Lexus Downsizes American Production Over Tariffs: Report

Lexus

Happy Tuesday! It's September 9, 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 Lexus's tariff-influenced accumulation plans for nan U.S., arsenic good arsenic Germany's stance connected nan early of nan automobile. We'll besides look astatine nan latest Ford recall, and nan newest shakeup successful Stellantis management. 

Lexus

The full constituent of President Trump's waste and acquisition warfare is onshoring — bringing manufacturing, an manufacture that's agelong been shifting towards countries pinch little labour costs, backmost to nan States. It's fitting that galore automakers are responding by promising to make big, flashy investments successful U.S. manufacturing, but Lexus is taking nan other tactic: Bringing much accumulation location to Japan, and ending accumulation astatine 1 of its 2 factories successful nan United States. From Reuters:

Toyota Motor will consolidate accumulation of its luxury Lexus marque cars successful nan United States into a azygous location from 2 successful nan look of precocious tariffs imposed by nan Trump administration, nan Nikkei reported connected Tuesday.

The study said nan move is aimed astatine strengthening U.S. accumulation of petrol-electric hybrid vehicles while shifting immoderate accumulation of high-end Lexus cars to Japan.

The move will extremity accumulation of nan Lexus ES successful nan U.S., unless immoderate magnitude of accumulation is moved complete to nan Indiana works that manufactures nan TX. It's apt that this is conscionable making room for higher-volume Toyota units, alternatively than nan Lexus, but it's still not a awesome motion for nan U.S. market. 

photocosmos1/Shutterstock

Automakers are each up successful arms astir early biology regulations that could put hydrocarbon-powered cars retired to pasture, each conscionable to support immoderate benignant of "habitable planet." It's nary astonishment that nan group who make money disconnected ICE engines would beryllium successful favour of ICE engines, but personification a spot much shocking has travel retired against nan wellness of nan only satellite we person to unrecorded on: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. From Bloomberg:

Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for much regulatory elasticity from nan European Union, throwing his weight down nan German car industry's push to soften rules that would efficaciously prohibition combustion motor vehicles successful 10 years.

The blimpish leader stopped short of calling for nan 2035 deadline for trading only emission-free vehicles to beryllium delayed aliases scrapped — thing that immoderate members of his bloc person been agitating for. Instead, he reiterated his conjugation government's support for "technology openness," a reference to nan car sector's desire for hybrid and different vehicles to beryllium exempted from nan rules.

This full thought of "technology openness" has been floating astir a batch lately, nether a fewer different names. It's nan aforesaid arsenic Toyota's "electrified diversified" or even, successful immoderate cases, "consumer choice." We should person nan expertise to bargain flour that's mostly sawdust, actually! We person to support harmful things successful nan market, because what if personification wants those?

Ford

Take a drink! Ford's recalling cars again, this clip 1.5 cardinal models that whitethorn person faulty rear-view cameras. What is happening complete there? From Reuters:

Ford is recalling astir 1.5 cardinal vehicles successful nan United States owed to a rear-view camera rumor causing inverted, distorted, aliases blank image, nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said connected Tuesday.

The callback affects prime vehicles from exemplary years 2015 to 2019 of Lincoln MKC, Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Expedition, Edge, Transit, Transit Connect, Econoline and Ranger, NHTSA said.

For those keeping count, that's 110 recalls from Ford truthful acold this almanac year. The next-most-recalled institution is Stellantis, pinch 30. C'mon, Ford. 

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Here it is folks, nan large news you've been waiting for: Mike Koval, elder vice president and caput of world income for Jeep, near Stellantis. I know, I know, it'll return you a infinitesimal to reel from nan news. From Automotive News:

Stellantis seasoned Mike Koval Jr., who erstwhile led Ram and Mopar North America, has near nan company.

Koval, 46, was Jeep's elder vice president and caput of world income operations astatine nan clip of his Sept. 5 departure.

"We convey him for his dedicated work and wish him continued success," a spokesperson said.

Koval's much absorbing tenure than Jeep was his clip astatine Ram, wherever he presided complete nan motorboat of nan Ram 1500 REV EV. That has nan chance to beryllium a neat truck, if it ever comes out. 

All that cheating, only to beryllium knocked down a peg by different New York squad successful nan Super Bowl. 

Look, I know I just did "Golden Boy" as nan On The Radio cogwheel yesterday. In my defense, erstwhile I wrote that, nan Mountain Goats hadn't yet announced that we'd beryllium getting a caller azygous today. I regret to pass you that this 1 has Lin-Manuel Miranda connected it.