Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup May 10-16, 2026
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Here are Larry’s Top Auto Story Picks of the Week of May 3-9, 2026: Larry picked these as important, relevant, interesting and sometimes semi-secret stories you need to know—served up as snappy, opinionated, and insider-sharp, these are expertly crafted, easy-to-understand news nuggets that cut through the noise and get right to what matters to you in the automotive world.
* April new vehicle prices. New data from Kelley Blue Book shows new vehicle prices rose in April, but the gains tell a more nuanced story about where the auto market really stands. KBB says price growth is being driven by what Americans are buying (SUVs and trucks), not by broad-based inflation, and the market is being held together more by tight supply than strong demand. In April, the ATP for a new vehicle was $49,461, up 1.8% year over year, a moderation from March, and higher by 0.7% month over month, driven by price gains in the three best-selling segments: midsize SUVs, compact SUVs and full-size pickup trucks.cAverage MSRP hit a new 2026 high at $51,607, up 2.1% year over year, though the annual gain decelerated from March. Incentives declined for the month, falling to 6.9% of ATP from 7.2% in March, as tighter inventory levels helped keep spending in check. EVs are getting cheaper, but incentives are doing a lot of the work. The average price for a new EV declined 4.9% year over year to $55,211, though prices ticked up 1.4% from March, widening the gap with ICE vehicles to about $6,200.
* Gas tax pause? U.S. President Donald Trump says he will suspend the federal tax on gas "for a period of time" to help Americans shoulder higher fuel prices caused by the US-Iran war. Iran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz has caused global oil prices to spike, rattling world markets. But suspending the excise taxes — 18.4 cents per gallon on gas and 24.4 cents a gallon on diesel — requires an act of Congress, and pausing it would cost the federal government about a half billion dollars a week.
* Engine oil shortage, maybe! The Drive reports two automakers, Toyota and Nissan, have prepared communications to its dealers that address a possible shortage of engine oil and other lubricants. This due to supply issue stemming from the US-Iran War. An oil shortage would affect all automakers. Read The Drive story HERE
* Yes, it's about the weather. AAA’s latest study shows extreme temperatures reduce efficiency, range, and increase operating costs for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids (HEVs). The impact of hot temperatures (95°F) is: Hybrid vehicles experience a 12.0% decrease in fuel efficiency (miles per gallon, MPG). EVs show a 10.4% reduction in efficiency (MPGe, miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent) and an 8.5% loss of driving range compared to moderate temperature (75°F). The impact of cold temperatures (20°F) is: Hybrids lose 22.8% in fuel economy. EVs demonstrate a 35.6% drop in MPGe and a 39.0% decrease in calculated driving range. More details HERE *
* California driver privacy probe. GM has agreed to pay $12.75 million to resolve a California investigation into allegations that the Detroit automaker illegally sold two data brokers detailed information about the driving habits of hundreds of thousands of Californians, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said. California says GM made $20 million nationwide from data sales. The data that GM sold to the brokers included names, phone numbers and home addresses. It detailed the GPS location of where OnStar subscribers drove and parked their vehicles. GM from 2016 through 2024 also kept track of speeds traveled and incidences of rapid acceleration, the state said. The data was gathered and sold without drivers knowledge or consent. GM agreed to five-year ban on selling consumer data.
