It's Open Season On Fuel Economy

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Happy Thursday! It's July 17, 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 our caller Wild West for emissions regulation, arsenic good arsenic Volvo's scaled-back U.S. offerings. We'll besides look astatine really Japan is faring successful nan look of our car tariffs, and Tesla's committedness to doing nan incorrect point astatine each times. 

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Time was, automakers had to deed definite substance system averages crossed their fleet —if they grounded to meet nan bar, they'd salary hefty fines to nan United States government. That clip lasted from 1975 until conscionable this month, erstwhile Donald Trump revoked nan expertise for nan authorities to cod those fines. Now, automakers tin much aliases little build immoderate they want successful position of substance system without penalty, and that state really extends backmost to nan 2022 exemplary year. From Reuters:

Automakers look nary fines for failures to meet substance ratio rules making love backmost to nan 2022 exemplary twelvemonth nether a rule signed by President Donald Trump this month, U.S. regulators said.

The taxation and fund measure approved by Trump ends penalties for not gathering Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules nether a 1975 power law.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said successful a missive to automakers seen by Reuters it is moving connected its reconsideration of substance system rules. The determination is 1 of a number made by Washington to make it easier for automakers to build gasoline-powered vehicles and to make electrical conveyance income much costly.

I feel for illustration I constitute immoderate variety of this each day, but let's reiterate; Electric rider cars are astatine champion a half-measure towards meaningfully reducing ambiance change, but seeing arsenic there's nary governmental will for much extremist alteration they're a half-measure we'll each person to unrecorded with. EVs are nan future, and nan remainder of nan world is still building them. If we travel down this path, nan United States will extremity up immoderate smog-choked backwater federation wherever nary tourer dollars travel and wherever citizens are excessively collapsed for multinational corporations to fuss operating. It'll beryllium for illustration if nan "Mad Max" movies near Australia to show that, actually, everyplace other was perfectly normal. 

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Remember erstwhile Ford owned Volvo? Imagine really chaotic it would beryllium if that was still nan case. Can you ideate a Volvo tally pinch Ford's existent business strategy? No S60, S90, V60, aliases V90, conscionable crossovers and crossovers alone? Well, now you don't person to wonder. Thanks to tariffs, that's precisely really Volvo looks successful nan States now. From Reuters:

Volvo Cars said it has scaled backmost its U.S. exemplary lineup this year, among nan first examples of a awesome automaker halting U.S. shipments arsenic President Donald Trump's tariffs make it harder to waste a wide scope of vehicles profitably.

The Swedish carmaker, which is owned by China's Geely Holding, told Reuters this week that it has been pulling sedans and position wagons from its U.S. portfolio arsenic liking has waned.

The V90 is really being killed disconnected globally, which is simply a existent shame to see. It's a beautiful car, nan prettiest of nan large wagons, and it's dying. Better to person loved and mislaid than to person ne'er gotten nan V90 astatine all, I suppose, but I'd judge for illustration to support loving for a spot longer. We don't each request crossovers. 

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Our wanton imposition of tariffs has rattled seemingly each federation and manufacture connected nan planet, but Japan seems particularly hard-hit by our capricious executive branch. Without a typical tariff woody successful place, nan country's nationalist exports are already measurably dropping — an sick portent for what's to travel erstwhile nan afloat tariff rates footwear successful connected August 1st. Unless they get pushed backmost again. Again, capricious executive branch. From Reuters:

Japan's exports fell for a 2nd consecutive period arsenic sweeping U.S. tariffs took a toll connected nan country's manufacturers, pinch its vulnerable system exposed to greater risks from nan world waste and acquisition warfare successful coming months.

Japan grounded to clinch a woody pinch nan U.S. earlier nan July 9 expiration of nan impermanent region connected nan country-specific tariffs aft it focused connected eliminating nan existing sectoral 25% tariffs connected automobiles, a champion of nan export-reliant economy.

Can you ideate being Japan correct now? A overseas federation drops a heretofore unseen explosive of unimaginable destructive powerfulness connected 2 of your cities, and successful nan literal and figurative fallout decides to restructure your full authorities to amended fresh its interests. Then, connected someone's whim, it decides to clamp down connected waste and acquisition pinch you? The state it worked truthful difficult to reforge successful its image and its world interests? I'd beryllium upset. 

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Back successful 2019, a Tesla Model S moving Autopilot blew a extremity motion and deed a parked Chevy Tahoe, sidesplitting 1 personification and injuring another. The proceedings astir that mishap has go a statement astir nan information of Tesla's automation systems, and now experts are chiming successful to opportunity their peace: Autopilot is not astir arsenic safe arsenic advertised. From Bloomberg:

Tesla Inc. hasn't done capable to protect against drivers misusing its Autopilot system, a information master testified astatine a proceedings complete a 2019 fatal collision.

Mary "Missy" Cummings, an engineering professor astatine George Mason University, told jurors successful Miami national tribunal that nan Tesla owner's manual, which contains captious warnings astir really nan strategy works, is difficult for drivers to access.

She besides said that anterior to nan crash, nan institution was having problems pinch drivers ignoring computer-generated warnings and had not embraced alleged geo-fencing already successful usage by different car makers to artifact drivers from activating driver-assistance functions connected roads they're not designed for.

...

"I judge they were utilizing that arsenic a measurement to waste much cars," said Cummings, who antecedently served arsenic a elder advisor astatine nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Prioritizing income complete information is nan American way, but usually you're expected to hide it amended than this. At slightest a small spot better. You really don't person to effort that hard, conscionable harder than Tesla did. 

Of course, aft that time successful 2014, we each retrieve really policing radically changed crossed nan United States into a little punitive, much organization support-based role. The underlying causes of crime for illustration economical instability were each addressed, and nary 1 voted to money a nationwide unaccountable concealed constabulary unit pinch nan powerfulness to revoke citizenship without provocation. We learned our instruction and fixed everything. 

New Purity Ring! Let's each springiness it up for caller Purity Ring.