 2023 to 2025. According to recall documents released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the high beams of affected bikes exceed the maximum photometric intensity (the measure of its perceived brightness in a specific direction) of 7,500 candela, as set by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 1. Lights that exceed the standard pose a risk of impairing the vision of other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Pebble Beach Best of Show. A unique aero-inspired Hispano-Suiza was awarded the top prize at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This year, 229 cars—including 55 international entries from 22 countries and 174 US entries from 31 states—pulled onto the competition field, and the car named Best of Show was a 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo shown by Penny and Lee Anderson Sr. of Naples, Florida. Known as the “Tulipwood” Torpedo, the car is in fact constructed of strips of mahogany, each individually carved to shape and joined to the inner ribs by 8,500 rivets. It reportedly weighed just 160 pounds when first built.
- Ford's SuperVan 4.2 clocks 6:48 lap at Nürburgring. Ford Motor's one-off, track-only demonstrator all-electric "SuperVan" has set a company-best time at the Nurburgring, completing a lap in 6:48.42, four seconds faster than the street-legal Mustang GTD. Driven by Romain Dumas, the SuperVan 4.2 is powered by a quad-motor setup delivering 2,000 horsepower and weighs more than 4,400 pounds. Ford's SuperVan time makes it quicker than the Corvette ZR1X, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. Only the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series remains just half a second faster.
- NASCAR 2026. NASCAR released it 2026 schedule and is returning to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for 2026. The events will mark NASCAR's first at the track since 2019, after NASCAR pulled its Joliet event in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of the speedway, NASCAR raced in downtown Chicago in 2023-25. Also new is the introduction of a street-course event in San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado and moving the championship weekend for all three national circuits to Homestead-Miami Speedway. See the full schedule HERE
- No ICE IndyCar. The Sports Business Journal reports Penske Entertainment said that it was “caught off-guard by the use of an IndyCar chassis to help announce the Trump administration’s plan to put ICE detainees in a northern Indiana detention facility.” The official Homeland Security account yesterday posted on X what “appeared to have been an AI-generated image of a white present-day Indy car” with ICE branding “all across the livery.” The facility also was dubbed the “Speedway Slammer” in the post. Penske in a statement said they were “unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of (the Aug. 5) announcement.” Penske added, “Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.”
- RIP. H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, who helped usher NASCAR’s presence onto the national stage in the 1970s with imaginative, often over-the-top pre-race shows and a completely new vision to race-track facilities, has died. He was 86. Wheeler, a native of Belmont, North Carolina, was named as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Read more HERE
Stay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards,
Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy
The Auto Channel