#ev-market

#ev-market

Less than a year ago, automakers found themselves on the cusp of tariff hell. Car companies were suddenly hit with a gut-punch of tariffs on their supply chains and completed vehicles. The U.S. imposed some hefty import duties on all things China in the hopes of protecting domestic manufacturers. Now President Trump is welcoming Chinese cars into the U.S.as long as they build them here.

Hyundai's decision to use its CES keynote to tout Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot sends a pretty clear message about how the auto industry is absorbing the bad news about EVs in the United States in 2025, and where it thinks things are heading in the new year. EVs are out, and AI and robotaxis are in. In addition to Hyundai, Mercedes announced its plans to roll out its Nvidia-powered Level 2++ driver assist feature in the US later this year.

Euisun Chung, the Executive Chairman at the Hyundai Motor Group, has sounded the alarm on what a difficult year 2026 could become for the car-making game. Not just for Hyundaialthough the South Korean automaker is likely at the top of his list of concernsbut for the entire global auto industry. Things have shifted. Free trade across to one of the brand's largest markets has become less about being free and more about being how well a country can negotiate tariffs for its various industries.

The news comes as the electric vehicle (EV) maker looks for new ways to head off further declines in U.S. sales following the expiration of its federal tax credits, and comes amid continued backlash against the company for CEO Elon Musk's role in the U.S. government, coupled with growing competition in the EV market. Those federal EV tax credits of up to $7,500 expired on October 1, after President Donald Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law.

Tesla Cybertruck sales figures are in. According to Cox Automotive, only 5,385 were sold in the third quarter. The vast majority of Tesla's sales are for the Model 3 and Model Y. Now, other Elon Musk companies are reportedly snatching Cybertrucks up for fleet duty. Tesla's once-hyped Cybertruck was billed as an apocalypse-proof cyberpunk machine capable of withstanding bullets and steel balls, while generating virtually limitless demand.

Porsche placed a padded wrist rest right beneath that and then designed the user interface to position the most important controls along the lower portion of the display, the part that's in line with your hand. The result is you can rest your wrist there comfortably, queue up your favorite playlist, and crank the ventilated seats, all without making any accidental taps on bumpy roads.

Tesla has been impacted significantly during CEO Elon Musk's absence, with earnings dropping 71% in Q1 due to his controversial political alignment and its effects on sales.

Despite the initial excitement surrounding its IPO, Rivian Automotive continues to face significant headwinds such as tariff issues, even as investors remain cautiously optimistic.