Ford’s strategy of selling fewer vehicles at higher prices—with a focus (pardon the pun) on expensive trucks and SUVs—is great for its bottom line. For now. But where does it go long-term? www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Ford Made Boring Cars Popular. It Doesn’t Want Them Anymore.

The maker of the Mustang and Bronco wants a lineup of such ‘passionate’ vehicles. Gone are staid family sedans, cheap hatchbacks or frumpy minivans.

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Scoop from us: Some Tesla executives have been told to prepare for a separation of the company’s China business ahead of a potential merger with SpaceX, now a prolific U.S. defense contractor. Musk has denied talks have taken place: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Exclusive | Tesla Weighs Sale of China Business to Pave Way for Potential SpaceX Merger

The U.S. automaker could sell or spin off the business in its second-largest market over geopolitical concerns.

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“If I get hot in my car and want some air conditioning, I just want to turn a knob and have cold air come out." Meet the drivers who are rebelling against the tech revolution in cars: www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...

These Drivers Are Taking Extreme Measures to Avoid New Car Technology

They scour dealerships for models with the fewest bells and whistles. Then they disable alarms and reconfigure dashboards in search of low-tech bliss.

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RIP Kavinsky. The DRIVE (2011) title sequence (and prologue) is just one of the most magnetic and successful sequences in movie history and it's impossible to imagine any track other than "Nightcall" in it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc_z...

Drive 4K HDR | Opening Credits Song - Nightcall

YouTube video by Apex Clips

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We turned in our EV lease recently. It's already missed. We aim to replace it with another soon. But as many have noticed, cheap lease deals from 2023-2024 are nowhere to be found. No tax credits, either. What's your plan if you're in the same boat? Buy used? Go hybrid? Try and lease again?

Since Waymo's launch in Austin in 2024, the AV taxi service has racked up $9,325 in parking tickets alone. Why? Because these things aren't great (yet?) at finding places to park while they idle: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Waymo Is Racking Up Thousands of Dollars of Parking Fines in Austin

As robotaxis scale, cities and law enforcement agencies are cracking down on bad behavior.

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Investors are growing impatient with Musk as the bills come due on his most ambitious promises for SpaceX and Tesla. Meanwhile, Tesla’s bad day on the market wiped out $215 billion—more than the market cap of any other global automaker: www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...

Reality Bites Elon Musk and His Tesla, SpaceX Believers

Shares of Tesla have tumbled around 15% on a disappointing quarter, and SpaceX has fallen 50% from its highs.

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It's no secret that Tesla's market cap still eclipses all other automakers. But when you lay out the major players' sales and revenue in chart form, the story is quite telling: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

See How Tesla’s Market Value Eclipses All the Other Automakers

The company ranks low in car sales among the top-10 automakers, but its valuation is greater than the next 37 combined.

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Despite all the "save the manuals" carping from the enthusiast crowd, the data is clear: stick-shift cars made up 0.6% of the U.S. market in 2025, down from 35% in 1980: www.washingtonpost.com/transportati...

The death of the stick shift is almost here

Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art. Hopes of a revival have fallen flat. With the rise of EVs and autonomous vehicles, only a few die-hards hold on.

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"This means that even if there’s another ceasefire that allows oil to again flow, gasoline and diesel prices are likely to stay higher for longer." www.wsj.com/business/ene...

Gas Prices Will Stay Higher for Longer, Even if Oil Falls

Refining capacity is strained, and fuel markets don’t have much of a buffer.

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What a time to be alive: "Beijing wants people to stop dating machines and start having babies." www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chin...

China Wants More Babies—So It’s Cracking Down on Chatbot Love Affairs

New rules forbid chatbots designed for companionship from encouraging emotional reliance.

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What's happening inside the UAW right now isn't the naked, rampant corruption that sent former executives to prison. But members and observers say it casts a cloud over one of the most prominent labor leaders America has seen in a while: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

How UAW’s Bold Leader Got Caught in New Wave of Union Infighting

Shawn Fain has ushered in a more militant union, but critics question how he has wielded his power.

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"The officer faced a uniquely modern policing paradox: When no one is driving, who gets the ticket?" www.wsj.com/business/aut...

A Big Headache for Police: Getting Driverless Cars to Obey Traffic Laws

Police officers across the country are learning how to direct, corral, and when necessary, punish autonomous taxis.

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“The idea that size alone gives you scale is so 20th century.” www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Volkswagen’s Vast Jobs Factory Is Under Threat Like Never Before

The world’s second-largest automaker plans to halve its lineup of cars as part of its second major overhaul in two years.

