Four consecutive months of sales declines aren’t exactly the bright economic future many were hoping for, although some of the April decline is surely relative. If there’s any sort of bright spot in the market it’s hybrids, which continue to be the fastest growing powertrain.
I’m talking about the United States, of course, though hybrids are also popular in other parts of the world. While not a perfect analog, the Australian car market’s desire for American trucks has made it somewhat similar to the US. The most popular truck for average consumers isn’t an American truck, though it is a hybrid.
Hybrids are taking off in Europe, especially in the compact crossover space, while small city cars are skewing towards pure BEVs. Some of this is price. With subsidies, you can now get a small Chinese EV for about $58 a month in some places.
Volkswagen is all about ‘Ring records today, including setting a fastest electric luxury executive car record in a familiar vehicle. The name of the vehicle is as amusingly long as the lap was impressively short.
Hybrid Brands Set Hybrid Sales Records In April
Last year was a strange one for the car market, due almost entirely to politics. The announcement of “Liberation Day” tariffs sent buyers rushing out to buy cars before prices increased. At the same time, EV buyers snagged electric vehicles before the end of the tax credits.
Topping that this April was going to be hard, and then came the War in Iran. As Automotive News reports, April could have been worse, but wasn’t great:
In a preliminary report, GlobalData estimated volume fell 6.7 percent, which would mark the fourth consecutive monthly decline.
April sales fell at each of the six automakers that report monthly: Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Group, Subaru and Mazda, with double-digit declines at Ford and Mazda.
Honda and Genesis were the only brands to post April gains.
While job growth has rebounded and U.S. employment remains steady, analysts say the auto industry faces more hurdles: elevated prices and borrowing costs, rising gasoline prices and generally sour consumers.
Consumers have almost entirely embraced the idea of hybrids, which offer both increased fuel efficiency and a better driving experience. While EVs are great for some, they don’t work for everyone. I was trying to think of a car I’ve driven recently that offers a hybrid and non-hybrid drivetrain where I wouldn’t prefer the hybrid and came up short.
If you need a comfortable thing with four wheels that can go very far on a tank of regular gas, you could do worse than a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. If you want something a little more stylish, there’s always the Accord Hybrid. I reset one of my trip odometers when the weather turned warm, and my Honda CR-V Hybrid has been averaging nearly 40 MPG in about 800 miles of driving.
Honda, one of the two brands that report monthly sales that didn’t drop year-over-year, set a hybrid sales record, with more than half of all CR-V and Accord sales being hybrid. Toyota’s “electrified” sales accounted for 55.8% of all of the brand’s sales in the United States, and those weren’t all BZs. The Sonata hybrid? Up 171% year-over-year.
The Decade of the Hybrid ain’t quitting!
The BYD Shark Is The #1 Truck For Private Buyers In Australia
Chinese automakers may have started out making trucks by copying other designs, but they’ve come a long way in the last few years. One of the most popular Chinese trucks is the BYD Shark, which is a plug-in hybrid that’s been on sale in Australia for a while.
According to News.com.au‘s David McCowen, the private market for trucks has absolutely cratered, which makes sense for a country that’s seen a huge positive swing in gas prices:
Fleet sales of utes remain strong. But private customers are turning away from them, and the car industry recorded a near-30 per cent drop in private sales of four-wheel-drive utes between March 2025 and March 2026.
The sales crash for vehicles in this class is brutal, if you compare March this year with the same month in 2025.
It includes best-selling heroes such as the Ford Ranger (-9.1 per cent) and Toyota HiLux (-27.8 per cent) that recorded sales drops.
Then there’s the Toyota LandCruiser (-75.9 per cent), Nissan Navara (-51.8 per cent), VW Amarok (-46.3 per cent), Mazda BT-50 (-21.3 per cent) and Isuzu D-Max (-7.6 per cent).
The best-selling truck in Australia for non-fleet buyers is the plug-in hybrid Shark, which, as McCowen points out, is probably the least truck-like “ute” on the market. Is this a promising sign for EREV trucks here?
Germans Can Get A Leapmotor T03 For Just $58 A Month
The journalist Kevin Williams has been a big proponent of Chinese EVs, and he even wrote a piece on the Leapmotor T03 for us back in 2022:
Compared to the Wuling Mini Hongguang EV, the Leapmotor T03’s front-motor, front-wheel-drive design is pretty standard to nearly small EVs, but remember, cars like the Hongguang Mini EV seem to have platform designs that are more akin to Jason’s Changli, rather than, say, any given subcompact car, ever. The T03 uses pretty substantial MacPherson struts up front, instead of some shit that looks stolen from a cheap scooter. The rear uses a pleasantly benign semi-independent torsion beam rear axle, instead of a chicken-leg skinny solid rear axle with a motor the size of a Conair hair dryer that feeds directly into it. Hell, the battery is even liquid-cooled, not just cooled by essentially a box fan on top of the battery, or nothing at all, which is common in very cheap EVs. This is a real car, folks.
