As a car enthusiast who also cares about the environment, the only solace I can take in the walking-back of fuel economy regulations is that it might help preserve some of the cars I like (Golf R) or encourage some strange oddities (V8 Pacifica). I think the idea that we’ll suddenly see a plethora of new high-powered ICE cars across the board is a fantasy, though. What I suspect is that the most common outcome will be that automakers decide to lengthen the lives of existing models.
The Morning Dump is both an evidence-based operation and a vibes-based one. The vibes around the current government’s elimination of penalties for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) violations have been split between abject horror and utter joy, whereas the current evidence points to an outcome that’s probably not so extreme in any direction.
What about America’s relationship with other countries? Toyota and Honda are both Japanese automakers that are, in many ways, quasi-American companies. This is an enormous achievement if viewed from the perspective of 175 years of American and Japanese relations. If you were to look at, say, the last 17.5 weeks, you might have a different view.
While we’re going to have to wait a bit for Toyota and Honda to report earnings, we’ve already got a report from Mazda, and it’s rough. And, finally, there’s a new CEO at Jaguar Land Rover.
My Father-In-Law Has One Of These, So I Need To Be Careful What I Say
The people who run car companies are, generally, quite smart. Product planning is an enormously complicated job, and you don’t last long if you make a lot of bad decisions. I don’t want to retread yesterday’s TMD too much, so the short version of it is that the budget/tax bill passed by the Republican Congress and signed by President Trump sets the penalty for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to $0. It’s a sort of backwards way of removing these penalties.
This approach, though, is also reversible, and it would be high on the list of accomplishments for a Democratic trifecta in 4-to-5 years to do just that. You know how long a new car product development cycle is? Anywhere from 4-to-7 years. The math here is quite easy, even if the response to it isn’t. The idea that a large automaker will suddenly abandon all its EVs and put V12s in everything is nonsensical. While some automakers may lean into it more than others (cough Stellantis), planning all-new products that might harm your future fuel economy/greenhouse gas standing is probably not smart. Plus, these are often global platforms, and fuel economy standards exist everywhere else.
Do I need to hit the “consumers want hybrid versions of everything” button again? The government should, in my view, have a role in encouraging greener cars for everyone because it’s good for everyone. We’re lucky that the push for higher fuel standards in the past has pushed automakers to develop technologies like hybrids and EVs, which the market is now demanding, to varying degrees.
So what will actually happen? The safest bet for automakers in this new tariff/environmental regulatory regime is merely to keep making the gas-powered cars you already make in the United States as a hedge against whatever is going to happen. Do you want proof? Here’s some proof, via the Detroit Free Press:
General Motors plans to produce the Cadillac XT5 past 2026, according to a UAW memo sent to workers at the automaker’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant.
The change extends the life of the vehicle beyond what the Detroit automaker told employees this spring, that production of the five-seat SUV, initially slated to end in August 2025, would “continue into 2026” without confirming a timeline.
“Today, we’re excited to share that the XT5 legacy will continue as a next-generation gas vehicle beyond 2026, proudly built at Spring Hill Manufacturing,” said the memo sent Aug. 1 from UAW Local 1853 to manufacturing staff. “A refreshed XT5 will launch in 2027.”
I have driven a Cadillac XT5 at some point, but I woke up this morning concerned that any attempt I make to impugn the vehicle will be countered by the fact that there is a newer, better version of the crossover on the market. There is, but it’s only available in China (as a mild-hybrid!). I’m a professional automotive journalist (don’t @ me), and even I had to pause and question if the XT5 was still for sale, and then I realized it was the XT4 that was recently cancelled.
These are fine cars, and I’m not just saying that because my father-in-law has one and is coming to visit later this week. They’re not great cars. They’re not bad cars. They’re fine. (Car and Driver says: “…the aging Cadillac XT5 is outclassed by newer and more capable alternatives,” and Motor Trend ranks the XT5 #15 among luxury compact SUVs!). You wouldn’t be sad to rent one and, given a good enough deal, it’s a reasonable lease. They’re just forgettable because Cadillac currently makes a lot of fantastic, much better electric crossovers in the form of the Optiq and Lyriq. There’s also the Escalade and Vistiq. If you want a sedan, the CT4 and CT5 are both stellar.