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New from us: Ten people in the U.S. have died from defective airbags from China installed into used cars. Tracking the explosive parts, however, may prove nearly impossible: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Counterfeit Air-Bag Parts Are Killing U.S. Drivers—and the Government Can’t Stop It

After 10 deaths, regulators are warning the public about air bags in used cars with components marked as made by a Chinese company, but tracing them is difficult.

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We have seen the future of mobility, and it is ropes for doors and e-bike speeds: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Fiat’s Next Move in America: Tiny, Cute, Electric and $14,000

The two-seat Topolino is aimed at traveling in resorts and neighborhoods, and one version uses ropes instead of doors.

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One big goal I had in coming to the WSJ was to up our coverage of next-gen vehicle technology. Here, Ellie does a stellar job taking on a pervasive myth that may be keeping a lot of drivers from going electric: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

EV Batteries Are Defying Expectations After Hundreds of Thousands of Miles

Industry experts think newfound knowledge of battery durability is a game-changer for consumer confidence in EVs.

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Tesla today posted its biggest sales quarter since EV tax credits went away in the U.S.: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Tesla Sales Jumped in Second Quarter

The electric automaker sells just three new-car models now, with CEO Elon Musk putting the focus on autonomous vehicles and robotics.

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Ford's looking to repeat the Maverick's success with a new EV. Slate thinks there's a need in the market. Ram and Toyota are thinking about it, too. After decades of bigger, costlier pickups dominating the market, are compact trucks due for a comeback? www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Automakers Built Ever-Larger Trucks. Can Cheap, Small Pickups Make a Comeback?

After disappearing from the U.S. market, compact trucks are showing signs of life again.

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Volkswagen is likely staring down the deepest and most intense cuts in its history: www.wsj.com/business/vol...

Volkswagen Deepens Cost-Cutting Overhaul

The company has been working on a radical plan that will likely result in thousands of additional job losses.

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Always thought slow sales, or a swap with another Geely brand someday, might doom Polestar in the U.S. But the Commerce Department had other plans: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

U.S. Bans Polestar, Chinese-Owned EV Maker, From Selling Cars in the U.S.

A government rule prohibiting Chinese software in cars resulted in Polestar bowing out of the U.S. market.

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No power windows, no radio, no problem? “If we can execute and launch on time and prove this, I think we have a chance to build an enthusiastic customer base,” says Slate Auto's CEO of its bare-bones electric truck. Is he right? www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Will Anyone Buy This Cheap EV Truck With Hand-Crank Windows and No Radio?

Slate Auto’s all-electric truck, priced in the mid-$20,000s, aims to prove that affordable cars can be both profitable and adored.

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Lucid Motors cuts nearly 20% of its workforce, including its COO (the former CEO), whose position has been eliminated. In February, it cut 12% of its employees as well: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Lucid to Cut 18% of U.S. Workforce as Restructuring Continues

The EV manufacturer said the cuts, which include the elimination of its chief operating officer, would reduce costs by about $158 million annually.

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Candy maker Mars will debut a version of M&M’s made without artificial dyes in August, but the bags of chocolate will be missing two hallmarks: The colors brown and blue. 🔗 on.wsj.com/4aaMwvk

My most controversial (and yet bravest) opinion of the moment: I actually really dig the new Honda Prelude. The price is bananas, nobody buys two-door coupes anymore, a manual sure would've been nice, and I'm amazed it's even sold in this country. But for what it is, it drives great.

The future of no-haggle new-vehicle shopping might just be 10-foot-tall cubes and "car playgrounds" as Carvana seeks to move beyond used cars: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

New from us: While early reviews are extremely positive, more than a few Rivian R2 owners are put off by the unexpectedly high lease price in an already challenging market: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Rivian’s Make-or-Break SUV Is Here. Fans Are Already Balking at the Lease Price.

The automaker’s fans love the startup’s new R2, but high lease costs show the challenges in the changing electric-vehicle market.

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Scoop from Detroit: GM is in talks with Lockheed Martin to manufacture weapons parts for the contractor, as it seeks to grow its burgeoning defense business: www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Exclusive | GM in Talks to Supply Weapons Parts to Lockheed Martin

The automaker seeks to grow its defense subsidiary as the U.S. aims to replenish munitions supplies.

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Were you eyeing a Rivian R2? Did that initial lease price put you off, or will you still pull the trigger anyway? We're looking to talk to you! Drop me a note in the replies or email me at patrick.george@wsj.com.

The weirdest, non-trillionaire-related news you'll read all week—and why a culture-war tinged campaign against Harley-Davidson didn't exactly pan out: www.wsj.com/business/a-s...

A Struggling Motorcycle Brand Wants to Start a Culture War With Harley-Davidson

Indian Motorcycle says its anti-DEI marketing isn’t political, but some of its own riders reject the campaign

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