Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup January 18-24, 2026
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LEARN 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.
Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup January 18-24, 2026
* Best for the money. U.S. News & World Report announced the 2026 Best Cars for the Money awards. The 2026 awards expanded to recognize cars, SUVs, trucks and minivans across 20 categories that deliver the strongest combination of quality, performance and value for today's buyers, up from 13 awards in previous years. U.S. News recognized the recipients of the Best Cars for the Money awards at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show this week. See the best HERE
* Latin Flavor winners. The Hispanic automotive market has its own voice, and the "Latin Flavor: Cars of the Year 2026" awards demonstrate this by recognizing vehicles that understand the priorities of millions of Latino families in the United States. This year's selection stands out for its focus on efficiency, connectivity, and driving experiences that go beyond the ordinary. The winners in each category are: Sedan of the Year: 2026 Audi A6, SUV of the Year: 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan, Sports Car of the Year: 2026 Subaru BRZ, Pickup of the Year: 2026 Ford Maverick, Electric Vehicle of the Year: 2026 Nissan LEAF, Special Mention: Mitsubishi Outlander. Get the complete details HERE
* Monday morning quarterback rethink. The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz won NACTOY Utility of the Year but under performed in US sales. Autoblog reports the NACTOY president admitted, “If jurors knew what the sales output was gonna be, maybe they would have decided differently.” The reality is, retrospective regrets highlight challenges in awarding new vehicles without long-term ownership data. (We note: Per NACTOY: The "awards honor excellence in innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, user experience, driver satisfaction and value.") Although US sales were poor resulting in a suspension of the ID Buzz for 2026 model year, Volkswagen's ID. Buzz experienced significant global sales growth in 2025, more than doubling its numbers to 60,700 units sold worldwideRead the story HERE
* Car color trends. Axalta released its 73rd annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report. The report offers an updated look at the landscape of automotive color in 2025, in which once again, white, gray, and black dominated. In North America, white leads at 31 percent, a slight decrease from 2024 as chromatic colors rise in popularity. Drivers in North America increasingly choose bolder colors, with blue at 10 percent and red at 7 percent, reflecting a broader cultural shift toward customization and standout styling. Editors note: We wonder what the color mix would be if every new car buyer ordered a car built to their specifications rather than buying what a dealer has in stock. See the global report HERE
* Canada opens the door for China. Breaking with the U.S., Canada has rolled back its 100% tariff on Chinese EVs to about 6.1% in exchange for sharply reduced Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports. Under the agreement, Canada will allow Chinese EV imports under an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles, rising to about 70,000 over five years. In return, China will slash its tariff on Canadian canola seed exports from 84% to roughly 15%, reopening a market that had effectively been closed to Canadian producers. In a slam at the White House, Prime Minister Mark Carney said China has become a more predictable partner for Canada to deal with than the U.S. Analysts warn that U.S. consumers will inevitably be exposed to these vehicles through proximity, potentially increasing demand for similar low-cost options in the U.S..
* More on cars from China. The Wall Street Journal reports that China surpassed Japan in 2023 as the world’s No. 1 auto exporter. Last year, it shipped 7.1 million vehicles from its pool of domestic automakers, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from 5.9 million the previous year. BYD, which replaced Tesla as the world’s biggest EV seller, is one of Beijing’s national champions. Read the story here. HERE
* Best & Worst States to Drive. The U.S. has ten out of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic, and 19 of the 25 worst in the Americas. With traffic congestion costing the average U.S. driver 49 hours of their time each year, leading to hundreds of dollars in productivity losses, the personal-finance company WalletHub released its report on 2026's Best & Worst States to Drive In. Find the best and worst states HERE
* Stealing airbags, and not catalytic converters. Chicago police have issued their third warning in a month as organized theft crews continue to rip airbags from Honda Civics across the city’s neighborhoods, leaving car owners with broken windows, missing equipment, and months-long waits for repairs. The local incidents mirror a national trend that began to take root a couple of years ago. The National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that approximately 50,000 airbags are stolen annually nationwide, driven by a significant price gap between legitimate and black market parts. Factory replacement airbags typically cost around $1,000, according to the insurance bureau, while stolen airbags sell for a fraction of that price on the black market. A search of Facebook Marketplace found dozens of Honda airbags being offered for sale in the Chicago area, with prices ranging from $120 to $400 apiece.
* Recall update. Carfax has released its January 2026 summary of vehicle recalls. A Carfax analysis of recall data shows that nearly a million vehicles — more than 983,000 nationwide — on U.S. roads today need to have their LATCH connectors looked at and repaired. LATCH connectors help parents secure a child safely in a car using a child seat. See the report HERE
* Ford & Lincoln recall. Ford is recalling more than 119,000 US vehicles over an issue with the engine block heater that could short circuit and cause an underhood fire, auto safety regulators said. The recall includes certain Ford 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, 2019 Explorer, 2024 Explorer vehicles and Lincoln 2015-2016 MKC vehicles., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
* Arizona Concours. Our colleague Steve Purdy took in The Arizona Concours last Sunday. It's the first concours of the 2026 season and was, as expected, spectacular. Winning Best of Show were two rare and significant cars: this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A with right-hand drive, and the a red Jaguar D-Type from 1955, the only Jag D-Type raced by Carroll Shelby.
* Ford and NHRA Ford Racing funny car driver Bob Tasca III announced he is stepping away from the driver’s seat and becoming an NHRA Funny Car team owner only. He has hired two-time and reigning champion Austin Prock to drive the Dark Horse Mustang, starting in the 2026 season. Prock and his crew chief father Jimmy Prock announced in November that they were leaving Chevrolet-affiliated John Force Racing.
* Ford and F1. Ford is re-entering Formula One. Ford made its first F1 appearance in 1967, in the same role it is returning now – as an engine supplier. Ford may be the third-most-accomplished engine manufacturer in F1, with 176 grands prix wins, trailing only Ferrari and Mercedes on such stakes, but it hasn’t featured on the grid since 2004, when it powered the Jaguar Racing team. Enjoy the read. HERE
* Dakar Rally.The 2026 Dakar Rally concluded on January 17, 2026, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. It was the 48th edition of the race and the opening round of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). The rally spanned 14 days and followed a loop format starting and ending in Yanbu, over approximately 8,000 km, with roughly 5,000 km in 13 competitive stages plus a prologue. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) secured his sixth career Dakar victory, marking the first win for Dacia in the rally. Rokas Baciuška (Defender Rally Team) dominated the category, winning every stage to secure the overall stock class victory. In the bike class, Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM) won his first Dakar title by a record-breaking margin of just two seconds over Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda).
* Rolex 24. From The Detroit News: The official kickoff of the international motorsports season is on the high bankings of Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona — the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Daytona boasts the most diverse field of manufacturers (12) on U.S. soil and attracts a cornucopia of drivers from every corner of the sport: Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR and more. Eleven drivers with Formula One experience are entered, and four Indianapolis 500 winners — including six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon and reigning champion (and 2025 Indy 500 winner) Alex Palou. Former Team Penske star and IndyCar driver Will Power and rising NASCAR star Connor Zilisch, 19, will make their Rolex 24 debuts. All told, 60 cars and 228 drivers from 32 countries will take the green flag.
Stay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards, Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car GuyThe Auto Channel