Government

President Donald Trump said Friday what many predicted he would: China’s welcome to build cars in the U.S. — with certain rules, of course.

The pitch for electric cars always leaned on costs. No fuel taxes, no trips to the pump, cheaper miles. Britain took that pitch, wrote it into policy, and championed the switch to battery power. Now the treasury has noticed the obvious problem: every electric car on the road is a customer who no longer pays fuel duty, and fuel duty is a very large number.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would very much like Ford to stop doing business with China. Ford would very much like Duffy to read the fine print.

Whether we’re talking about the U.S. chicken tax, modern tariffs, or the last several decades of emissions rules, the pickup segment is beset on all sides by government influence. Some would even go so far as to call it overregulated — something which was arguably done to protect domestic automakers at the expense of the free market.

We all know that California loves its rules. People who live there will often tell you it’s the government’s vigilance about keeping the Golden State free(r) from pollution, waste, and whatnot is worth the higher taxes they pay. 

Repeated drawdowns of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve have pushed crude inventory down toward roughly 243 million barrels—a four-decade low.

President Donald Trump took his ongoing campaign against electric vehicles a step further during a speech at the Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas, taking direct aim at EV drivers themselves.

Next week, the Senate Commerce Committee will be voting on legislation that would prohibit Chinese automakers from selling their vehicles inside the United States. This is despite the fact that those cars are already banned from being sold here, even though select models have still managed to slip through the cracks.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed that it will be imposing new regulations for driverless vehicles. Pending regulations, based off the updated rules established in 2024, were approved late last month and allow the state to fine autonomous vehicle manufacturers directly for traffic violations.

Congress has scheduled hearings with U.S. automakers later this month, with the planned focus being vehicle affordability. Automotive prices have surpassed record levels at a point when many Americans are struggling to pay bills. However industry leaders are reportedly trying to wiggle out of the event.

Remember the " Kia Boyz"? Well, thanks to car theft caused by those folks and others, and thanks to accusations of failure to properly address the problem, Hyundai and Kia are on the hook for half a billion dollars.

The Trump administration wants to roll back the fuel-economy standards put in place by the Biden administration. There's a public-comment period before the rules would be finalized. Consider this my public comment -- this is not a very good idea.

The Trump administration wants to ease fuel-economy requirements. The Biden administration was trying to tighten them.

Accompanying Donald Trump’s decision to rollback emission standards in the United States were some interesting comments about his desire to see smaller vehicle options. He specifically praised the Japanese Kei cars he had seen during a recent visit, speculating that similarly small automobiles could lower the average cost of a new vehicle in North America.

Perhaps you've heard the term "manspreading". It refers to when a man seated on a busy subway car spreads his legs so wide that it makes it difficult to sit next to him. Well, now we have "carspreading", thanks to the BBC.

President Donald Trump is set to weaken fuel economy regulations for cars and light trucks.

In yet another middle finger to the Trump administration, lawmakers in the state of California are considering funding its own take on the soon-to-be-eliminated electric vehicle tax credit.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced plans to eliminate restrictions placed on diesel-equipped vehicles when they run out of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, known to many as “carpool lanes,” were introduced to minimize traffic congestion and reduce overall fuel consumption during the oil crisis of the 1970s. However, they’ve since become vectors for the government to promote certain fuels and automotive technologies. This has resulted in all-electric vehicles being given special privileges in certain parts of the United States. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had a change of heart and no longer wants to see lone EV drivers in the carpool lane.

On Tuesday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin released the agency’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding on the grounds that it promoted over $1 trillion in needless regulations while also crippling vehicle development.

Friday's podcast was all about the EV tax credit disappearing this fall.

President Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" passed today, and the bill holds mixed news for new-car buyers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has realized that modern vehicles have proportions that drastically limit visibility and is introducing new methods of testing blind spots. However, it is likewise pressuring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to ramp up efforts to reduce the rising number of on-road fatalities — completely ignoring that government regulations are one of the biggest influences determining how modern vehicles are designed.

