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
I seem to be the only car person in the world who is sick of hearing about the ring. It does nothing for me or any car I will ever likely own. 99% of readers are in the same boat, but people and oem’s are obsessed. I feel like it made sense/mattered when a performance car was at 300hp and cars drove like a boat. Now everything is fast, everything corners okay and every single car made, cannot be run full tilt on a public road.
Maybe some of those little euro city cars could be fun. Slow cars going fast is fun to me.
The Leapmotor T03 hasn’t been crash tested anywhere as far as I can tell. That should be raising alarm bells. The best source I could find has the Leapmotor boss making excuses that Euro NCAP testing is expensive, so doing crash testing would cause the price to increase. Does that not seem like a red flag to anyone else?
I know for a fact that GM virtually crash tests every single model, and their simulations are incredibly close if not identical to actual testing data. I cannot for a second believe that if Chinese EV manufacturers are as advanced as everyone says that they aren’t capable of getting remotely close. What I’m getting at is if they simulate the crash tests and the performance is so good, they would be jumping over backwards to have a dirt cheap 5-Star safety EV. But costs on these ultra-cheap Chinese EVs are cut everywhere, and I would bet a large amount of money that this thing would perform horribly in a test, which Leapmotor knows it.
Can somebody please recommend something by Santana that justifies the love? When I was a kid, he was regarded as One Of The Greats, but neither the aforementioned song, nor “Black Magic Woman,” nor that abomination with Rob Thomas can justify that reputation.
Hes a good guitarist, so if you appreciate that, especially with more of a spanish vibe. If you don’t love guitar, its just regular music to most people. A lot of these older bands are good, but there was also way less competition, no internet and most things were “new” or edgy. It’s harder to impress people these days.
Practically, I’d love to run my 76 HP Subaru GL at the Ring.
For historical purposes, I want to attack that course in the Cugnot Steamer.
Forget the ‘Ring, bring that Leapmotor here. My GF is moving in July to a place about 8 miles from work, and was used to my old Abarth 500 for size comparison. $58 a month and no gas? She’d love it.
I scored a $33/month lease on a 500e a year ago, and it’s been a fantastic little commuter car when I was cruelly forced to stop working form home and return to the office full time. When the lease is up, I’m definitely replacing it with another EV.
Get a Twingo, looks better, drives better.
We’re pricing out solar panels right now.
Not because electricity is high, but the napkin math of how many solar panels would literally offset fuel costs if I had an EV vs. ICE, plus the overall home energy savings, pays itself off within the life of a car.
For those in sunnier climates, this math gets even easier.
With 25-30y mortgages, what’s a 10year loan on some solar panels that’ll last 25 years and pay themselves off within those 10y – only to help you pay down the remaining 15-20y you’ve got left on the house itself? I get it, it’s a cost most can’t shoulder going in, and may be the straw on affordability, but longer-term it’s a net positive.
The PVWatts website is your friend for figuring out how many panels you need. There is a learning curve but once you get the hang of it, it’s very accurate. My production numbers are very close to the estimates from their calculator.
I was fortunate enough to drive 5 laps on the Nurburgring in a race prepped Suzuki Swift, and after having done that I wouldn’t want to drive anything much faster than that at my current skill level. Despite having dozens of amateur road racing experience under my belt the ‘Ring was daunting. It took until the 5th lap before I started feeling remotely comfortable.
Wife booked us a private private tour at the Ferrari museum in 2019. Our tour guide was late so they let us play on the F1 simulators. I foolishly picked Nurburgring as the track. I probably died in a fiery crash four times trying to complete a lap at speed. That loop is insane!
The only thing I can think of that briefly held up the truck/SUV takeover of America was the Great Recession and a gas price spike that made what we are dealing with now look like a hiccup. There were so many trucks parked out by the road with for sale signs around me in the summer of 2009. I wouldn’t expect any long term changes from the operation Epstein Fury price spike because everyone is assuming prices will come back down soon. They won’t, but Americans love big vehicles and our buying habits won’t change that quickly.
Tbq: something relatively slow that I’m not worried about crashing. Hm.
Oh, I know. An ex-police Explorer. Slow compared to a 911, but built to be driven hard, and it’s a high-mileage SUV so if I end up stuffing it I won’t care.
If I’m not worried about wrecking it? Singer 911. If I’m on the hook insurance-wise for a crash? GR86
I am from Barcelona. And since two weeks ago I am the (not-so) proud owner of a brand new (6th Gen) Clio E-Tech hybrid.
Now, even in Europe it is more and more difficult to drive fast or for fun. There are speed cameras everywhere (including average ones), single carriageway roads are getting continuous lines or even separators in places you could previously overtake and if you go to a nice country road to enjoy your car it is full of cyclists (at least in my neck of the woods).
In that scenario, a hybrid makes perfect sense. It’s just a normal car that happens to get excellent fuel economy. The only scenario where conventional ICE cars (petrol or diesel) which is high speed motorway cruising is disappearing (except for some places in Germany of course).
So swapping from an A110 to a Clio hybrid (long story) feels far less disappointing in this situation. It might even make sense.
PS. You certainly don’t want a Leapmotor, no matter how cheap it is.
The number of long-roof Corolla Hybrids in-town explains a lot.
Lots of storage, reasonable sized car, carries a whole family, peppy off the line at the lights, decent fuel economy, and reliable.
Indeed Corollas are everywhere. It’s the standard taxi here.
They are technically very different, but the feeling and results are very similar.
Has anyone ever run an articulated bus around the Ring? Mercedes could be my copilot!
Or one of those fire trucks with a second driver in the back!
I’d love to bring my Compass to the ‘Ring, just because it’d be incredibly ridiculous, stupid, and comical at the same time to drive it as fast as the slow junker will go!
It’d be funny to watch the play back of it as well, like just imagine seeing and hearing that thing struggling at everything! I wouldn’t be able to contain my laughter!
Really though, as 4jim said, it’d be awesome just to go drive it in anything.
Twingo, the answer is always Twingo
I just want to drive around the ring. I do not care in what. I would do it in anything including my JKU and Pacifica AWD or a rental golf, I don’t care.
Also
Car companies: “Yea regulation rollbacks, lets make gas guzzlers again!”
Gas prices surge
Car companies: “Crap!!”
Every few years, something happens, and gas prices surge.
And, yet, every time we all still act surprised like it’s completely new to us.
Like many people cannot even fathom a world without $1/gal gas for the next 10,000 years.
When it starts with “I remember… ”
Yeah, no thanks Grandpa, and let’s not talk about how cheap housing used to be either.
Then there is the inevitable comments on here that start “well incomes have kept up with inflation so such and such is actually cheaper than in the past”