Not only is it a real car, it’s a real cheap car in Germany. Per Bloomberg:
Drivers in Germany can lease the Leapmotor T03 city car from €49 ($58) a month, a plan that factors in a new EV subsidy and is roughly half the price of the similarly sized Fiat 500. The model comes standard with perks including a rear-view camera, six airbags and a panoramic sun roof.
The marketing push seems to be working. Leapmotor’s sales in Germany more than quadrupled in April, according to data released Thursday by the KBA regulator. The brand’s deliveries rose 358% through the first four months of the year, to 4,523 vehicles. While that’s a small total, Leapmotor is on track to outsell nameplates including Smart and Honda in the country.
If I could get a $58 little city car for running the kid to school and picking up groceries I’d have to consider it.
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT With Weissach Package And Optional Manthey Kit Sets Luxury Electric Vehicle ‘Ring Record
I love cars with long names. My favorite is still the Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition, though it now has competition in the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach Package with Manthey Kit. What’s that all mean?
The kit’s key aerodynamic components include a new rear wing with enlarged end plates, an optimized front diffuser, a high-performance rear diffuser with extended fins, and enlarged air deflectors on the underbody. In addition, carbon aerodiscs on the rear wheels improve aerodynamic efficiency. Adjustments to the rear wing and front diffuser allow the driver to choose between varying levels of downforce to optimize for the specific conditions and track.
For the first time, the Manthey Kit also includes adjustments to the powertrain: Optimizations to the high-voltage battery, control unit and pulse inverters increase the maximum discharge current while driving from 1,100 to 1,300 amps. This increases the system output by 20 kW (26 hp) to 600 kW (804 hp), while the maximum torque when using Launch Control rises to 936 ft-lbs. (an increase of 22 ft-lbs.). If the driver activates Attack Mode, an additional power boost of up to 130 kW (174 hp) is available for a short time. The 10-second output therefore temporarily increases to 730 kW (978 hp) instead of 700 kW (938 hp).
It also gives you something hilariously fast on the ‘Ring, thanks in no small part to Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires. Above is video (click here if it doesn’t load) of a so-equipped Taycan doing a sub-7-minute ‘Ring lap. That’s a little faster than a Lamborghini Huracán Performante LP640-4 on Trofeos.
Porsche is calling this the new record holder in the “Electric Executive Cars category” on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, but Thomas pointed out that it’s also probably the fastest sedan of any kind on that track. Can anyone think of a faster sedan?
A Taycan is an excellent thing to drive and, it seems, a capable way of setting a blistering lap time if that’s your bag. For me, a Taycan 4S Cross Turismo is probably enough car.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
It’s just starting to warm up around here, which means I’ve had the Santana version of “Oye Como Va” playing in the back of my head. You could do a lot worse.
The Big Question
You get to bring any car to the ‘Ring to run, what is it?
Top photo: Honda
Technology Connections, highly recommended viewing: https://youtu.be/KnUFH5GX_fI?si=UDQJC5hCH-B7C1Ps
Wait, did Honda grow or shrink? Quote:
April sales fell at each of the six automakers that report monthly: Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co., **Honda Motor Co.,** Hyundai Motor Group, Subaru and Mazda, with double-digit declines at Ford and Mazda.
**Honda and Genesis were the only brands to post April gains.**
Or, I guess Honda Motor Co. (does that include motorcycles?) shrank while Honda the car brand grew? Or something? And Hyundai Group shrank even though Genesis grew?
I’m tired of Nurburgerkingring times, can we do a different track for awhile? Road America or something?
Laguna Seca
I’m tired of NurBurgerKingOnionRing times too, which leads to my answer to TBQ:
A Maximum Weight variant of the M1A2 SEPv3 With TUSK2 and a mine roller should be heavy enough to ensure the madness is over after my lap.
Ford GT 40…
“You get to bring any car to the ‘Ring to run, what is it?”
I think I’d like to try my hand at it in a good example of a 1985 Honda CRX Si like my mom had. Would it be fast, not really, but I think it’d be appropriate power for my skill level.
I’ve seen enough Nurburgring crash/fail videos (and know the approximate limits of my skills) to not even try.
My immediate thought was RC car. Then my mind spiralled around if and how it could be done.
Sure you just follow the RV car in a convertible real car.
My first reaction is Honda Civic Type R. This would be an excellent match to my driving skill level.
Second reaction is Porsche 911T. Better split between steering and drive wheels, and again, just enough HP to scoot in the straights, not enough to overwhelm me.
TBQ: My NA Miata. Yes, it is dog slow and will likely be boring on the straight sections compared to my Civic Type R. However, it has been my “track car” since 2019 when it got retired from DD duty. I can turn laps in it all day without worrying about it breaking, and it never gets old. I just did a day at NCM in my FK8 and while it was significantly faster than that Miata, if I get to go again this year, I want to take my toy car.
I came here to say this. I am sure it would be fun to drive the ‘Ring in other cars, but nothing would make me happier than bringing my HPDE 95 Miata.
It would be like a taking a long stroll with an old friend.
I’d like to time trial a few laps on a Zamboni in the middle of the winter. Right before some influencer bro takes a run in their supercar on summer tires.