What I’m trying to say is that the Cadillac XT5 is the Carl Herrera of crossovers; an average-at-best player on a championship team (if you want an updated reference, the Sasha Vujacic of crossovers). It also has three things going for it:
- It’s gas-powered.
- It’s made in America.
- The development costs have long since been recovered.
The XT5 got an extra mild refresh in 2020, but has basically been the same vehicle underneath since it went on sale almost ten years ago. It was expected to disappear this year, with production ending around now (the press site doesn’t even allow you to download images of the new car on the front page), but it’s been given an additional life. Here’s what Cadillac said about it:
“As Cadillac evolves, we will continue to make necessary adjustments to our portfolio to meet customer demand,” said the memo from spokesman Kevin Kelly. “The current-generation Cadillac XT5, an important part of our global portfolio, will remain in production until the end of 2026. The XT5 will continue to live-on as a next-generation gas powered vehicle beyond that timeframe.”
We might get something fun like a Subaru Outback Crosstrek with the WRX motor because of the CAFE rollback, but the more likely result of all this is just that we get some average cars that last a lot longer than originally planned because that’s the most logical and efficient path.
Toyota And Honda Likely Took A Huge Tariff Hit
Historically speaking, any trade between the United States and Japan is the responsibility of the former. Japan of the 19th century was kinda irked that European missionaries kept trying to convert everyone to Catholicism, or, worse, to hoodwink locals with terrible trade terms, and so it tried to isolate itself from the world. An expanding, Manifest Destiny-pilled America suddenly had California and was eyeing trade with Asia. The country’s new fleet of ships needed coal and a place to resupply, and Japan was that place.
Here’s how the State Department’s historian puts the little moment in history when U.S. Admiral Commodore Perry forcibly opened up relations between the two countries:
Perry first sailed to the Ryukyus and the Bonin Islands southwest and southeast of the main Japanese islands, claiming territory for the United States, and demanding that the people in both places assist him. He then sailed north to Edo (Tokyo) Bay, carrying a letter from the U.S. President addressed to the Emperor of Japan. By addressing the letter to the Emperor, the United States demonstrated its lack of knowledge about the Japanese government and society. At that time, the Japanese emperor was little more than a figurehead, and the true leadership of Japan was in the hands of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Perry arrived in Japanese waters with a small squadron of U.S. Navy ships, because he and others believed the only way to convince the Japanese to accept western trade was to display a willingness to use its advanced firepower. At the same time, Perry brought along a variety of gifts for the Japanese Emperor, including a working model of a steam locomotive, a telescope, a telegraph, and a variety of wines and liquors from the West, all intended to impress upon the Japanese the superiority of Western culture. His mission was to complete an agreement with the Japanese Government for the protection of shipwrecked or stranded Americans and to open one or more ports for supplies and refueling. Displaying his audacity and readiness to use force, Perry’s approach into the forbidden waters around Tokyo convinced the Japanese authorities to accept the letter.
The following spring, Perry returned with an even larger squadron to receive Japan’s answer. The Japanese grudgingly agreed to Perry’s demands, and the two sides signed the Treaty of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854.
This worked out quite well for Japan, in a way, as it got a lot of modern equipment it used to expand its military. It wasn’t so great for the rest of the world there in the middle of the 20th century, but that was resolved, and Japan realized it was far better off conquering the globe with Walkmans, Corollas, and Sailor Moon. There’s just way more margin in tech goods and anime than there is in naval battles.
Japan has, somewhat begrudgingly, accepted new trade terms with the United States. Rather than sending a bunch of warships, President Trump sent messages on Truth Social about bowling balls (I’ll let you decide which is worse). The damage, though, has already been done, as Reuters reports:
Toyota Motor and Honda Motor are expected to report weaker first-quarter earnings this week, as U.S. import tariffs and a stronger yen weigh on profits despite solid demand for hybrids in their biggest overseas markets.
Japanese automakers face growing uncertainty in the U.S., where tariffs on imports are pushing up vehicle prices and testing the resilience of consumer demand. Investors will be watching for clues on how Japan’s two largest automakers are offsetting such burdens.
Toyota, the world’s top-selling automaker, is forecast to post a 31% year-on-year drop in operating profit to 902 billion ($6.14 billion) yen on Thursday, according to the average estimate of seven analysts polled by LSEG. That would mark its weakest quarterly result in more than two years.
Honda is expected to report a 36% decline in operating profit to 311.7 billion yen on Wednesday, its second straight quarterly drop. The automaker has already forecast a 59% fall in full-year profit.
These are just estimates, of course. If only there were an automaker that reported earnings earlier today in Japan…
Mazda Lost $286 Million Last Quarter
Of all the Japanese automakers most at risk from tariffs, Mazda’s small footprint in the United States (it only makes the CX-50 here) potentially puts it in the worst position relative to its overall success. Mitsubishi no longer makes cars in the United States, but Mitsubishi also doesn’t need the market in the same way Mazda does.
As Nikkei Asia reported this morning, the initial tariff impact is not great for the automaker, which lost $286 million in its most recent quarter:
Mazda expects that the effect of tariffs will come to 233.3 billion yen for its full financial year ending March 2026. But the company emphasized that it can offset more than 60% of that total by further reducing costs and strengthening local production.
“North America is the most important market for us,” Moro said. “The agreement between Japan and the U.S. to set the import tariff rate on automobiles at 15% has big significance.
“We believe that this will serve as a catalyst for maintaining and strengthening the value of manufacturing in Japan and its supply chain,” he added.
But he also said, “The tariff increased 15% from the previous 2.5%, placing a heavy short-term burden on corporate management,” referring to the rate before Trump started raising it. “We will not let up in continuing to thoroughly accelerate revenue structure reforms.”
While Mazda can do better thanks to whatever the Japan trade deal is, it also needs trade with Mexico to be resolved in a way that keeps its import costs lower.
Tata Puts One Of Its Own In Charge Of JLR
Jaguar and Land Rover are brands with a lot of potential globally. Land Rover is a hit basically everywhere. Jaguar has had its own issues recently, but the marque probably needed to change to survive. JLR has long been owned by Indian megaconglomerate Tata, and now Tata is making sure it has one of its own at the helm of the automaker, with the appointment of Tata CFO PB Balaji.
Here are some comments from Jaguar’s Chairman, the outgoing CEO, and the new guy:
Mr Chandrasekaran, Chairman Jaguar Land Rover PLC, Tata Motors and Tata Sons said: “I would like to thank Adrian for the stellar turnaround of JLR and for delivering record results. I am delighted to appoint Balaji as the incoming CEO of the company. The search for a suitable candidate to lead JLR has been undertaken by the Board for the past few months and after careful consideration it was decided to appoint Balaji. He has been associated with the Company for the past many years and is familiar with the Company, its strategy and has been working with the JLR leadership team. This move will ensure that we continue to accelerate our journey to Reimagine JLR.”
Mr Mardell said: “These three years have been a great privilege. Together with the incredible JLR workforce, we have cemented JLR’s position in the automotive industry during a time of incredible change. I would like to thank everyone in JLR and the extended Tata Group, and wish Balaji every success in his new role”
Mr Balaji said: “It is my privilege to lead this incredible company. Over the past 8 years I have grown to know and love this company and its redoubtable global brands. I look forward to working with the team to take it to even greater heights. I thank Adrian for his immense contributions and wish him well for his next innings.”
This seems like a warm and peaceful transition. Certainly, the President of the United States will have nothing to say about it…
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the auto company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, was “in absolute turmoil” and claimed that the “CEO resigned in disgrace”.
His post on Monday evening also described JLR’s recent much-criticised advert – which showed a diverse group of models in brightly coloured clothing set against a vibrant backdrop and was designed to launch the company’s rebrand – as a “stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement”.
Trump asked: “Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad?”
Happy first day on the job!
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
I’ve long wondered what the Song of the Summer would be, especially after last year, when there were approximately 90 good options. Nothing has really hit for me until my wife pointed out there was, in fact, a song of summer. A song so beloved and so ubiquitous that you may have the chorus tattooed on your tympanic cavity. That song is “Hold My Hand” by Jess Glynne. It came out 10 years ago, and wouldn’t even be on my radar were it not for the viral success of the “Jet2 Holiday” theme, which uses the song in the background. Your recognition of this chorus is entirely based on how online you are. I am very online, so nothing beats “Hold My Hand” for song of summer. Now 50 pounds off!
The Big Question
What’s the most mediocre car in every automaker’s lineup?
Top photo: Cadillac
So GM doing the typical GM thing of holding onto a model well past its expiration date works out for them this time. Blind squirrels do find nuts it seems.
I’m sure all the negotiators on these trade deals are expecting the deals to last about as long as a Diet Coke in the Oval Office. They got ripped up twice before. A third time is likely.
XT5. Thought i was inside an Equinox. Not a morsel of luxury anywhere to be found. POS.
Strange timing on this because I saw a somewhat-new looking XT4 on the way into work today and thought…damn do they still make that? The answer is apparently no after this year, but now I know much more about XT4 and XT5 than I did yesterday (the bar was quite low).
I saw an XT4 when returning my rental car Monday and had the same thought. It was a nice green though.
I recently listened in on a conversation between a conspiracy theorist and some poor fellow that got stuck listening to him. The conspiracy theorist bounced around from one nonsensical view to another but there were a couple that stood out. First he said space isn’t real or at the very least it couldn’t be a vacuum. “See,” he explained, “what do vacuums do? They suck. If space was actually a vacuum then everything on the surface of the earth would have been sucked away long ago.” He then went on to explain his belief that dinosaurs were invented to convince people that oil is a finite resource. “That’s why they call them fossil fuels,” he says, “they want us to believe oil comes from dinosaur bones when the Earth actually regenerates infinite oil.” These are only 2 examples of things he said that stood out as particularly absurd but by the time he got to those topics he had said the name Soros at least 20 times, usually followed by, “I’ve done the research!” This is exactly how people can fall for things that are so easily disproven in spite of carrying a device in their pockets everywhere they go that can access all of the information mankind has gathered throughout all of history. All they needed was someone shameless enough to encourage them.
Being at work and having already spent far too much time on this comment I hastily wrapped it up, leaving much implied. More to the point, with this guy as with many others, their lack of information and resulting inability to put things into context has become an unprecedented avenue for exploitation. There are far too many Americans, embarrassingly many, who would not be able to recognize reality as it is.
If I ever come in power, I’d make uttering the phrase “I’ve done my research” a capital offense, unless he/she has
As my dad used to say” “Keep your pants on. Nobody wants to listen to you talk out of your ass.”
“I’ve done my research” means, “I searched the web and found a couple of yahoos who agree with me.”
When I was trying to talk myself into a used Model Y I figured I could rebadge it as a Ford Escape. Might pass for a lot of people.
Nissan, Id vote Rogue. Pathfinder has a decent transmission.
Murano. Admit it, you forgot they made it too
Honda has to be the HR-V. The only remarkable thing about it is how much it sounds like a sexually transmitted disease.
Enthusiast importers are also getting screwed. Thankfully, my MGF boarded its boat when the tariffs were still 10 percent and will land tomorrow, before the 15 percent kicks in. So I will “luck” out compared to the folks who will have to pay 15 percent very soon. I guess it’s better than the threat of 25 percent, but the government is just nickel and diming enthusiasts now…
What Luxo-Truck have you wrangled for the retrieval?
Maybe it’s time to just say, “Ta ta Jaguar.
What’s the opposite of zoom zoom?
Boom boom?.
I think in this case “whomp whomp” probably covers the sentiment.
The sad noises from The Price is Right.
Hey, at least he didn’t address it to “Mr. Japan”.
I skipped the segment that referred to the letter to the Emperor and went back to read it after seeing your comment.
I was relieved to read that happened in the 19th century and not 2025. It is disturbing how much that faux pas seems like it could be a current event.
I think Japan should have insisted Trump only negotiate with Naruhito, kimono a kimono just to waste his time. Trump would have been so flattered to be talking to “The big guy. The Yen stops here guy.” Either that or just offer him a plot of land to develop. They could get it back in the bankruptcy sale after a few years.
XT5’s, I see them everywhere around CT. It’s the American version of a German SUV, I guess.
The first turd you dropped formed the image in my head of countless Youtube shorts of a Jet-ski rescuing a surfer right in front of a giant wave ready to take them both out, only to be saved at the last minute. Not sure if that makes sense, but that is what popped in my head.
In addition, it makes me sad that it will basically force everyone to just kinda hit the pause button on any new development, leaving tons of new product designers, engineers, technicians, etc out of a job while we wait to see what happens in 4 years. IOW, nothing new and exciting will come of this, and, yes, the XT5 will continue until the heat death of the republican party because, yes, it’s just printing money right now, which GM desperately requires to pay dividends.
For Ford I was going to say the edge as medicore but looked it up and that ended production last year so I guess for them the non hybrid escape would seem very bleh.
I like my Mazda, and although they’ll survive in the rest of the world, I’m not sure about their future in the US. [sad face]
Fun fact – Admiral Commodore Perry’s older brother was Oliver Hazard Perry who won the Battle of Lake Erie in1813. “Don’t give up the ship”
His great, great, great grandchild, Tyler is a big hitter in showbiz I hear.
His great great grand niece even went to space!*
*kind of
His cousin on his mother’s side’s great, great grand daughter wrote a bunch of popular books about vampires.
Wasn’t she also a marine biologist? I remember her in the news years ago a new species of fish called, “Left Shark.”
Someone greatly enhanced the Perry statue in Perrysburg OH once: https://96krock.com/2019/09/23/someone-inappropriately-defaced-a-statue-of-the-naval-officer-the-city-was-named-after-nsfw/
I recently had an XT4 as a rental and it was somewhere between meh and fine. Fuel economy was not great, and it was very squeaky and rattly for a car with under 50k miles (but rental). The panoramic sunroof was nice, as were the heated and cooled seats. I thought it might be useful to have AWD in the mountains of Utah, but I definitely didn’t need it and there were more interesting options in the Avis lot.
I guess the most meh car would be the Buick Encore. I believe in live and let live, but I can’t understand the appeal at all. A small car thats not sporty, a tall car that doesn’t hold much, a brand that most people no longer care about, and there are other cheaper vehicles for the money.
Weirdly enough I had an Envista as a rental and it was surprisingly okay. It looks more expensive than it actually is and up to about 25mph it’s pretty peppy.
Fuel economy from that boosted 1.2L 3cyl is not great though.
I didn’t even know there was a smaller Buick crossover, and I guess this is why I try not to be judgmental. Those are genuinely cheap! There is a blue Envista near me with heated seats and steering wheel, wireless charging, adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, the list goes on for under $26k brand new. If I didn’t care about cars and just wanted to shop specs from a computer that is a compelling package.
Yeah, if one good thing comes of this it’d be the end of all the wet belt 1.2Ts that should be 2.0NAs.
A korean. Turbo. 3 banger. I ll leave it there
My rhetorical question is always “who buys these things?” when it comes to shit like the XT whatever. A simple Google search will be enough to tell you that you’re not getting your money’s worth and that it’s an economy car wearing an off the rack suit. This is also the case for *insert mediocre car here* to varying degrees but as I’ve lamented here many a time entry level luxury cars are just uniquely stupid to me and I feel like manufacturers are laughing their asses off at people who continue to buy them.