* Car ads promote speed. A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that from 2018 to 2022, advertisements emphasizing vehicle performance increased even as deaths linked to speeding and aggressive driving continued to mount. From 1950s hot-rod songs to action-film franchises like The Fast and the Furious, speed has long been a celebrated part of U.S. car culture. Vehicle advertisements — unlike movies or music — are designed specifically to persuade. Many of them present high-performance driving as something consumers can purchase and experience. In other countries, regulators control vehicle ads. Get your adrenaline hit HERE
* EV charger reliability. California just admitted what EV drivers have been complaining about for years. After years of massive investments in public chargers, the state has now finalized tough new rules for DC fast-charging networks. Operators must now maintain minimum uptime standards, publicly report failure rates, and face real penalties when stations go down too often. California even acknowledged that unreliable chargers are actually worse for drivers than having no chargers at all in some areas. This is a major shift from simply counting new stations to making sure they actually work. Details HERE
* Front brake lights(?). Phoebe Wall Howard reports how front brake lights could reduce pedestrian deaths. Paul Schaye of Southampton, New York, a career private equity investor at Chestnut Hill Partners conceived the ITellMotion device after getting hit by a car on his bicycle a decade ago. In consideration is an enhanced front brake light inside the windshield, attached with a silicone strip, that shares with pedestrians, cyclists and oncoming traffic information conveyed by the rear brake light. Schaye and his team have a second meeting scheduled with Jonathan Morrison, chief administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to discuss the device. “Pedestrians cannot determine acceleration or deceleration of a car. They are right only about 38% of the time. With our device, it’s about 86% of the time,” Schaye said. Europe has been testing a front light to signal braking to pedestrians. A study published in 2025 by researchers in Slovakia and Germany determined that front brake lights located below the license plate enhanced pedestrian safety. Their research indicated an 82% improvement in pedestrian safety with the use of front brake lights. Follow P. W. Howard HERE
* VW ID. Buzz is back. Some time ago we reported there would be no ID.Buzz for 2026 model. year. Well, the ID. Buzz is back for MY27 with a new Tourer model that is geared for overnight camping trips. Built off the European “Good Night Package,” the Tourer includes a fold-out mattress with platform, window blinds, front window ventilation panels, an exterior table and chairs, and Overnight Mode software that adapts interior and exterior functionality to enable the vehicle to be used for overnight stays. Perfect for cruising and camping along Route 66!
* Backup camera recalls. New Carfax data shows that 7 million vehicles in US have an unfixed backup camera recall. That's up 1.5 million since the beginning of the year! Backup cameras became mandatory on vehicles sold in the U.S. beginning in 2018, although many models had them before that. And, according to researchers, that’s had a strong positive impact on reducing backover injuries and deaths. These recalls affect a wide variety of automakers and are for vehicles across many model years. Is your vehicle one of them? Check here. HERE
* Waymo recall. Waymo said it is recalling about 3,800 robotaxis in the United States after identifying a risk that vehicles could enter flooded roads with higher speed limits, raising safety concerns. The Alphabet unit said the recall followed an incident on April 20 in which a Waymo vehicle drove into a flooded lane in San Antonio during extreme weather. Waymo said the vehicle was unoccupied and there were no injuries but the incident prompted the company to review similar scenarios involving high speeds and impassable flooded roads.
* Ram recall. Ram is recalling 12,736 2500 HD pickups built between June 21, 2022, and April 14, 2026 because they’re too fast. Their top speed limiters were incorrectly set, allowing them to exceed their tires’ max speed rating. The truck's R-rated tires are rated for a 106-mile-per-hour limit. Ram limits the 2500 HD trucks to 105 mph to stay under that, but the trucks are actually able to go faster.
* ICYMI. A motorcycle crash in British Columbia involving a car that turned in front of a motorcyle has gotten lots of attention. The crash impact caused the motorcycle to become airborne, flip over, and end up hanging from a traffic light support. The motorcycle operator was seriously injured but is expected to recover from injuries. See more on this HERE
* RIP. Mert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Grand National champion and star of the classic Bruce Brown motorcycle documentary "On Any Sunday," passed away last week at 85. Lawwill was already an accomplished racer on dirt tracks across America when filmmaker Bruce Brown asked him to star in what would become the iconic motorcycle movie, "On Any Sunday." More here from Autoweek. HERE
* RIP. 1981 AMA Grand National Champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Mike Kidd has also passed away. He was 72. Kidd began racing professionally in 1972, and was one of the top stars of the decade before taking the championship in 1981, riding for the Lawwill/Roberts team. After retiring from racing in 1983, Kidd opened Boyd Raceway in Texas, and founded the AMA Arenacross series. Kidd was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998 in recognition of his accomplishments as a racer, event promoter, and advocate.
Stay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards