Sales Numbers Are Bleak, Except For Cheaper, Smaller Cars That Aren’t Built By American Car Companies – Jalopnik

TGIF Morning Shifters, it is Friday, December 5, 2025, and that is The Morning Shift: Your day by day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from all over the world, multi function place. This is the place you may discover a very powerful tales which are shaping the way in which Americans drive and get round.

Today’s TMS is a blast from the previous, with headlines that appear ripped from the fantastic decade of the Eighties. Consumers are trending in the direction of cheaper, imported autos, our government department is dreaming of a return to wagons, NHTSA will not be thrilled with Waymo’s actions in Texas, and Ford is recalling slightly below 109,000 automobiles for simply kinda falling aside. Strap in children, let’s get at it. 

Our day by day examine in with the affordability disaster anybody with a mind noticed coming years in the past: yep, it is not good. Automotive News reviews that new automotive gross sales this November are down total by 6.3% over final 12 months. Now that the frenzy of parents trying to act on the murdered EV tax credit score are gone, EVs are being hit the toughest, however they don’t seem to be alone. From Automotive News: 

Sales of most EVs declined considerably, persevering with a current development. While the general market fell for the second consecutive month, some manufacturers similar to Toyota and Kia posted modest beneficial properties pushed by sturdy demand for hybrids and lower-priced fashions.

“People are looking for affordability right now,” Jessica Caldwell, government director of insights at Edmunds, advised Automotive News. “We know there’s higher prices, interest rates are still high from a historical perspective, and that is kind of coming to roost at this point in the year where people are more deal-oriented. Folks that offer vehicles in that vein are doing quite well.”

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GlobalData stated gross sales of small and midsize nonpremium utility autos had been significantly sturdy in November, resulting in market share will increase, as share for giant pickups fell.

Sales are down, however not for Toyota and Kia, which noticed modest beneficial properties throughout this bleak gross sales month because of smaller, extra inexpensive SUVs and CUVs. Toyota gained with large SUVs as effectively, just like the Grand Highlander and Sequoia. Will tariffs push these huge SUVs from a international automaker into the unaffordable vary, leaving Americans with no different alternative than to show to U.S. automakers once more? I extremely doubt it, as a result of when each choices are unaffordable, folks will are inclined to the upper high quality, longer lasting automobile. When it involves sturdiness, Toyota nonetheless holds the crown in lots of client’s hearts and minds, to not point out what number of Toyotas are actually constructed within the U.S. 

So we’re a rustic trying protectionist insurance policies with the intention to proper the short-sighted enterprise choices of our industries whereas Japanese and Korean automakers clear up. Sounds acquainted would not it? President Trump and his posse appears decided to ship us again to the ’80s in each manner, form and type. 

Speaking of a blast from the previous; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy thinks the one factor holding again a deluge of woody longroofs on American roadways had been gasoline effectivity requirements. If solely it had been that straightforward, from Reuters:

“This rule will actually allow you to bring back the 1970s station wagon — maybe a little wood paneling on the side,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on CNBC. “We can bring back choice to consumers so yeah the minivan is awesome but maybe the station wagon is cool too.”

The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated in its proposal Wednesday that gasoline economic system laws led producers to reshape the market in unanticipated methods “such as by almost eliminating the production of station wagons.”The Detroit Three automakers ended manufacturing of full-size station wagons within the mid-Nineteen Nineties however smaller wagons remained in manufacturing by U.S. automakers till 2008.

While we at Jalopnik really feel your ache Duffy, and I hate to be the one to inform ya bud, however gasoline effectivity requirements aren’t why we do not have station wagons within the U.S. Despite the alternate actuality you and your boss stay in, we nonetheless construct gasoline guzzlers by the boat load. You can check out the gross sales numbers for any wagon delivered to the U.S. up to now few a long time and see why we do not have them right here–they simply do not promote. It’s hilarious that Duffy thinks the American automotive purchaser’s choice is between minivans (a physique kind additionally in quick decline) and station wagons. Talk about out of contact. 

Affordability is one factor, certain, however what about security? Congress is satisfied that automotive security peaked within the Eighties (once more with this rattling decade) and automakers want to show their give attention to self-driving know-how to enhance the dire state of site visitors deaths on U.S. roadways, however there’s one factor self-driving automobiles usually are not good at–sudden site visitors adjustments, like first responder autos or, as Texas is discovering, college bus cease indicators. 

An investigation is underway within the Lone Star state over these pinnacles of security blowing by means of these little fold out cease indicators meant to forestall youngsters from being creamed as they exit the varsity bus. While Texas likes to suppose it’s particular, this is not simply a difficulty within the U.S.’s second largest state, in line with Reuters: 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe in October after an incident in Georgia by which a Waymo automotive didn’t stay stationary when approaching a faculty bus with its purple lights flashing and cease arm deployed.

In a November 20 letter posted by NHTSA, the Austin Independent School District stated 5 incidents occurred in November after Waymo stated it had made software program updates to resolve the problem and requested the corporate to halt operations round colleges throughout pick-up and drop-off occasions till it might make sure the autos wouldn’t violate the legislation.

“We cannot allow Waymo to continue endangering our students while it attempts to implement a fix,” a lawyer for the varsity district wrote, citing one incident involving a Waymo that was “recorded driving past a stopped school bus only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle, and while the student was still in the road.”

Oh come on, cannot children simply take one for the group within the identify of technological progress? To be truthful, self driving automobiles are nonetheless proven to be a lot safer than the human-driven counterpart. But failing to cease at college bus stops, in addition to for police, hearth and EMS autos, is the peak of inappropriate and harmful driving. Self-driving automotive corporations had higher wrangle this situation and quick. 

It’s a day that ends in Y which implies it is time for an additional Ford recall! This one contain 108,762 autos with improperly secured raise gates that would detach from the autos. This is usually thought to be one thing you do not need to occur. The defect impacts 2020–2022 Escape and 2025 Escape fashions and dealerships will patch you proper up in case you have a defective or lacking half. 

As somewhat amuse bouche, Ford additionally recalled 12,000 2016-2019 Lincolns MKTs, additionally for removable components that ought to not detach. Forget affordability disaster, when are we gonna discuss in regards to the high quality disaster? More blasts from our Malaise Era previous.

The Civil Rights Era started proper right here on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It took a long time of selfless battle and bravely going through typically deadly violence to make it even this far, and there’s nonetheless a lot work to do. 

If you suppose ditching gasoline effectivity requirements will carry again the station wagon, effectively, you would possibly simply consider in something.