But alas…we’re weirdos. The vast majority of people don’t scour reviews and comparisons about different cars to narrow down a list. The average consumer fucking HATES car shopping and just wants it over with. The average consumer doesn’t give two shits about dynamics and something that I find very interesting is I don’t think many of them care about fuel economy all that much either unless it’s an outlier.
A couple we’re friends with that has fairly progressive political and social values just bought an Acura MDX that’s an absolute gas hog. For whatever reason I just find that curious…and almost no one we know drives a hybrid or EV despite sharing similar values outside of a handful of early Tesla adopters who wanted them more for the tech and status symbol than anything else.
I really think most people just decide on a brand they like based on familiarity, go to a dealership, and pick something right off the lot. They don’t really negotiate either, and it’s apparent because of how much shit dealerships get away with. Like…people just see a monthly payment and that’s that.
And they wind up in stuff like an XT5 or Audi Q3 or BMW X1 or whatever because the luxury badge means something to them and their uncle or dad or whoever always drove Caddies or German cars etc. The cars are just horrific wastes of money over simply getting the CRV or Civic Hybrid or minivan you actually need but people just don’t care.
I love your rants. Keep up the good work, as we Autopians will never be sheeple
(nodding in agreement, eyes glazed over)
…we Autopians will never be sheeple…
Oddly enough, his user name does NOT check out. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of insanity in his rants.
These are cars to buy off lease or at the Enterprise lot fully depreciated.
I own an older MDX and the fuel economy is maddening. How does this thing swill more fuel than a V8 Tahoe??? Fortunately it is the vacation car and hauler, not daily used.
A few years I remember being introduced to a friends bf or something who described himself as a car guy… so obviously my friend thought we would get along. He didn’t know anything about cars except that the MSRP of a Bentley Bentayga was more than my house, and his favorite Lambo was the Urus. When I told him that Lamborghini used to make an even cooler SUV, he had the gall to call it ugly! Similarly, he assumed Bose made the best speakers, and I bet he thinks Gucci makes the best Italian t-shirts.
And Heineken is a high end beer.
Spock approves.
PBR is marketed as a premium brand in East Asia.
Must be why my East Asian wife took a liking to me. She saw my PBR and thought I was fancy…
Asking someone what they think of the Urus is a great test of character. No one who admires it is worth a second of your time.
I will always associate Uruses with this guy:
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2018/12/18/megachurch-preacher-buys-wife-200000-lamborghini/6615252007/
The funny thing about humans is that we’re basically fancy tribal apes at the end of the day, despite all the pretence we put on denying it.
So, we act out our roles in socially signalling our status to others, even though logically, it’s BS. For a large portion of the aspiring upper middle class, something like a XT5 is part of the costume. So be it, if it does the function aspect well enough for practical use. It would take an extreme contrarian to drive a Mitsubishi Mirage into a corporate mid-to-upper white-collar management job.
You can apply this to other classes of vehicles, or different consumer goods. There’s plenty of profit to be had in selling costumes. (I play the game as well to an extent, because not playing is a very contrarian angle that might not pay off in our world)
Consumerism as identity. Make what you will of it and what that implies about our species.
I actually like cars, and read here everyday.
But the proces of buying a car in most cases, IS absolutely ****ing bullshit.
It takes too long, there’s way too much unnecessary paperwork, especially to initial that you choose to decline things that the dealer wants to upsell on, and a lot of places still do shady shit.
It’s as if they forget that I’m the customer who calls to verify that the VIN listed online is still there on the lot, even after I tell them all I need is a test drive. I have a cashiers check in hand, and usuually just pay the fees or whatever on a card. I don’t want to negotiate the price. I want them to take my money, hand me the keys, and let me leave in the shortest amount of time possible.
But still….its 2 extra hours of wasted time because they still insist on asking me to finance, and to buy extra warranties, and service plans, etc….
So, if the choice between two smiliar vehicles (in terms of class/size and features) comes down to me spending more money to spend less time dealing with the that kind of friction, then I will HAPPILY spend that.
