Latest news with #BrightDrop
Miami Herald
07-08-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
General Motors has an unlikely ally in race against China
President Donald Trump upended the global trade order when he announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs in April. After weeks of promising they would be "reciprocal," the tariffs were anything but. Eventually, the U.S. settled on a 10% baseline for every country, even those with no humans living in them. Such a significant shift has created uncertainty across the auto sector, as U.S. carmakers either adjusted or completely lowered their guidance in the first quarter. Related: Toyota is stuck in neutral after the latest US and Japan trade update Months later, the U.S. is still negotiating its deal with Japan, the second-largest U.S. auto importer, crystallizing just how helter-skelter the process has been for all involved. "The era with globalization and global cars, everything equal - that I think we are going to leave and have a world a bit more regionalized," Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said, according to The Wall Street Journal. That may be the case for some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), but General Motors (GM) and Hyundai seem to be going the other way. On Aug. 6, the two competing car companies from opposite sides of the world shared that they are deepening their partnership and plan to sell hundreds of thousands of vehicles together soon. Image source: Gundlock/Bloomberg via Getty Images General Motors and Korean manufacturer Hyundai (HYMLF) first announced their collaboration last year, well before anyone really knew the extent of President Trump's tariff intentions. On Aug. 6, the companies, both of which compete fiercely in the U.S. market, detailed their plans for the near future. Related: Another automaker is forced to shift strategy due to tariffs The tandem will co-develop five new vehicles, four of which will be sold in Central and South America. Those vehicles include a mid-size pickup, compact car, pickup, and SUV. For the North American market, the companies are developing an electric commercial van that will be a smaller version of Chevrolet's BrightDrop vans. The first fruits of this collab will hit the market in 2028. Shortly after that, GM and Hyundai expect to build more than 800,000 vehicles a year. More automotive: US car buyers should expect great summer deals, but there's a catchFord CEO predicts huge industry shift after latest tariff developmentsTesla faces another lawsuit after $323 million Autopilot verdict GM says it'll take the lead on the mid-size truck platform, and Hyundai will develop the others. Each company will sell its vehicles under its own brand badges. "GM and Hyundai have complementary strengths and talented teams. Our goal is to unlock the scale and creativity of both companies to deliver even more competitive vehicles to customers faster and more efficiently," GM CEO Mary Barra said last year when the deal was first announced. The pair say the partnership will reduce costs, boost efficiency, expand customer choice, and explore future tech like fuel cells. While General Motors has the highest U.S. market share, Hyundai has made huge leaps since it first started selling cars in the U.S. in 1986. Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor North America CEO Randy Parker said, "We just wrapped up the strongest first half in Hyundai's history, driven by sales growth across our lineup." Hyundai sold 439,280 vehicles worldwide in the first half of the year, a 10% year-over-year increase that was capped by a 10% second-quarter increase to 235,726 units. June sales increased 3% year-over-year to 69,702 units in North America. Meanwhile, Chinese OEMs are making serious inroads in Mexico and Brazil, two of the biggest economies south of the U.S. So the GM-Hyundai collaboration is aimed there, not North America. The top five U.S. market share leaders, according to Cox Automotive data, are: General Motors - 17%Toyota - 15%Ford - 13%Hyundai - 11%Honda - 9% Related: Ford Motor Co. is still haunted by this one, costly issue The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Motor Trend
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Chevrolet Car Lineup: Fixing What's Wrong with Corvette?
