Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup April 12, 2026

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* New vehicle prices. According to Kelley Blue Book’s March report, the average new vehicle transaction price (ATP) hit $49,275, up 3.5% year over year, marking the fourth consecutive month of accelerating annual price gains. The 3.5% increase was near long-term averages and can be partially explained by a richer sales mix of higher-end products, such as full-size SUVs and pickups, and the ongoing decline of compact and subcompact vehicle sales. However, note that in March, among the most popular vehicle segments, ATP increases were all below the industry average gain of 3.5%. Segment ATPs in March were: Midsize SUV: $49,853, up 2.8% year over year, Compact SUV: $37,055, up 2.1% year over year, Full-size pickup truck: $65,964, up 2.8% year over year, Subcompact SUV: $30,612, up 2.2% year over year, Compact car: $27,469, up 1.1% year over year. Full report HERE 

* Best value new cars.  According to the 2026 Cars.com Affordability Report, top "Best Value" new cars combine affordability with, essential, modern features, including standard advanced safety features (automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring) and tech (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto). Top 2026 Cars.com Best Value Winners by Segment are: Subcompact SUV: Chevrolet Trax LS, Compact SUV: Kia Sportage Hybrid S, Mid-size SUV: Hyundai Palisade SE, Compact Car: Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE, Compact Pickup: Ford Maverick XL, Mid-size Pickup: Toyota Tacoma SR5, Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE. See them HERE

* Vehicle Affordability. The CDK Global Affordability Tracker report says truck prices continue to rise much faster than cars. Car prices vs. last year look good...but compared to last month show a worrisome trend. While the average transaction price of all vehicles is up over 3% versus last March nearing $50,000, the bestselling cars were up 0.6%. For March the average transaction price of the best selling cars in the U.S. is $35,585. For the best selling trucks it's $56,824. Learn more HERE 

* Used EV sales surge. Sales of used electric vehicles in the US surged by 12% in the first quarter compared to the previous year, as a large influx of off-lease EVs hit the market. The increased supply drove down the average price of used EVs by 8.5% over the past year. The surge comes amid declining new EV sales following the elimination of a key tax credit and heightened interest in affordable options due to rising car ownership costs, most notably, fuel. Additional insight HERE

* No full-size pickups in Europe.  Reuters reports, U.S. carmakers say rules under consideration by Brussels could ​keep full-size pickup trucks including the Ford F-150, the Chevy ‌Silverado and the Ram 1500 off European roads, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Andrew Puzder, the U.S. ambassador to the bloc, told the Financial Times that ​the EU plans to change safety rules that could breach ​the spirit of the trade deal struck in August between the United ⁠States and the EU if they prevented some American vehicles from ​being sold in Europe. The letter from the American Automotive Policy Council, which ​represents General Motors, Ford and Stellantis noted the EU in August agreed to reduce or eliminate non-tariff barriers and provide mutual recognition of vehicle standards as part ​of the trade deal with the Trump administration. The group said proposed ​changes to the EU's Individual Vehicle Approval process would degrade access for U.S.-built vehicles ‌sent ⁠to Europe. "As demand grows for certain vehicle types not commonly found in the EU, such as large pickup trucks the IVA program has been employed more frequently for those vehicles," the letter said. Europe’s leading nonprofit clean transport and energy advocacy group, ​Transport & ⁠Environment, said large American pickups and SUVs accounted for 7,000 vehicle sales in the EU in 2024. The group has argued that allowing more U.S. ⁠SUVs ​and pickups "to be sold with far lower ​safety and air pollution standards would be a betrayal of all EU citizens.

* No Chinese cars from Cananda. The United States will not allow Chinese-made electric vehicles entering Canada to cross into its market, according to US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. Hoekstra said vehicles imported from China into Canada would be blocked from entering the US, regardless of Ottawa’s recent decision to ease tariffs on those models, reports Bloomberg. Hoekstra said the position is based on national security concerns, particularly that of data collection and transmission in connected vehicles. The US has already restricts vehicles using certain Chinese and Russian technology, but Hoekstra did not outline exactly what enforcing such a move at the border would entail.