I stopped paying attention so I didn’t notice; The Accord in the topshot is one of the better looking Hondas in a long time. It’s nice to see them clean up their styling. I hope they lean into that quiet aesthetic more. I did finally see a Prelude in person recently. Handsome car, but the porky width immediately gave it a bit of a 70’s personal luxury coupe vibe. I swear I could smell cigar or cigarette smoke and cheap cologne as I walked by. It still might be a contender for me. I’ve got just enough of a middle aged man paunch to rock it.
How about a Zoomboni instead? I have driven this car in its current iteration and it is absolutely batshit fun. Although the fuel tank is kinda small #TBT | The epic tale of an ice resurfacer turned autocrosser | Articles | Grassroots Motorsports
Not mentioned was that in the last year, Australia started enforcing NVES emission standards that put new huge penalties if fleet wide CO2 emissions are above their thresholds. So most automakers are scaling back truck sales on purpose.
I’d prefer a Nuremberg ring completion involving a ten thousand mile drive at the national speed limit, including an endurance and economy run with a point down rating factor for breakdowns and recalls for each competitor.
Might improve the breed or at least provide some laughs for those of us who despise the current manufacturer truth bleats about their products taking on the ring.
I’ve talked to all sorts of people about hybrids and bev. They are sure if they get a bev they will run out of charge and get stranded. I ask them how often they run out of gas they say never but they could just fill it up if they did. Some of these people are now saying hybrid is the way after a long time of saying they were junk. The difference is Toyota put hybrid in everything. Plus enough people have had a cvt to know they don’t want that and the hybrids dont have a cvt.
Ecvt makes everything quicker and reliable. But electric motors are even more reliable and only are going to get more so until they start doing planned obsolescence like itt did with some of their motors not for cars.
Plug in hybrid and erev look to have a bright future for a good while. But we have seen where they can cost more then the bev equivalent now Toyota is showing us that in the us. They used to charge about $3k more for a hybrid version of a ice vehicle. Now the hybrid might be $3k more then what the bev is selling for. The plugin hybrid might is probably $10k or more. China has some erev that are less then a pure bev would be with similar range. I’m not sure we will see that in the us for some time.
All these people that drive less then 50mi a day have a place they can charge their car at home want 300+ mi of range. But only need it a few times a year. The democratized super fast mw byd has with their blade 2.0 packs in everything they make is certainly a way forward. Or the now catl battery swap stations from smaller to bigger depending on your range.
A huge part of the problem we have had is very unlikable nonsense yelling extremists yelling you have to have hybrid or now bev. Because they say so and it’s the smart option when it may not have been. They don’t understand free choice or personal freedoms and sound very much like the would worship their uncle Joe. That just makes people turn around go nope. And these people have less social and situation awareness the a rock. So they keep pushing , asserting they are right when there is no right answer for somones fears or wants. Once they left hybrids for bev hybrid took off and thrived. Prius was no longer the worst driving car on the road it once the model 3 came out. Now it’s a white model 3 or y. I almost think that’s one reason Toyota pushed hydrogen they moving those people along to something else and supporting something different.
I have to admit I’m an extremist, but I yell at people to just take public transit or walk more. If a vehicle is needed, just pick the right tool for the job.
I also yell a people not to be wasteful going on pointless drives or wasting gas and tires going around a track or tearing up forests and rivers offroading for hoohas. So there. You got my number.
Well, calm down for everyone’s sake. Tell the others to calm down too.
I wanted a Renault 5 badly, but I just didn’t want to compromise.
Real range is around 250km (what is that, around 150 miles?). I live in a Southern European capital and park in a collective garage. On weekends I go to a family house in the country side about 110km away (65 miles or so). There I could charge easily. For the rest charging infrastructure is not great.
Can I make it work? Most probably yes. But for me a car is an enabler, something that eases things up. I don’t want to go in ECO mode without A/C doing 65mph in the motorway just to arrive safely. Or suffer trying to find somewhere to charge.
I am not against BEVs. But today a hybrid is the right compromise.
That’s the situation so many are in. If they regularly drive places the infrastructure is non existent or just don’t want to sit there for 30 minutes while the car charges.
The irony is the real bev heads will probably have 3 different cars in the time it takes to build out the infrastructure they claim is just around the corner in a way that it makes sense for many.
But Renault could have added some kind of erev system to the 5. They even have the jv that could make it work. Maybe they will.
BYD has the Dolphin G PHEV in Europe now that seems a similar segment. You get maybe 90km of ev range with something like 1000km of combined range.
Then something in a different class like Chery fulwin a9l / exceed es7 that have something combined like 1700 to 2000 km range.
Santana invented Latin Rock (sorry, Ritchie Valens) and some of their best works are covers.
I liked “Oye Como Va” by Santana until I herd the original by Tito Puente.
I liked “Black Magic Woman” until I heard the original by Fleetwood Mac
But then I heard Santana’s cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” featuring Indie Arie on vocals and Yo Yo Ma on cello and I became a Santana fan again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DeOSLNbhfg
Probably going to be my own C6 Z06 – it would probably survive the ordeal (lol). It’s nothing new or interesting so no one would care but me. Even better would be if I could get a couple laps with an experienced ride-along to help make the most of it.