Chevrolet's focus is much more on SUVs and trucks than cars. Now that the Malibu is gone, the only true car it still builds is the Corvette, which is treated to a major update for 2026. Changes are also applied to the BrightDrop electric work van, while another important EV inches closer to production. Here's everything new across Chevrolet's 2026 car lineup. Chevrolet's 2026 lineup features a major Corvette update including the new ZR1X model boasting 1,200-plus hp. The Malibu is no more, and the BrightDrop van gets a range upgrade. The Bolt EV is set to return in 2027 with updated features. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next 2025 Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet's final sedan, the Malibu, ended production in 2025. Alternatives for buyers considering the Malibu for personal or fleet duty include entry-level Chevrolet SUVs like the Trax or Equinox, or a different midsize sedan. MotorTrend Ranked: Not Ranked Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Malibu Review 2026 Chevrolet Corvette After six years on sale, America's mid-engine masterpiece sees significant changes for 2026. Although the C8 Corvette's exterior mostly carries over—Roswell Green Metallic and Blade Silver paint, new center stripe decals, and an electrochromic glass roof panel are added to the options list—its cabin gets a thorough rework. Gone is the divisive strip of buttons separating the driver and passenger, replaced by a more conventional orientation below the infotainment touchscreen. That touchscreen grows to 14.0 inches and is complemented by a larger 12.7-inch driver's display and smaller 6.6-inch touchscreen left of the steering wheel. Where buttons once were there's now a grab handle and USB port next to a relocated wireless charging pad. The drive mode selector moves in line with the gear selector. Gray, orange, blue, and dark brown upholstery finishes become available. Even the cupholders are upgraded with upholstered inserts, ambient lighting, and Corvette logos. All 2026 Corvette models get the new interior, regardless of trim or powertrain. Also new to the 2026 C8 lineup is a mobile app to monitor vehicle performance, and the PTM Pro traction and stability control profile tuned for track driving. MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in Premium Performance Coupes Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Corvette Review 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Along with the new interior and other changes applied across the Corvette lineup, the 2026 E-Ray gains a few specific touches. This hybrid supercar now wears body-color rocker panels, a change from their previous black. Blue-painted brake calipers are added to the options list. Inside, the Charge+ battery recharge button moves from the center tunnel to the steering wheel for easy access. Around the new digital displays, a carbon-fiber bezel can be equipped. MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in Premium Performance Coupes Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Review 2026 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Changes to the Z06 for 2026 are similar to those of the E-Ray. The track-spec Corvette now offers body-color rocker panels and blue brake calipers as options. A carbon-fiber bezel for the displays is available. MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in Premium Performance Coupes Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Review 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Just introduced for 2025, the ballistic Corvette ZR1 is already getting the new interior—along with a standard carbon-fiber display bezel—for 2026. MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in Premium Performance Coupes Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Review 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X A new Corvette king arrives for 2026: the ZR1X. Apparently not content with the ZR1's epic power and performance, Chevrolet saw fit to make the ZR1X even more extreme. It essentially takes the E-Ray approach, adding a front-axle electric motor to supplement the twin-turbo V-8 engine in the middle, giving the ZR1X more than 1,200 hp and a potentially sub-2.0-second 0–60-mph time. MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in Premium Performance Coupes Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X Review 2026 Chevrolet BrightDrop Originally its own subsidiary under General Motors, BrightDrop was folded into Chevrolet's commercial vehicle business in 2025, but these large all-electric vans are still all about providing business operators and individuals with huge utility and easy operation for local driving duties. This year, an Extended Range battery becomes available, delivering about 204 miles of range, and the Standard Range and Max Range packs continue to provide approximately 176 and 285 miles, respectively. Level 2 charging speeds up with the addition of a 19.2-kW charging module, which is equipped as standard unless the 11.5-kW module that can also provide 7.2-kW