Porsche rcorded its steepest decline in sales in 16 years for 2025. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says the new Canada-China trade agreement allowing Chinese EVS into the Canadian market is not a significant concern. More at The Detroit News.
+ After just three years in production, Stellantis has discontinued the Alfa Romeo-based Dodge Hornet crossover, reportedly due to low demand and U.S. tariff costs. More at Autoweek.
+ U.S. new-vehicle inventory totaled about 2.77 million units as reported on January 1, reflecting a 76-day supply and marking a sharp decline from 92 days in early December. More at CBT News.
+ The Cadillac Formula 1 team shook down its Ferrari-powered 2026 race car at the historic Silverstone circuit in Great Britain in preparation for regular pre-season testing. More at Motorsport.com
+ U.S. auto safety regulators have granted Tesla a five-week extension to respond to an investigation of whether its Full Self Driving system violates traffic laws when in use. More at World Auto Forum.
+ Los Angeles-based Logistics firm Nevoya is deploying 40 Freightliner eCascadia battery-electric Class 8 semi-trucks on its Houston-Dallas commercial trucking route. More at Electrek.
+ Jensen International Automotive, a firm specializing in Jensen restorations, hopes to revive the brand with a clean sheet design on an aluminum chassis with “bespoke V8 power.” More at The Drive.
+ After pausing production of the four models in September, Mercedes-Benz has restarted production of its EQ-branded electric vehicles for the North American market. More at Car and Driver.
+ Porsche recorded its steepest decline in sales in 16 years for 2025, which the German carmaker attributed to slower than expected demand for EVs and weak sales in China. More at Financial Times.
+ Emerson Axsom of Franklin, Indiana won the Chili Bowl Nationals, dirt midget racing’s premier event, as NASCAR stars Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell came up short. More at Speed Sport.
Photo courtesy of Porsche.
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The Dodge Hornet didn’t make any sense. It was way overpriced to start with.
Given the market position of the Journey, their last crossover, they’d have been better off starting with one of the bigger Brazilian Fiats.
Tesla FSD marketed as a “Level 5”, but barely an enhanced ruise control: false advertising in my book, associated with at least 80 deaths so far (or is it closer to 800?) according to Reddit posts & NHTSA.
The ODI office director @NHTSA HQ in charge of the Tesla & robocab investigations is a good man in my opinion, he is one of the few remaining from a dozen or so newly minted GS 7&9 defect investigators I mentored decades ago on their field trips to VRTC in Ohio, junkets to manufacturer dog & pony shows @ proving grounds nationwide and technical presentations for USDOT HQ in D.C.
Too bad all of our futures’ be in the hands of a few chauffered politicians and political appointees who do not drive, a legion of gov’t attorneys who have never ever changed a flat tire or been in a court room, and the CEO who just recieved a trillion dollar stock thingamajig from his board of directors…
Correction: please replace the words “office director” with “division chief” in my post above. Appologies, let’s blame it on old-tmer’s disease & jargon-monoxide poisoning…
“Jargon monoxide.” I like it.
All “self drivers” break turn signal laws at uncontrolled roundabouts, manual turn signal control is required to comply, signalling right w/turning left.
There are over 300 roundabouts in Ohio, but not a single one has ever lowered insurance premiums, only cause significant increases for nearby residents. It’s a mystery, similar in nature to how electric bills always increase whenever subsidized wind farms & solar fields pop up nearby…
The big news on the car Internet seems to be the AI-generated Cadillac that Bring a Trailer let slip through.
Have any news outlets picked it up yet? I failed to find any in assembling the Executive Briefing. Maybe I should write it up here. Imagine trying to inspect a car for purchase from a thousand miles away via still photos, and then learning they are AI.