View Exterior Photos of the 2025 Audi Q5 and SQ5
Read the full review | See interior photos
The Audi Q5, which includes the hopped-up SQ5, is Audi's moneymaker in the United States. This new generation doesn't shake things up too crazily, which is by design.
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Automotive Industry Faces Supply Chain Turmoil
Via Metal MIner The Automotive MMI (Monthly Metals Index) moved sideways month-over-month, dropping by 0.70%. This comes as auto industry executives in the U.S. are confronting a whirlwind of trade and supply chain disruptions, not to mention the effects of the recent round of Trump tariffs. In the past month alone, high-stakes U.S.–China trade talks, critical mineral export curbs and seesawing metal tariffs have shaken procurement strategies across the automotive sector. From rare earth shortages forcing factory shutdowns to volatile steel and aluminum costs pressuring budgets, the landscape is shifting daily. The good news? A tentative trade truce may be emerging. Urgent closed-door negotiations ensued following China's rare earths restrictions in April and May. In early June, U.S. and Chinese trade teams met in London and reportedly reached a handshake deal to resolve the impasse. China agreed to resume rare earth shipments in volume, while the U.S. signaled it might ease certain tech export curbs. In fact, Beijing quietly began approving export licenses for key customers. According to sources at Reuters, China granted temporary rare earth export licenses to suppliers of GM, Ford and Stellantis, the top U.S. automakers. The tentative deal also implies a rollback of some punitive duties. After the so-called Trump tariffs began in the spring, duties on both sides had climbed into the double and even triple digits during the skirmish. In one striking example, the White House more than doubled U.S. steel import tariffs from 25% to 50%. The goal was to pressure Beijing, but it inadvertently spiked domestic input costs. Now, with a 90-day truce in place, negotiators are expected to scale back the latest Trump tariffs in tandem with China loosening its mineral controls. For automotive procurement teams, any tariff relief on metals is welcome news that could potentially ease the price volatility for steel, aluminum and other key inputs. After the tariffs hit, automakers realized their exposure was frighteningly high. 'The whole car industry is in full panic,' Reuters quoted one European magnet supplier CEO as saying. They went on to note that some car factories could be idled by mid-July without backup magnet supplies. In response, companies and governments are racing to diversify sources of both rare earths and base metals. The industry's answer is a mix of innovation and old-fashioned resource hunting. Many automakers have been investing in alternative materials and technologies to reduce their reliance on Chinese rare earths. Several major OEMs, including GM, BMW, Stellantis and suppliers like ZF and BorgWarner, are engineering electric motors that require little to no rare earth content, while others are exploring novel magnet compositions or even rare-earth-free speakers and sensors. At the same time, Western firms are forging new supply lines. Mining projects for rare earths are springing up from Nebraska to Australia. Even recycling is part of the solution. Reuters reports that companies like Heraeus in Germany are currently trying to reclaim rare earths from used magnets, albeit on a small scale. Automakers are also directly investing upstream in base metals needed for electric vehicles. In one recent example, Volkswagen took a 9.9% stake in a Canadian lithium mining firm to secure a 10-year supply of battery-grade lithium. Earlier, GM committed $650 million to develop the largest U.S. lithium deposit in Nevada, as covered in These deals signal a new era of vertical integration, where carmakers act more like miners to ensure they have the raw materials to keep assembly lines running. For procurement professionals, the takeaway is clear: cast a wider net for suppliers and qualify alternative sources now, not when a crisis hits. Amidst all this, automakers are scrambling to avoid line stoppages by redesigning products and shuffling manufacturing plans. For example, some companies are preparing to build cars minus certain components (such as speaker systems or sensor modules) and park them until parts arrive. This is very similar to what GM and others did during the semiconductor chip shortage. It's a less-than-ideal workaround, but still better than no production at all. Meanwhile, engineers are hard at work redesigning components to use fewer vulnerable materials. Notably, EV makers are experimenting with motor designs that cut out heavy rare-earth elements. These designs use alternative magnet materials or clever motor geometries to maintain performance without the usual dose of neodymium or dysprosium. These types of innovations could reduce exposure to future export bans. However, retrofitting existing vehicle platforms is costly and time-consuming. Geopolitics is also prompting a geographic shuffle in manufacturing. With new U.S. tariffs hitting not just China but even friendly trade partners like Canada and Mexico, companies have an extra incentive to localize production in the United States. These disruptions come with a price tag. Input cost volatility has become a top concern for automakers' finance chiefs as commodity prices whip around. Over just the past quarter, tariff announcements have caused benchmark steel prices to climb, dip and spike again. Aluminum and copper have seen similar swings amid shifting trade policies and global demand uncertainty. Such volatility can wreak havoc on vehicle profit margins, as raw metals account for a significant share of an automobile's bill of materials. Automakers are also doubling down on direct investments to secure supply and stable prices. We've seen car companies finance mining projects (lithium, nickel, copper, etc.) not just for supply security but to eventually procure those materials at negotiated, stable prices. Source:, MetalMiner Insights. By investing in a lithium mine, an OEM might ensure it can buy lithium at a fixed formula cost for a decade, thus insulating itself from market gyrations. Similarly, some companies are setting up joint ventures for battery material processing, effectively bringing more of the supply chain in-house to control costs. Moves like these are akin to an insurance policy against future price volatility. Perhaps the most straightforward strategy is simply passing costs down the line, which can mean renegotiating supplier contracts or adding surcharges to vehicle prices. Industry surveys indicate that new vehicle prices in the U.S. have ticked up in recent months, partly due to higher material costs stemming from the Trump tariffs being passed through. But there's a limit to how much automakers can raise prices in a competitive market, especially as interest rates and vehicle affordability weigh on demand. Thus, cost containment and smarter purchasing remain paramount. By Metal Miner More Top Reads From this article on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Drive