of offboard AC power is chosen. To integrate with upfitting equipment, the BrightDrop now offers a Universal Vehicle Module. A 75-mph speed limit governor is applied to FWD models. Black-painted front doors are no longer available on the 2026 BrightDrop. MotorTrend Ranked: Not yet ranked Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet BrightDrop Review 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV When the original Chevrolet Bolt arrived for 2017, it changed the EV game, showing American drivers that electric motoring is viable, affordable, and fun. A second-generation Bolt continued that tradition but was discontinued as EVs from Chevrolet and rival automakers exceeded the Bolt's capabilities. Now, the Bolt is said to be returning. It will likely debut at some point in 2026 as a 2027 model, sized and priced beneath the Equinox EV in Chevrolet's electric lineup. To help keep costs down, a new lithium iron phosphate battery could be equipped, though it might not charge very quickly. Expect styling cues similar to Chevy's other EVs, along with large digital displays, which would run Google software, and potentially Super Cruise hands-free driving technology in the new 2027 Bolt EV. MotorTrend Ranked: Not yet ranked Read Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Bolt EV Review 2026 Chevrolet Car Lineup 2025 Chevrolet Malibu: Discontinued 2026 Chevrolet Corvette: Significant Update 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray: Significant Update 2026 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Significant Update 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: Significant Update 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X: New Model 2026 Chevrolet BrightDrop: Minor Update 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV: New Model
TechCrunch
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
The electric Hummer is almost outselling the F-150 Lightning
General Motors sold 4,508 electric Hummer trucks and SUVs in the second quarter in the U.S., putting it close to Ford's F-150 Lightning despite a price gap in the tens of thousands of dollars. The Hummer sales were part of a banner quarter for GM's electric vehicles, making it one of the only automakers that saw a genuine year-over-year uptick in U.S. EV sales, according to data released Tuesday. The company sold 17,420 electric Equinox SUVs, 3,056 electric Silverado pickups, 6,549 Blazer EVs, 1,810 Escalade IQ EVs, and 1,524 electric GMC Sierra trucks. GM even got a boost from its commercial EV division, BrightDrop, which sold 1,318 of its electric vans during the three-month period, up from 490 last year. Overall, GM's EV sales for the quarter were up 111% despite phasing out the Bolt EV and EUV — although that increase was driven in part by the fact that many of these models were either brand new or not on sale in the second quarter of 2024. That stands in contrast to how almost ever other automaker that sells EVs fared in Q2, at least based on data released so far. Rival Ford saw a 31% drop in U.S. sales of electric vehicles in the second quarter of 2025, led by a collapse of E-Transit vans and declining popularity of the F-150 Lightning. At the same time, sales of its hybrid vehicles jumped more than 23% compared to last year. Halfway through the year, Ford has sold just 38,988 electric vehicles total — down nearly 12% from where Ford's EV sales stood at the same point in 2024. That's despite overall sales being up, thanks in part to the company's aggressive employee pricing promotion in the face of automotive tariffs. After a few years of growth, it's now a challenging time for EV sales in the U.S., as the Trump administration threatens to take away federal tax incentives and other related subsidies. Even Hyundai, which has found success with its electric vehicles in the U.S., reported Tuesday that sales of its Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs fell 12% and 8%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Kia had even worse drops in sales of its EV9 and EV6. Tesla is expected to release similarly grim quarterly sales on Wednesday. Ford saw a nearly 20% year-over-year drop in Mustang Mach-E sales in the second quarter, down to 10,178 units sold. It sold just 5,842 F-150 Lightnings, a 26% decline. And Ford only sold 418 E-Transit vans, down from 3,410 in the second quarter of 2024. (The company told TechCrunch that E-Transit sales were down as a result of larger fleet orders being placed in the first quarter.) Techcrunch event Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW President Trump spent the first few months of his second term promising tariffs on the automotive sector, which mostly drove up sales as buyers tried to get ahead of price increases. But that momentum has not lasted for Ford's EVs, which are getting long in the tooth. The Mustang Mach-E first went on sale in late 2020, and the F-150 Lightning hit the market in the middle of 2022. Ford is working on a lower-cost set of EVs, starting with a small truck, but that won't be sold until 2027.