So I don’t think just average consumers hate car shopping. I think most consumers hate it. And that’s on the dealers. The stereotypes about them still exist because there is still some truth in them.
Agreed, and I think this is a major reason why things like CarMax and Carvana (or whatever it is called now) exist and sometimes thrive.
I hate the BS in everything. Wife is like ‘we can sell this ***** and make some money’. I’m like ‘Not worth the hassle of taking pcs, posting, responding, shipping…. just donate it.’
Time is money and I’d rather spend it doing what I want to, not on made up obligations.
I couldn’t agree more. I scheduled a test drive of the car I was interested in, prearranged financing, the whole nine yards. The process still took 4+ hours, including the 30 minutes it took them to pull the car I wanted to test drive (only one at the dealership) out of the showroom AFTER I showed up for my appointment.
4 hours?
I’m not giving up half a day of work just to be annoyed. Its not that I can’t afford to lose wages, since I work for myself.
Its the principle of the thing. If I call and make an appointment, I come prepared to pay. If I like the car, and it drives and appears as its as described in the ad, then its a done seal
I think that salespeople should do the same…..have everything for closing on hand and ready to go when applicable. Assume the sale. Stop wasting customers’ time.
I have had great luck with using my credit union’s car buying service. The last two times I purchased a car, I worked with a broker who found the exact car in the exact spec I wanted (manual). I paid a few hundred in broker fees but saved thousands by not being forced to purchase dealer installed options with the salesman saying, “They install the TruCoat at the factory!” The best part is that the service delivered my current car to my local branch and gave me the keys to test drive it BY MYSELF. They took the keys to my trade-in, I signed the papers and everything took less than 2 hours. Last time with no trade-in it was less than one hour. Financing, trade-in, everything was in place already by the time I got there, no upsells or BS.
I do work though my credit union for other things. I have not asked if they offer such services. This is good to know.
“Yeah, but that…TruCoat!”
I have one even better. One of my wife’s clients once went on a rant about how much she hates cars. She said that city cars like my wife’s Scion iQ are acceptable enough, but what would be ideal is a world where all cars are banned.
In her very next breath, she said she bought a brand new VW GTI, then walked me over to where it was parked. I wanted to ask how does someone who, by their own word, hates cars, ends up with a GTI, but decided that such a question was probably rude.
I don’t know anyone with an EV, now I think about it. Most of my friends are progressive folks who are very concerned about the climate, but I think EVs are too expensive and too “unknown” for someone on a tight budget. Which is basically everyone my age (I’m 32) that I know. They all drive smaller, efficient cars that they intend to keep till the wheels fall off. One of my friends is still driving his first car from high school, a Matrix. Another just purchased a 2016 Versa and she loves it. Those who have kids aren’t as concerned about fuel economy, it’s more about the practicality and if they can get a good deal on it. By “it” I mean a crossover, of course.
My fiancee and I aren’t much different though. He’s got a Mazda3, I’ve got a Sportwagen TDI. Both efficient vehicles, both purchased used with low miles, both will last us for many years to come. We aren’t on as much of a budget as most of our friends, especially with no plans for kids, but an EV seemed a bit risky and anyway, there aren’t any (yet) that we like enough to own. By risky I mostly mean battery degradation, depreciation, and obsolescence as new battery tech develops. You can get around that by leasing, of course, but neither of us has the desire to lease anything.
I agree with about 95% of what you said right there except for one thing: the random people I know who have bought cars in the last 5 years or so DO care a lot about fuel economy, and none of them are what I would consider either 1) progressive or 2) car people.
Maybe the difference is mostly gas prices here in SoCal or how many miles people drive around here on average, but a lot of people around here are buying hybrids (including myself). Almost none of these people give two s**ts about the environment, but saving gas is high on their priority list. Why do you think Toyota struggles so much keeping Sienna’s and RAV4 Primes on the lot?
The idea that a large automaker will suddenly abandon all its EVs and put V12s in everything is nonsensical.