Senate Republicans are attempting to scrap the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ongoing transition to all-electric vehicles on the grounds that the program is financially irresponsible. They want to scrap a large portion of the money put aside for EV programs in the new tax and budget omnibus bill. However, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has said the plan doesn’t constitute proper legislative procedure.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been updating rules pertaining to companies fielding autonomous vehicles that lack traditional controls (e.g. steering wheels and pedals). Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a letter informing companies that it would be processing exemptions more quickly so that they can put more driverless cars on public roads.

One of the more interesting bits of today's podcast, in my not-at-all-biased opinion, is the part where guest John McElroy and I discuss why there should, or shouldn't, be an Office of Automotive Regulation. The idea of having a specific office of the federal government dedicated to regulating the automotive industry, as opposed to the hodgepodge we deal with today (DOT, NHTSA, EPA) struck me as interesting.

President Biden’s administration approved of California’s gas vehicle phase-out plans, but today, President Trump took action to block the state’s electrification efforts. The president signed joint resolutions earlier today that block California’s eventual gas-vehicle sales prohibition.

Tesla boss Elon Musk and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, are fighting on social media. This comes shortly after Musk's time as a special government employee came to an end.

Imagine going back in time and telling your 2013 self this.

Reports have alleged that China’s Ministry of Commerce has been looking into automakers over concerns that they may have misrepresented new vehicle sales. Apparently, there have been a sizable number of “zero-mile vehicles” appearing on used lots, suggesting companies may have been handing brand-new vehicles to dealers at a large discount to help pad monthly sales figures.

We started hearing rumbles that Elon Musk’s time in Washington was coming to a close a couple of weeks ago, but the process now appears to be well underway. Late yesterday, an official told Reuters that Musk would be leaving the administration and that his “off-boarding will begin tonight.”

On Thursday, the Senate voted to block California from enacting rules that would totally ban the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state had long been using waivers, stemming from the 1970 Clean Air Act, that allow it to set significant emission standards that differ from federal requirements.

Hey there, it's podcast time once again!

Earlier this week, Lee Zeldin, top boss at the Environmental Protection Agency, announced via social media he will be directing his department to investigate “fixing” the start/stop systems found in modern vehicles.

The Senate is currently considering blocking provisions allotted under California’s emission waivers that allow the state to set its own automotive regulations. But California is no longer just requiring higher levels of efficiency, it now has plans to effectively ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. The House recently decided to vote to block that initiative during an uncharacteristically bipartisan legislative moment.

It appears the state of Illinois, the state that yours truly calls home, is going to allow residents to pay a bit extra if they want to order license plates that feature the design that ran from 1983 to 2001.

If you grew up in the '80s or '90s, or if you watched movies set then, you know the design.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars helping President Trump return to office, earning him a prominent position in the White House. His actions before and since that time have helped contribute to tumbling Tesla sales worldwide, but it appears his time running the cost-cutting DOGE organization is limited. Politico recently reported that Musk and the president have mutually decided that it will soon be time for the CEO to focus on his businesses and step into a supporting role.

Automakers are now trying to convince the Trump Administration to reduce or eliminate proposed tariffs on car parts sourced from overseas.

I'd wager that most of us, regardless of where we sit on the political spectrum, don't want the government limiting our speed.

President Donald Trump told NBC News that he "couldn't care less" if his proposed 25 percent tariffs, set to take effect this week, cause automakers to raise prices on new cars.

We've already done this once, but that was for a different set of tariffs. Now President Donald Trump has new tariffs on foreign cars and parts set to go into effect next week.

Let's take another peek at some data, thanks to Cox Automotive.

The Wall Street Journal has a new report out suggesting that President Donald Trump warned automakers not to raise prices, presumably so that increased costs by the tariffs aren't passed on to the consumer.

In other words, it appears he was asking automakers to take a hit so that tariffs wouldn't be unpopular with consumers.