Canada Standard
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Canada Standard
Canada's EV Market Was Already in Trouble-Tariffs Made It Worse, Workers Say
Bob Pulham recalls the optimism in the air when General Motors began producing electric vans in Ingersoll, Ontario, in late 2022. As the first BrightDrop commercial van rolled off the line at the CAMI Assembly plant, GM executives, union leaders and former prime minister Justin Trudeau touted it as a major milestone for electric vehicle production in Canada, The Canadian Press reports. Pulham, a Unifor representative at the plant, remembers talk of increasing shifts and hiring more people to produce 50,000 such delivery vans annually by 2025. But the sales never picked up, the plant kept slowing down the production line amid sluggish demand and the optimism slowly faded. This April, GM announced it would idle the plant for several months and resume production in October with just one shift. Union members say about half of 1,200 workers at the plant will be gone as a result. "I feel bad for all 600 that are being laid off. It's a horrible position to be put in," Pulham said in an interview. "It's a crazy amount of uncertainty and I think that hurts people." The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, but a GM Canada spokesperson said the halt was directly related to lower-than-expected demand for the BrightDrop vans. Pulham, who began working at the CAMI plant more than three decades ago, said his wife has also been laid off and is now pondering whether to go back to school or search for a new job. Several other companies, including Honda, Stellantis, Umicore, and Ford have also delayed or scrapped their EV projects amid the slow sales growth and the ongoing trade war. GM Canada said reducing production in Ingersoll was necessary to adjust to market demand and balance inventory. But workers at the CAMI plant say Trump's tariffs made things even worse. They've experienced the industry's ups and downs over the decades, but say this challenge is especially difficult at a time of great economic uncertainty. "There's a push to build (vehicles) in the U.S., and that has caused a lot of issues over here," Pulham said. "So, it's not a good situation." View our latest digests Mike Van Boekel, the Unifor Local 88 CAMI plant chairperson, said even though workers knew layoffs were on the horizon, the news was still shocking for many. "It was terrible," he said. "I thought we were going to lose a shift. I was worried in the back of my mind ... and now it has come true." GM's ambitious plan to be at the "forefront of a big wave" of electric delivery van production didn't materialize because the timing was not right, Boekel said. He felt the company was gaining some momentum before the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles. GM had just received an order of a thousand delivery vans from the U.S. grocery chain giant Kroger, he said. "So, it looked like we were just getting to go and all of a sudden, the tariffs came on," he said, adding that CAMI workers will still produce Kroger's vans when they return to the factory this fall. Workers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. The ripple effects of layoffs are a source of concern for Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. The CAMI plant, which spans two million square feet, is the largest employer in the southwestern Ontario town of about 14,000 people. Petrie said Ingersoll expects to receive $1.8 million in municipal taxes from the company this year, which is around 10% of the total levies the town is expected to collect. "It is devastating because we're not talking about new employees here, either, these are long serving employees and ... they've had a tough road going up to that point," Petrie said in a recent interview at his office. The federal government under Trudeau set a target of 100% zero-emission sales of light duty vehicles by 2035. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin indicated mid June that the mandate won't be changing. But that goal seems hard to achieve, Petrie said. "It's honest to say that I think everybody may have misunderstood the scale of the problem that we're facing to do the EV switch," he said. "I think all of them will admit that it's been a bigger problem than they once thought." Still, he thinks the more than $50 billion in investments that Canada has pledged since 2020 to incentivize the EV supply chain will pay off in the long term. Some provinces, including Manitoba and Quebec, are offering rebates for electric vehicle purchases. B.C.'s rebate program, which was the longest running in the country, was paused last month. Ontario scrapped its rebate program after Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won the election in 2018. The federal government also halted in January its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program, which offered up to $5,000 off the cost of a new electric vehicle. Dabrusin said Ottawa intends to bring back consumer rebates for EVs, but doesn't yet know what they'll look like. Zero-emissions vehicles represented only 8.7% of all new vehicle sales in Canada in the first quarter of 2025-a drop from 16.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Canada. The sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids had steadily increased from below 1% in 2017 to 14.6% in 2024, but experts say the growth hasn't been nearly as fast as many expected. Dan Park, CEO of online used car retailer Clutch, said EV adoption has been slower in Canada because people normally drive long distances in colder temperatures, which reduces battery life by 20 to 40% and slows down the charging speed. "Canada is just a fundamentally harder market to have," he said. "Until technology and battery life is improved to be able to handle colder conditions, I think Canadians will just shy away from it." Park said EVs make up only 5% of Clutch's inventory, which is tied to consumer demand. He said consumer rebates and production subsidies "artificially propped up the market," and provincial and federal governments should instead invest in a stronger charging infrastructure to