27 minutes ago
- The Drive
Grab 30% of a Sleek EDC Knife and LED Lights This Father's Day
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Practical gear outfitter Coast was established about a century ago, introducing Oregon fishermen to a specialty blade for filleting 50-pound salmon. Today, Coast makes some of the best-value pocket knives and compact flashlights that are perfect for everyday carry duty, no matter what you do for work. For Father's Day (and from now through June 30) you can snag some great gear at a deep discount. No need to wait for your kids or spouse to be gift-shopping for you—check out Coast's site and get something in the mail for yourself. Its products are all pretty reasonably priced, but the discount code FATHERSDAY30 knocks 30% off, putting quite a few items in the Coast catalog into impulse-buy territory. You get free shipping if your order's over $75, too. I've been carrying this Coast Founder's Series Select Titanium tanto-blade knife for a couple of weeks now and been loving it. The titanium handle construction gives it a super lightweight but high-end feel, and the flip-open action is smooth and satisfying. It's been ripping its way through cardboard, rope, cable ties, and all the other random things I find myself piercing with my pocket knife, no problem. But the slim profile is my favorite design feature. The three-inch blade's plenty big enough to be versatile, but when folded, this knife only takes up about as much room as a pen, fitting easily into the mini-pockets of my jeans and compact holsters in my work pants. The blade comes with a little cleaning cloth and a presentation box. Andrew P. Collins Tucks perfectly into into tiny pockets and pen-sized holsters. Andrew P. Collins It's normally $99.99, down to about $70 during the Father's Day sale. You still need to spend a few more bucks to get free shipping, but luckily, Coast also has some nice lighting accessories you could use to finish building out a nice little new EDC loadout. Coast The XT10R 280-lumen penlight will also fit in a tiny pocket, and it's USB-C rechargeable for convenience. It has three brightness settings and strong construction without weighing you down. Perfect for poking around dark places where you don't necessarily want to dangle your smartphone. That's normally $34.99, just about $27 with the discount. Coast If you need more extreme illumination but still want something with a slim profile, check out Coast's Slayer-series flashlights. They're over 1000 lumens, and some models are equipped with a laser pointer. And with a magnetic base, you can clamp it to a piece of truck frame and have it locked in place while you're working. No more counting on your kid to hold the light steady! They start at $79.99, currently on sale for about $58. Coast Another high-powered lighting option is Coast's RL35R headlamp. Also over 1000 lumens, it offers plenty of brightness while keeping your hands truly free—you don't even need to touch it to turn it on and off because it's equipped with voice-activated controls. A headlamp is essential for pretty much any automotive project—no matter how well-lit your garage is, there are still dark corners of an engine bay. That's also $79.99 list, $58 on sale. Coast Finally, if you're looking for scene lighting rather than daily carry gear, the EAL55R 3000-lumen camp lantern can light up the inside of your tent or a camp table area easily. Multiple modes and different colors change the ambiance or deter insects, and it can last up to 10 nights of lighting on a charge. That lists at $69.99 and will be about $50 with the discount code. It might be a little late to get stuff shipped in time for Father's Day, but there's still plenty of time to get a great deal on some practical gear from Coast. Our team's hard at work, testing tools, parts, and shop equipment. Let our trials and experience be your guide to mastering The Garage. The Garage svg]:stroke-white [&>svg]:fill-white -top-[1px]>
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Denny Hamlin to skip NASCAR race in Mexico City due to the birth of his son
NASCAR championship contender Denny Hamlin will miss Sunday's Cup Series race in Mexico City following the birth of his son on Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday. Ryan Truex, JGR's reserve driver, will substitute to drive the No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin's fiancé, Jordan Fish, has been expecting the couple's third child for the past 12 days and Hamlin has made it known he would miss a Cup race to be by Fish's side. Truex was on standby last week at Michigan International Speedway, but Hamlin not only drove in the race, but won. Advertisement The Michigan win was Hamlin's third on the season and 57th of his career, second-most among active drivers. The 44-year-old has made 406 consecutive starts, last missing a race in 2014 at California Speedway due to an object in his eye. Truex has been lauded for his ability behind the scenes in serving as JGR's reserve driver. These duties include full-time simulator testing that helps JGR refine chassis setups for a given track, though they do not include real-world testing of a car. Truex last made a Cup start in 2014 and has 26 career starts at NASCAR's top level, with a career-best finish of 20th. He is the younger brother of 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired after last season and was a former teammate of Hamlin's at JGR. Because Hamlin is missing the Mexico City race, the first Cup points outside the continental United States since 1958, he will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to maintain playoff eligibility. The expectation is that NASCAR will grant Hamlin a waiver, allowing him to compete for the Cup championship when the playoffs begin in September. NASCAR Cup Series drivers must start all 26 regular-season points races to be eligible for the playoffs unless they have a NASCAR-issued waiver; the policy was revamped this year to include the birth of a child as an example of a valid reason to be given a waiver. That clearly made Hamlin's decision to remain in the United States and skip the inaugural Mexico City race much easier, since his fiancé is still in the hospital as of Thursday, and they already have two children at home. Travel to Mexico is also not as easy as simply flying his private jet to the racetrack, as he does every other week. Some teams who planned to take a charter flight to Mexico City on Thursday have been forced to scramble after a mechanical problem grounded their flight. But in some ways, this is the best possible race for Hamlin to miss. He has struggled with his road racing and was unlikely to contend in Mexico (he is 1-for-57 in his Cup Series road racing career). Meanwhile, it's a golden opportunity for Ryan Truex, who has been training for this moment all season. As we wrote earlier this year, Truex is JGR's reserve driver and is responsible for helping the teams with fine-tuning their setups in the Toyota simulator each week.