Trevor Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison last year for deceptively overselling the potential of the products offered by his electric-truck startup, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump recently announced 25-percent tariffs on all imported vehicles, sending automakers into yet another frenzy as they try to guess what’s coming next. While even the most American-made cars contain imported parts that could be impacted by the trade war, the President said House Speaker Mike Johnson is taking steps to incentivize the purchase of a domestically-produced car.

President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on imported cars on Wednesday afternoon.

At a press conference in the White House, President Donald Trump commended an upcoming $6 billion investment by Hyundai to further steel production in the state of Louisiana.

Automotive intelligence firm S&P Global Mobility is predicting that if President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs lead to a trade war, there's a 50 percent chance that the auto industry could enter a long period of disruption.

The Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back all sorts of regulations aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, including regulations aimed at the automotive industry.

As we pointed out earlier, presidents of the United States have to give up driving, at least on public roads, for the rest of their lives.

All of us daydream about being president, though few of us will ever come close to even running for the office. But giving up driving might be a nightmare.

President Donald Trump said he'd buy a Tesla to support his friend Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, because Musk has been under fire for his involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency.

There have even been protests at Tesla showrooms.

It has been less than 24 hours without some change to U.S.-Canadian trade relations. After Ontario announced a 25 percent retaliatory tariff on energy exports, President Donald Trump said he would double planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by tomorrow morning.

Tesla boss Elon Musk has been running something called the Department of Government Efficiency since President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second stint as commander-in-chief.

DOGE, which is a quasi-government agency -- it was created by executive order and it's not clear that a president can do so legally, but let's leave that aside for now -- is supposed to root out waste and fraud in the federal government.

Ward's Auto is reporting that Hyundai and Renault are eyeing a return to the Russian market, assuming that Russia and Ukraine reach a peace deal following the former's invasion of the latter.

In response to President Donald Trump's proposed 25 percent tariffs on products built in Canada and Mexico, Stellantis is promising to build more cars in the United States of America.

The tariff rollercoaster continues. You might remember that a month or so ago, U.S. President Donald Trump planned to enact tariffs on Mexico and Canada -- tariffs that could've had a negative impact on the auto industry. He then backed off after working with Mexico and Canada. There would be a one-month pause.

Trump then said he'd enact tariffs anyway, at 25 percent, with the plan starting earlier this week. Now the administration is doing a one-month pause. Again.

Last night, I was half-watching the "technically not a State of the Union but basically a State of the Union" speech by President Donald Trump while I tended to some gumbo I was making for Fat Tuesday. I nearly dropped my stirring spoon when I heard the president say that thanks to his economic policies, such as tariffs, Honda was opening a new plant in Indiana.

Say what now?

President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs against Canada and Mexico began last night, adding 25 percent to the vast majority of goods crossing the border. Unsurprisingly, the actions will have an outsized impact on American automakers, but they will also hit global companies with an established manufacturing presence in North America, including Honda. Recent reports cite sources who say the Japanese automaker is considering moving production of the next-generation Civic Hybrid to the U.S. to avoid some of the tariffs’ impact.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his DOGE team appear to have set their sights on another government agency. The New York Times recently reported that President Trump’s EPA administrator planned to cut up to 65 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) staff, a move that employees later said would halt much of its operations.

Right-to-repair advocates believe that if you own a car, you should be able to have it fixed anywhere, not just at the dealer’s service department. Many in the auto industry have fought back against these proposals because they would force automakers and other companies to provide diagnostic tools and other resources to independent repair shops. Some states have passed right-to-repair legislation, but Congress appears ready to take up a bill that could make right-to-repair the law of the land.

In its continued attempts to erase any sign of the previous administration, President Trump’s team recently ordered the shutdown of all EV chargers at federal buildings and that EVs purchased by the government be sold.

The federal government has removed approvals for New York City’s recently enacted program to use automated congestion tolls to help source an estimated $15 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. However, the corporation has said it will not comply and is being backed by state officials in a new lawsuit.