encourage more Canadians to adopt EVs. A recent survey by consumer insights firm J.D. Power shows that only 28% of nearly 4,000 respondents said they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, down from 29% last year and 34$ in 2023. The survey also found that 75% of new vehicle purchasers aren't confident Canada can reach its 2035 zero-emission vehicle sales goal. Manufacturers took note of the lacklustre interest. Honda Canada announced in May that it's postponing a $15-billion EV project in Ontario, citing the "unexpected slowdown" in the market. Stellantis is postponing the production of an EV model of 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T at its Windsor, Ont., plant as it assesses the effects of U.S. tariffs. And Ford Motor Co. said it will assemble F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks at its Oakville, Ont., plant beginning in 2026 instead of planned electric vehicle production at the site. Despite the setbacks, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it will continue to support investments and innovations in the EV supply chain. Canada's zero-emissions vehicle sales mandates ensure "Canadians have access to electric vehicles, which offer long-term savings for consumers," department spokesperson Hermine Landry said in a statement. "Transportation emissions have declined to levels not seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our economy while also fighting climate change," Landry said. "It is important to remain focused on the fact that the real threat to the Canadian auto industry right now are the unjustified tariffs from the United States." Overall, Canadians buy around two million new vehicles annually and the country produces approximately 1.5 million of them, according to Unifor. Autoworkers say the federal government should push for more vehicle production in Canada from manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and others that don't have any production footprint in the country, to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs. "It'd be nice, (if) the government stands up for us and you know says to these big companies, 'If you want to sell here, then you need to build here as well,'" said Paul Harvey, who works as a framing team leader at CAMI. Harvey said that although he and his wife will keep their jobs at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, they will both have to work the same hours when production resumes on one shift. With four children at home, that means the couple will need a new child-care plan and increased costs will come with it. Harvey, who has been an autoworker for 20 years, said it would be "kind of silly" to think that the transition to electric vehicles would happen at the flick of a switch. He said he and his wife remain optimistic about the EV market and that's why they purchased a Chevy Blazer EV just a few weeks ago. "We're committed to moving into the future with the electrified vehicles," he said. "I do believe it will get there eventually." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Source: The Energy Mix
Canada News.Net
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Canada News.Net
Canada's EV Market Was Already in Trouble-Tariffs Made It Worse, Workers Say
Bob Pulham recalls the optimism in the air when General Motors began producing electric vans in Ingersoll, Ontario, in late 2022. As the first BrightDrop commercial van rolled off the line at the CAMI Assembly plant, GM executives, union leaders and former prime minister Justin Trudeau touted it as a major milestone for electric vehicle production in Canada, The Canadian Press reports. Pulham, a Unifor representative at the plant, remembers talk of increasing shifts and hiring more people to produce 50,000 such delivery vans annually by 2025. But the sales never picked up, the plant kept slowing down the production line amid sluggish demand and the optimism slowly faded. This April, GM announced it would idle the plant for several months and resume production in October with just one shift. Union members say about half of 1,200 workers at the plant will be gone as a result. "I feel bad for all 600 that are being laid off. It's a horrible position to be put in," Pulham said in an interview. "It's a crazy amount of uncertainty and I think that hurts people." The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, but a GM Canada spokesperson said the halt was directly related to lower-than-expected demand for the BrightDrop vans. Pulham, who began working at the CAMI plant more than three decades ago, said his wife has also been laid off and is now pondering whether to go back to school or search for a new job. Several other companies, including Honda, Stellantis, Umicore, and Ford have also delayed or scrapped their EV projects amid the slow sales growth and the ongoing trade war. GM Canada said reducing production in Ingersoll was necessary to adjust to market demand and balance inventory. But workers at the CAMI plant say Trump's tariffs made things even worse. They've experienced the industry's ups and downs over the decades, but say this challenge is especially difficult at a time of great economic uncertainty. "There's a push to build (vehicles) in the U.S., and that has caused a lot of issues over here," Pulham said. "So, it's not a good situation." View our latest digests Mike Van Boekel, the Unifor Local 88 CAMI plant chairperson, said even though workers knew layoffs were on the horizon, the news was still shocking for many. "It was terrible," he said. "I thought we were going to lose a shift. I was worried in the back of my mind ... and now it has come true." GM's ambitious plan to be at the "forefront of a big wave" of electric delivery van production didn't materialize because the timing was not right, Boekel said. He felt the company was gaining some momentum before the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles. GM had just received an order of a thousand delivery vans from the U.S. grocery chain giant Kroger, he said. "So, it looked like we were just getting to go and all of a sudden, the tariffs came on," he said, adding that CAMI workers will still produce Kroger's vans when they return to the factory this fall. Workers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. The ripple effects of layoffs are a source of concern for Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. The CAMI plant, which spans two million square feet, is the largest employer in the southwestern Ontario town of about 14,000 people. Petrie said Ingersoll expects to receive $1.8 million in municipal taxes from the company this year, which is around 10% of the total levies the town is expected to collect. "It is devastating because we're not talking about new employees here, either, these are long serving employees and ... they've had a tough road going up to that point," Petrie said in a recent interview at his office. The federal government under Trudeau set a target of 100% zero-emission sales of light duty vehicles by 2035. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin indicated mid June that the mandate won't be changing. But that goal seems hard to achieve, Petrie said. "It's honest to say that I think everybody may have misunderstood the scale of the problem that we're facing to do the EV switch," he said. "I think all of them will admit that it's been a bigger problem than they once thought." Still, he thinks the more than $50 billion in investments that Canada has pledged since 2020 to incentivize the EV supply chain will pay off in the long term. Some provinces, including Manitoba and Quebec, are offering rebates for electric vehicle purchases. B.C.'s rebate program, which was the longest running in the country, was paused last month. Ontario scrapped its rebate program after Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won the election in 2018. The federal government also halted in January its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program, which offered up to $5,000 off the cost of a new electric vehicle. Dabrusin said Ottawa intends to bring back consumer rebates for EVs, but doesn't yet know what they'll look like. Zero-emissions vehicles represented only 8.7% of all new vehicle sales in Canada in the first quarter of 2025-a drop from 16.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Canada. The sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids had steadily increased from below 1% in 2017 to 14.6% in 2024, but experts say the growth hasn't been nearly as fast as many expected. Dan Park, CEO of online used car retailer Clutch, said EV adoption has been slower in Canada because people normally drive long distances in colder temperatures, which reduces battery life by 20 to 40% and slows down the charging speed. "Canada is just a fundamentally harder market to have," he said. "Until technology and battery life is improved to be able to handle colder conditions, I think Canadians will just shy away from it." Park said EVs make up only 5% of Clutch's inventory, which is tied to consumer demand. He said consumer rebates and production subsidies "artificially propped up the market," and provincial and federal governments should instead invest in a stronger charging infrastructure to encourage more Canadians to adopt EVs. A recent survey by consumer insights firm J.D. Power shows that only 28% of nearly 4,000 respondents said they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, down from 29% last year and 34$ in 2023. The survey also found that 75% of new vehicle purchasers aren't confident Canada can reach its 2035 zero-emission vehicle sales goal. Manufacturers took note of the lacklustre interest. Honda Canada announced in May that it's postponing a $15-billion EV project in Ontario, citing the "unexpected slowdown" in the market. Stellantis is postponing the production of an EV model of 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T at its Windsor, Ont., plant as it assesses the effects of U.S. tariffs. And Ford Motor Co. said it will assemble F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks at its Oakville, Ont., plant beginning in 2026 instead of planned electric vehicle production at the site. Despite the setbacks, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it will continue to support investments and innovations in the EV supply chain. Canada's zero-emissions vehicle sales mandates ensure "Canadians have access to electric vehicles, which offer long-term savings for consumers," department spokesperson Hermine Landry said in a statement. "Transportation emissions have declined to levels not seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our economy while also fighting climate change," Landry said. "It is important to remain focused on the fact that the real threat to the Canadian auto industry right now are the unjustified tariffs from the United States." Overall, Canadians buy around two million new vehicles annually and the country produces approximately 1.5 million of them, according to Unifor. Autoworkers say the federal government should push for more vehicle production in Canada from manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and others that don't have any production footprint in the country, to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs. "It'd be nice, (if) the government stands up for us and you know says to these big companies, 'If you want to sell here, then you need to build here as well,'" said Paul Harvey, who works as a framing team leader at CAMI. Harvey said that although he and his wife will keep their jobs at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, they will both have to work the same hours when production resumes on one shift. With four children at home, that means the couple will need a new child-care plan and increased costs will come with it. Harvey, who has been an autoworker for 20 years, said it would be "kind of silly" to think that the transition to electric vehicles would happen at the flick of a switch. He said he and his wife remain optimistic about the EV market and that's why they purchased a Chevy Blazer EV just a few weeks ago. "We're committed to moving into the future with the electrified vehicles," he said. "I do believe it will get there eventually." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