I think the big three are only too happy to abandon EV trucks and produce trucks with V whatevers in them. I also think it will take very little to convince truck buyers that trucks powered by massive, gas guzzling V whatevers is the best thing in the world for them to buy while letting EVs whither on the vine.
“the budget/tax bill passed by the Republican Congress and signed by President Trump sets the penalty for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to $0. It’s a sort of backwards way of removing these penalties.
This approach, though, is also reversible, and it would be high on the list of accomplishments for a Democratic trifecta in 4-to-5 years to do just that”
I love your optimism.
This is the sort of incisive and insightful reporting I’ve come to expect from TMD. 😉
I’m not convinced. Is there some kind of chart or data set I can review? /sarcasm
Does anyone else call Japan “the Japans” after watching Shogun?
hahaha love that.
I don’t. But I also don’t own a shotgun.
To be fairrrr, that was the historical English name. As the west had very limited understanding of Edo period Japan. And the Japanese weren’t particularly nationalistic. Much like the Philippines, The Japans was just the name for the island chain. It’s only fairly recently, like Rus-Japanese war recent, where it seemed to totally stopped using the plural.
Solid insight and a top tier television reference. That’s good commenting even if you are “ackshully”-ing it.
Doesn’t woke mean your not asleep? Anyway, making it easier to continue ICE machines seems like a way to make it harder to breathe in the future. But I guess if you’re an old man trying to take you, me and everything to the grave with you, it makes sense.
I stopped reading at “V8 Pacifica”.
A hellcat version of the Pacifica might get Chrysler to drag its corpse around for another 5 years and continue to develop zero new vehicle ideas.
Could I just make it easy and nominate Nissan’s whole lineup for most mediocre?
*Gestures toward vaguely toward Chevy dealership*
With the exception of the Fiero, I mean, Corvette, you’re not wrong.
I counter that they currently make the best all-around midsize truck.
It’s not the best at anything, but it does everything well, with a simple and reliable drivetrain.
I’m surprised trump didn’t say anything crazy racist (yet) about the new leadership at JLR.
The day is still young.
Yeah, but the guy’s asking for it with that mustache.
I’m surprised he speaks English so good (sic). Where did he learn it? India? But how??
(ed note: English is one of the “official languages” of India.)
Asking what is the most mediocre is like asking if you can see a black hole in space, which no, you cant really see it since its essentially the absence of everything, and only is seen through mathematical analysis or with having other bright things around it line up just right to center it.
I am also talking about the XT5 here, the only way I remember it exists is when there is an ad that has it front and center with CT5 blackwings tucked behind it, 90% obscured, forcing me to wonder what is blocking them, and then realizing, that oh yea, the XT5 exists. I imagine most car companies have a few models like this at any given time, but the XT5 definitely gives a very good run for the money for most mediocre/forgetful.
Also, the problem with my black hole reference is that black holes are really cool and should be sought after, while mediocre cars like the XT5 shouldn’t. I like weird and undervalued cars that can blend in, but they need something interesting about them somewhere, the XT5 is just straight down the middle of every GM parts bin.
I have never once learned the name of the XT-5. I was about to say that I always referred to it as the Cadillac-badged Equinox, but then I realized that I don’t think I’ve actually ever referred to it at all.
Isn’t the XT5 a Cadillac-ified Blazer? That would be the most mediocre Chevy now that the last-generation Equinox is fully out of the new-car pipeline.
Something about the audio track of the Jet2 Holidays meme made me think it was a lot older than it is, and also I expected the company would be defunct.
Yes it is, both built on the GM C1xx chassis. In fact, they are both very close in wheelbase and width. basically they are the same car, same engine, but the Caddy gets cheap leather in the interior and somehow is even more boring and more expensive than the already expensive Blazer. ( I would take the blazer over the XT5).
I’d rather have a high quality base brand than a cheapened lux brand.
Oh yeah, the XT5, I forgot that was a thing. Mediocre and not that interesting, and really doesn’t deliver anything worth paying up for. What were we talking about again? Ehh probably not important.
I think I rented one once? The shifter drove me mad.