* Consumer Choice awards. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) announced the winners of its 2026 Consumer Choice Awards based on consumer automotive perception data from more  than 12,000 annual in-market new-vehicle shoppers. These awards offer a timely, data-backed look at which brands are resonating with buyers, and why. Honda swept the non-luxury category, winning seven titles including Best Overall Brand, Most Trusted Brand and Best Overall EV/Hybrid Brand, as well as Best Car Styling for the first year ever. Lexus won three titles in the luxury category, including Most Trusted Luxury Brand for the 11th year in a row and Best Value Luxury Brand for the first time ever. Ram reclaimed the Best Overall Truck Brand title from Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz reclaimed the title of Best In-Vehicle Experience Luxury Brand from Porsche. Read more HERE

* Carfax vehicle Future Reliability. A new report from Carfax will, for the first time, allow consumers to compare the future reliability of specific cars they might consider buying. Future Reliability now appears prominently at the top of the CARFAX Report as part of a newly redesigned header that presents a vehicle’s story at a glance. Look into the future HERE

* Gas prices. GasBuddy.com says, gas prices could start reversing nationally by a few cents every day. Diesel prices may lag slightly- but where things stand now, diesel is NO longer likely to reach a record. National average gasoline could fall below $4 in ~1-2 weeks, diesel >$5 in 6-8 weeks. Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order to temporarily suspend the state sales tax on gasoline, giving drivers a price break.

* Tariffs on aluminum. The Trump administration has rebuffed requests from Ford and other U.S. automakers for relief from aluminum tariffs after plant fires created supply problems. Two fires at the Novelis aluminum rolling plant in Oswego, N.Y., took the factory offline at least until June. Ford, which relied on the Novelis plant for its F-150 truck, reported a $2 billion hit from the fires and expects to spend $1 billion more this year on imported aluminum. The plant is the largest domestic supplier of aluminum sheet for the U.S. automotive industry, serving about a dozen companies. HERE

* Ford & Lincoln recall. Ford Motor ​is recalling 422,613 vehicles ‌in the U.S. over a failure ​of the windshield ​wiper, the U.S. National ⁠Highway Traffic Safety ​Administration said. Windshield wiper arms may break, causing the wipers ​to fail, ​according ⁠to the NHTSA. Recall includes Lincoln Navigator and Ford ​Expedition SUVs, ​as well as some F-series ‌trucks.

* Ford recall. Ford is recalling 3,170 of its Ford Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles due to faulty passenger airbag sensors. The defect could prevent correct airbag deployment, posing significant front passenger safety risks. * Corvette recall. General Motors is recalling certain model year 2025-2026 Chevrolet Corvettes to install a software update that will enable driver notification of rear turn-signal lamp failure. The recall affects about 33,000 cars. Some can be fixed with an over-the-air update and others require a trip to the dealership to fix the problem in person. Unsold vehicle are in a stop-sale mode until they are fixed.

* Chevrolet recall. General Motors is recalling approximately 271,770 Chevrolet Malibu cars, specifically from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 model years due to a defect where the rearview camera may display a blank or distorted image, increasing crash risk. Dealers will replace the defective rearview camera at no cost to owners.

* Left lane bandits. Last year, Colorado State Troopers did the unthinkable and actually pulled over 2,540 drivers blocking the flow of traffic in the fast lane. That’s the leftmost lane or the passing lane. “Even if you are driving the maximum legal speed limit, the left lane is not intended to be a permanent travel lane on roadways 65 mph or greater in Colorado,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. Here at TACH we say Yay! More on this HERE

* Gilmore Museum. Eight of the wildest and most influential concept cars ever built — all products of General Motors' 1950s-‘60s design revolution — are on display together for the first time. That’s just the start of “Defined by Design,” a revealing look at 120 years of automobile design opening April 11 at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, midway between Chicago and Detroit. HERE

Stay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards,  Larry Nutson,
 the Chicago Car Guy The Auto Channel