This information that follows is taken from sources including The Car Connection, Autoweek, Green Car Reports, and other industry sources.
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Hertz and Amazon make a deal
Hertz Global Holdings announced a partnership with Amazon's automotive platform, Amazon Autos, to sell pre-owned vehicles, driving a 7% jump in Hertz shares in early trading. The announcement weighed on competitors, with shares of Avis Budget Group down 6%, Carvana off 4.2%, and CarMax falling 1.4%. The collaboration allows customers to browse thousands of used Hertz vehicles on Amazon Autos, e-sign paperwork, complete their purchase online, and pick up their vehicle at Hertz locations. Initially, the service will be available within 75 miles of Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, with plans to expand to Hertz Car Sales' 45 locations nationwide.
Source: CBT News
Consumer contentment falls
U.S. consumer contentment with new cars fell in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey for the segment. Researchers pointed to the rising cost of buying autos as a key to the lower scores. The index fell 1% to 79 on a 100-point scale. By segment, luxury dipped by the same amount to 80, while the mass-market segment held steady at 79. The study's authors said luxury auto consumers, despite their resources, are "becoming more price sensitive. Therefore, in this economic climate, the ability to compete on both quality and value will be critical to retention and customer satisfaction."
Source: Auto Dealer Today
High auto tariffs on EU will stay until bloc moves to reduce levies
The U.S. will keep the current 27.5% tariffs on automobiles from the European Union until the 27-nation bloc introduces legislation to reduce levies on a variety of U.S. goods, according to a joint statement released on Thursday. The Trump administration will reduce automotive levies to 15% once the EU "introduces the necessary legislative proposal" to reduce tariffs on a range of U.S. seafood and agricultural goods, including "tree nuts, dairy products, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables," according to the statement. It said the lower auto tariffs would take effect from the first day of the month the EU's legislation is introduced. EU trade chief Maroa `efčovič said Thursday that the bloc intends to introduce its legislative proposal this month. He said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick assured him that if the EU does that, lower U.S. auto tariffs would apply retroactively beginning Aug. 1. Source: The Wall Street Journal
And...
One sentence in the United States-European Union's framework for a trade agreement could usher in some of the biggest changes the auto industry has seen this century. "With respect to automobiles, the United States and the European Union intend to accept and provide mutual recognition to each other's standards," according to a joint statement published Aug. 21. The implication of the language in Article 8 of the statement has divided industry experts. Some believe that, if enacted, the new rules would allow imported vehicles from each other's regions to be sold on both sides of the Atlantic without meeting the same safety and emissions standards.
Source: Automotive News
Honda forges ahead with first Ohio-made EVs while slowing transition
Honda 2.0 is leaning into electric vehicles, while keeping all options open. Last week at the exclusive Quail Motoring Gathering at California's Monterey Car Week, Honda Motor Co.'s luxury brand, Acura, introduced the long-anticipated RSX Prototype — the near-production version of the first, in-house-manufactured electric vehicle to be produced at Honda's so-called EV Hub in Ohio 160 miles south of Detroit. The RSX's launch at EV Hub is an initial salvo in Honda's Second Founding — call it Honda 2.0 — a historic shift to abandon internal combustion engine production by 2040.
Source: The Detroit News
Genesis, Hyundai extend tech leadership
Automakers' investments in advanced in-vehicle technology pay off, with Genesis and Hyundai again topping J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study. Genesis ranks highest overall for innovation for the fifth consecutive year, while Hyundai leads mass-market brands for the sixth year in a row. Now in its 10th year, the TXI Study evaluates how effectively manufacturers bring new technologies to market – measuring adoption, execution, satisfaction and reported problems. This year's update introduces a new smart-vehicle category that captures the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to address driver needs and reduce complexity.
Source: WardsAuto
Cars are so expensive that buyers need seven-year loans
Shirria McCullough so loved her new, black Honda Pilot SUV that at first, she didn't pay close attention to the loan terms. It was only after someone online pointed them out that the panic set in. McCullough, a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina, has been trying to eliminate debt from her life while documenting the process on TikTok. After she posted about the $45,000 Pilot, bought in 2023, a viewer commented that they'd never heard of Honda Motor Co. offering loans lasting seven years. McCullough hadn't realized the loan's length. The thought of her and her husband paying interest for so much time — adding thousands of dollars to the overall cost — made her "feel sick to my stomach," she said.
Source: Bloomberg
Ford to end 2 popular SUVs: what could replace them
As Ford Motor Co. prepares for a revolution with a new manufacturing process and platform for electric vehicles, it also is saying farewell to the production of two popular small SUVs at year-end: the Ford Escape and the Lincoln Corsair. Car buyers still will be able to buy those vehicles through 2026 and Ford does have a replacement in mind — but what it is and when it will arrive remain a mystery. And industry experts worry that if Ford leaves too big of a gap between when the Escape and Corsair sell out and a replacement arrives, sales could be dinged. The Dearborn-based automaker said on Aug. 11 in Louisville, Kentucky, that it would retool its Louisville Assembly Plant, which currently builds the Escape and Corsair, to make a new midsize all-electric pickup.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Stellantis shelves driver assistance system
Stellantis has shelved plans to launch its first Level 3 driver-assistance system, halting a program once touted as central to its software strategy, Reuters reported. The decision reflects mounting development costs, technical hurdles, and uncertainty about consumer demand for the advanced technology. The program, part of Stellantis' AutoDrive initiative, was presented in February as market-ready. The technology was designed to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road under certain conditions, enabling in-car activities such as streaming or emailing.
Source: CBT News
Franchise changes
The number of U.S. auto retail franchises and vehicle sales per store fell in the first half of the year, though most areas of the country were flat on franchises. Overall, franchise count decreased 1% from the end of 2024 to just under 30,000, while store throughput fell 5% to 48, according to Urban Science data. Though the two metrics saw no growth nationally, several states did experience increases in the number of franchises, especially Texas, which added seven, according to the first-half report. Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey and North Carolina each had four store openings, while California and Florida added a smaller number of franchises.
Source: Auto Dealer Today
BMW CEO says 'can't afford mistakes' ahead of fully electric launch
BMW chief executive Oliver Zipse expects a reordering of the car industry in the coming years, warning in an interview on Thursday that the sector cannot afford mistakes, as the company bets heavily on its revamped electric vehicle offering. "There will be a selection process in our industry," Zipse told the Spiegel news magazine. This, he said, was why the German carmaker decided five years ago to overhaul its portfolio with the new, fully electric 'Neue Klasse' series, with which it hopes to catch up with EV pioneer Tesla. "You can't afford to make mistakes in this industry," Zipse told the magazine, speaking ahead of BMW's unveiling of the first model in the series, the iX3, at the Munich car show next week.
Source: Reuters
The future impact of self-driving cars
Self-driving vehicles could significantly reshape the U.S. auto insurance market, according to analysts at Bank of America Corp., which sees potential for higher profitability as liability shifts away from drivers. In a note to clients, cited by Bloomberg, the BofA analysts noted that as autonomous cars become more widespread, liability in the event of accidents will likely move from individual drivers to automakers and technology developers. Under the current system, personal auto insurers often lose money on liability coverage. A shift toward commercial carriers, the analysts said, could relieve insurers of one of their biggest financial burdens while still allowing them to handle claims processing.
Source: CBT News
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