Analysis · Toyota
Gas Hit $4 and Hybrids Boomed — Mostly Where the Gas Option Disappeared
October's hybrid records look like buyers fleeing $4 gas. Honda's numbers say otherwise: where shoppers could still choose, the gas versions grew faster.
Topic
Sales
Analysis · Jeep
Jeep's Independent-Front Wrangler Is a Concession to the Bronco
Jeep's first independent-front Wrangler arrives wrapped in SRT desert hardware. Read the sales numbers and it looks less like a stunt than a concession to the Bronco.
Analysis · Pricing
Used EVs Now Cost More Than Gas Cars — but Their Prices Peaked in June
Used EVs now list $579 above gas cars, but in dollars their prices peaked in June. With gas down 24 cents in a month, the premium is leaking, not building.
Analysis · EVs
Rivian's R2 Is a Hit. Its Car Business Still Loses Money
The R2 became Rivian's best-seller, yet the automotive gross loss more than doubled from the prior quarter, even with credits. Volkswagen-funded services carried the profit.
Analysis · Ford
Ford's Truck Buyers Aren't Ignoring $4 Gas. They're the Ones Who Can Afford It
Ford's CFO says $4 gas hasn't dented F-Series demand. She's right on volume, but the buyers left are the ones who can afford it, and Ford is pricing for them.
Analysis · Pricing
America's New-Car Market Now Runs on Stock Portfolios, Not Paychecks
A Fed hike barely moves a car payment. The buyers holding new-car prices near a record pay from portfolios, which makes Wall Street, not interest rates, the market's real risk.
Analysis · Pricing
The 2027 Subaru Outback Got Cheaper. Here's the Uncomfortable Reason Why
Subaru isn't defying inflation. It is refunding part of a 2026 price hike buyers refused, and the cuts land exactly where the new SUV-shaped Outback lost them.
Analysis · EVs
Rivian Is America's No. 2 EV Brand. Delivery Vans Did Most of the Work
Rivian's jump to second place is a fleet story: vans supplied 97% of its growth, while sales of its consumer models rose just 2%.
Analysis · EVs
California Sells EVs at 2.5x the U.S. Rate. Its $3,500 Rebate Isn't the Reason
MyFirstEV put 12,000 first-time buyers into EVs, yet California's EV share slipped in the quarter it launched. The state's lead runs on $6 gas and home chargers.
Analysis · Pricing
The 2027 Nissan Altima Still Starts Under $30,000. Unless You Need AWD
Nissan kept its midsize sedan alive and under $30,000. My read: it is protecting a sticker price, and the all-wheel-drive buyer is the one paying for it.
News · Two Years On
Ford EV and Hybrid Sales Two Years On: The EV Surge Reversed, Hybrids Kept Going
Ford's EV sales rose 61% in Q2 2024. In Q2 2026 they fell 41% to 9,746, the F-150 Lightning was gone, and the Maverick Hybrid set a record.
News · Two Years On
Toyota Camry Two Years On: Going Hybrid-Only Did Not Cost It Buyers
Toyota dropped the gas-only and V6 Camry for 2025 and still cut the starting price. In 2025 U.S. sales rose 2%, and the 2026 model costs about $300 more.
Analysis · Two Years On
Hybrids Over EVs, Two Years Later: The Middle Ground Became the Main Road
In early 2024 we wrote that buyers were picking hybrids over EVs. In 2026 the EV share has fallen to about 6% while hybrid sales keep growing.