AD #4027 – U.S. EV Sales Up 43%; Ryder Not Happy With Tesla Semi; GM Stops the Bleeding in China

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

TRUMP TARIFF RECAP
Here’s a quick update on the effects of Trump’s tariffs on the auto industry. Volvo’s old-new CEO Hakan Samuelsson says it will produce more cars at its plant in South Carolina to avoid the tariffs. Nissan says it’s dropping plans to cut a shift at its plant in Tennessee and will maintain a two-shift strategy with the Rogue. Nissan was planning to cut the shift as part of a broader effort to slash 5,300 jobs worldwide this year, so it might have to look to other regions to reduce headcount. The automaker also announced that it will no longer take new U.S. orders for the Infiniti QX50 and QX55, which are built in Mexico. Canada retaliated with its own 25% tariff on U.S. car imports that don’t comply with the USMCA trade agreement and on non-Canadian content of vehicles that are assembled in the U.S. But the tariffs won’t apply to shipments of car parts. And lastly, the Conservative leader running for Prime Minister in Canada is proposing to remove the federal sales tax on Canadian made cars to help boost the country’s auto industry.

GM STOPS THE BLEEDING IN CHINA
Like all foreign automakers operating in China, General Motors has seen its sales and profits implode. But maybe GM bottomed out in the first quarter. It sold 442,000 vehicles in China, the same as last year. And what stopped the downward slide was the addition of more New Energy Vehicles. GM says its NEV sales were up 53%. And it’s going to have a NEV option for every new model it launches from here on out. Moreover, it’s going to start offering Extended Range EVs, or EREVs, before the year is out. We doubt GM will ever go back to selling 4 million cars a year in China. But it should be able to get its Chinese operations back onto a profitable footing.

 

MCLAREN COULD USE NIO TECH
McLaren Automotive is merging with UK-based vehicle startup Forseven. McLaren was recently acquired by Abu Dhabi investment group CYVN Holdings, which has now decided to merge it with Forseven. The move allows the vehicles already in development at Forseven to come to market badged as McLarens. The company says the models will have British luxury design cues with some McLaren influence thrown in. This will likely include non-mid-engine sports cars and both electric and ICE powertrains. CYVN is also the largest shareholder in Nio and there’s speculation that McLaren’s future electric supercars could use tech from the Chinese EV maker.

U.S. EV SALES UP 43%
Despite all the negative news surrounding EVs in the US, the EV segment continues to grow far faster than the rest of the market. We compiled the Q1 EV sales for all the automakers–well, almost all. Mercedes and Porsche still haven’t reported and Tesla does not break out its US sales. But here’s what it looks like for the rest of the industry. Automakers sold nearly 150,000 EVs, up 43% compared to last year. Keep in mind that the total market was up 4.7%, so EVs are growing nearly 10 times faster. General Motors topped our list of EV sales, well ahead of Ford and Hyundai/Kia. Another way to measure how well an automaker is doing is to look at EVs as a percentage of total sales. BMW, including Mini, is the best; 14% of its sales were EVs. Audi was next with 13.8%, followed by Volkswagen at nearly 11%. By the way we’re going to post all the numbers for our Aficionado members right now, and will make it available for our other members at a later time.

Q1 2025 U.S. EV SALES
General Motors	31,886	+4.6%
Ford	22,550	+1.3%
Hyundai-Kia	19,910	+4.9%
Q1 2025 EV SALES % TOTAL SALES
BMW	14,206	14%
Audi	5,905	13.8%
Volkswagen	9,564	10.9%
Source: Company Reports

AUTOLINE POLL AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS
So, if you’d like to check out the whole list, consider becoming a member yourself. Your support, which costs a few dollars a month, can help us continue this kind of reporting. Plus, we’ve got extra content available for members, like a new members-only Autoline Poll that we’re going to post today, though we will post the results on Monday’s show. And we really want to thank everyone that has already signed up. We appreciate your support. OK, back to the news.

VW INVESTS BIG IN AMAROK PICKUP
Volkswagen says it will come out with a next-generation version of the Amarok pickup truck in 2027. It’s investing $580 million into the Pacheco plant in Argentina, which is one of the locations where the Amarok is already made. That plant basically operates as a joint venture with Ford and the current Ranger and Amarok are pretty much the same under the skin. So, with a new Amarok being designed, developed and produced in South America, it’s possible we’ll see a new Ranger around the same time. 

SKODA SHOWS SPORT ELROQ EV
In other VW Group news, Skoda is coming out with a sportier version of the Elroq EV, which is very similar to the VW ID.4. And while the ID.4 also has a sporty model, called the GTX, the new Elroq RS benefits from improved motors that VW has developed since the ID.4 GTX launched. The dual motor setup in the Elroq RS makes a combined 250 kW or 340 horsepower, compared to 220 kW for the ID.4 GTX. All that power contributes to the Elroq RS being the fastest model in Skoda current lineup, doing 0-100 km/h, which is similar to 0-60 MPH, in 5.4 seconds. There’s also a lowered and specially tuned suspension as well as unique touches inside and out. But we don’t know exactly when it will launch yet. 

MERCEDES INVESTS BIG IN NEW TYPE OF PAINT SHOP
And Volkswagen isn’t the only German automaker that’s making a big investment into one of its plants. Mercedes says it’s making a “high triple-digit-million euro” investment into the paintshop at its plant in Germany where it makes the S-Class, E-Class and GLC. The company will no longer rely on any fossil fuels in the painting process, instead turning to green electricity and software to help reduce energy consumption by 50% compared to the old paintshop. Mercedes expects to be spraying fresh colors on new cars by the spring of 2028. 

RYDER NOT HAPPY WITH TESLA SEMI
One of Tesla’s Semi customers is complaining about delays and higher prices. Transportation company Ryder was awarded funding by a committee in California to deploy a fleet of Tesla Semis and Megachargers at facilities that it operates in the state. Ryder has already asked the committee for an extension and now it’s requesting the project be pushed back by another 28 months because of design and production delays with the Semi. Tesla has been building a new factory in Nevada that it previously said was supposed to start volume production of the Semi and kick off customer deliveries this year. But on top of the delays, Ryder and the committee also agreed to lower the planned fleet from 42 down to 18 Semis. Ryder said that would allow it to maintain the original $7.5 million it would pump into the project, which suggests the price of the Semi will be much higher than first thought. 

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day and I hope that you have a great weekend.