Ev Sales Are Still Growing, But At A Much Slower Rate

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Happy Wednesday! It's August 13, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift — your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, we're looking astatine world EV growth, arsenic good arsenic nan ongoing negotiations betwixt Volkswagen and its UAW labor successful Tennessee. We'll besides look astatine yet different suit successful California complete emissions, and a Jaguar Land Rover recall. 

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Electric cars are nan half measurement towards maintaining a habitable satellite that we each look to person settled connected arsenic nan astir effort we're consenting to put into our continued survival. Globally, though, it seems immoderate buyers are shying distant from EV — peculiarly successful nan biggest electrical vehicle-buying federation connected Earth, China. From Reuters:

Global electrical conveyance income grew 21% year-on-year successful July, nan slowest complaint since January and down from 25% successful June, arsenic momentum successful plug-in hybrid income successful China slackened, marketplace investigation patient Rho Motion said connected Wednesday.

China is nan world's biggest car marketplace and accounts for much than half of world EV sales, which successful Rho Motion's information see battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Its wide car income maturation slowed successful July, pinch BYD, nan world's largest EV maker, signaling its 3rd monthly driblet successful registrations.

The comparatively muted slowdown successful wide EV income nevertheless shows different markets are taking up immoderate of nan slack, pinch European income for 1 benefiting from incentives, aimed astatine speeding up decarbonisation.

China buys acold and distant nan astir EVs globally, according to nan data, but that inclination was down successful July. I'd beryllium very intrigued to spot utilized EV income successful nan country, since nan marketplace apt has much options to prime from than ours and could good beryllium taking distant from caller income by now.

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Volkswagen workers successful Tennessee organized pinch nan United Auto Workers past year, but they still don't person a settled statement pinch management. After astir a twelvemonth of negotiations, it seems VW is starting to put its ft down — making last offers to nan workers that really put its cars together. From Automotive News:

As statement negotiations betwixt Volkswagen and nan UAW crawl toward nan one-year mark, nan German automaker is signaling that a last, champion and last connection is near.

In a station connected its U.S. labour negotiations hub, VW told labor astatine its Chattanooga works that it's approaching nan limit of what it tin connection pinch cardinal economical items still unresolved — namely wages, wellness attraction and occupation security.

The national is seeking its first statement astatine nan Tennessee plant. Workers voted overwhelmingly to subordinate nan UAW successful April 2024 and statement talks began successful mid-September.

Automotive News says nan national and guidance person travel to tentative agreements connected 300 sections of nan contract, which is simply a staggering number of clauses for a ineligible document. You're doing nan lord's work, national negotiators successful Chattanooga. 

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California's correct to group its ain emissions standards was precocious trim down by nan Trump administration, and automakers are salivating astatine nan thought of trading cheaper, dirtier cars successful nan state. They're not conscionable looking to waste to commuters, though — now truckmakers, looking to waste to long-haul drivers, are suing for nan correct to waste higher-polluting vehicles successful nan state. From Reuters:

Four awesome truckmakers, including Daimler and Volvo, sued California to artifact nan authorities from enforcing strict emissions standards that U.S. President Donald Trump declared void successful June.

Daimler, Volvo, Paccar and International Motors, formerly Navistar, said they person been "caught successful nan crossfire" aft Trump reversed waivers issued during nan Biden management that fto California group its ain standards.

In a title revenge connected Monday, nan truckmakers said Trump's rescinding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency support of California's scheme to boost zero-emission heavy-duty motortruck income and trim nitrogen oxide emissions preempted nan state's enforcement.

We're really not prepared for nan incoming ambiance catastrophes, but astatine slightest someone's making a fewer other dollars' return for nan shareholders. That's what's important, right?

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It's callback clip again, but not for Ford this clip — it's Land Rover's turn, pinch a callback for 121,509 Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports. The rumor surrounds a suspension knuckle, which tin ace and detach. From Reuters:

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover is recalling much than 121,500 vehicles successful nan United States owed to cracked suspension knuckles successful nan front, nan U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said connected Wednesday.

The callback includes Range Rover and Range Rover Sport vehicles, NHTSA said.

The recall affects Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports from 2014 to 2017. If you ain a car from those years, caput complete to NHTSA's site to tally your VIN. If yours is affected, get it fixed arsenic soon arsenic you can. 

Sometimes it's conscionable a Death Grips day.