In today's issue:
One Michigan plant is the only source of axles for GM's HD pickups: and it's been dark since June 1
Dodge hiked the Charger Daytona's sticker by $12,500, a 19% jump on its performance trim
Chrysler teased a production Airflow as Stellantis kicks off its most ambitious product cycle in years
SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE
About 1,000 UAW Local 2093 members walked off Dauch Corp.'s Three Rivers, Michigan plant at 12:01 AM on June 1, and the bargaining table had not reopened by Day 4, per GoodCarBadCar.
The Three Rivers plant is the sole supplier of axles for the Silverado HD, Sierra HD, Colorado, Canyon, and Chrysler Pacifica; there is no identified secondary source, per GoodCarBadCar.
Dealers still have sufficient inventory for now and GM has not exhausted its axle stock, per Kelley Blue Book, but a prolonged walkout will drain lots of GM's highest-margin products.
The strike lands the week before USMCA formal review talks begin, with the US demanding a 50% American-made content rule, per MotorBiscuit, and Bloomberg reporting all three countries will miss the July deadline.
Automotive News flagged both the Dauch walkout and the USMCA carve-out proposal in the same weekend briefing, framing them as simultaneous pressure on North American truck supply.
GM is telling the public its inventory is fine, but Dauch's Three Rivers plant has no backup. Every day the strike holds, GM's HD truck pipeline gets shorter: and those are the vehicles that carry the highest per-unit profit in the company's portfolio.
Also worth knowing
Dodge Raised the Charger Daytona EV's Price by $12,500 for 2027: The 496-hp Charger Daytona jumps from roughly $65,000 to $77,500 for 2027, a 19% hike, per Car and Driver; the entry R/T holds at $49,995, per Motor1. Dodge is pushing buyers either down to the base or all the way up, compressing the middle of its own EV lineup. #market
VW Is Moving All Golf Production to Mexico in 2027, and the US Base Hatch May Come With It: The full Golf lineup shifts to Mexico starting next year, which VW executives say could make a standard-hatch US return economically viable, per Road & Track and Jalopnik; Carscoops notes the executive caveat was explicit: tariffs will ultimately decide. #analyst
Trump Sides With OEMs in the Right-to-Repair Fight: President Trump met with GM CEO Mary Barra, Ford's Andrew Frick, NADA, and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation to discuss right-to-repair legislation, per Automotive News and AutoGuide. OEMs and dealers have lobbied against repair-data sharing for years; Congress is moving multiple bills that would expand independent shop access. #news
Nissan to Audit 45 NY Dealers Over Lease Buyout Overcharges: Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. agreed to audit 45 New York dealerships and repay customers overcharged on lease buyouts, in a settlement announced June 3 by the NY attorney general, per Automotive News. Separately, Santander Consumer USA agreed to a $400,000 penalty and more than $275,000 in consumer reimbursements over improper payment-extension fees, per Auto Remarketing. #news
Reveals & culture
Chrysler Finally Teased What Looks Like a Production Airflow: Stellantis dropped a teaser video appearing to show the long-promised Chrysler Airflow SUV alongside the Fiat-derived Arrow and Arrow Cross, per TFLcar and Hagerty; the brand is currently down to the Voyager and Pacifica, which MotorTrend describes as "pretty much the same thing." #enthusiast
2027 Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II: 670 HP, 390 Miles, a New Clock, and Truly Absurd Trim Options: The updated all-electric Spectre gets up to 670 hp and 390 miles of claimed range, per MotorTrend and Motor Verso; Jalopnik notes the redesigned astronomical clock and the interior bespoke options will draw more attention than the power bump. #enthusiast
Ned Jarrett, Two-Time NASCAR Champion and Hall of Famer, Dies at 93: Jarrett died June 4 at his Newton, North Carolina home of natural causes, per Autoweek and RACER. He won 50 Cup races, claimed championships in 1961 and 1965, and became a long-running broadcaster after retiring in 1966; he is also the father of 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett, per Motorsport.com. #culture
Recalls & legal action
Ford Recalls 419,967 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators Over Seatbelts That Can Jam: Model year 2018-2022 Expedition and Navigator SUVs built at the Kentucky Truck Plant have seatbelt retractors that can lock up, preventing proper restraint function in a crash, per Road & Track and autoevolution. #news
Kia Telluride and Mercedes GLE/GLS Recalled Over Opposite Seatbelt Failures: The 2027 Kia Telluride is recalled because an incorrect sensor from a Mexican supplier causes the driver's belt to lock up during normal use; Mercedes is recalling 2026 GLE and GLS models because rear seatbelt bolts may be loose from a production deviation at its Vance, Alabama plant. The two actions together cover 6,471 vehicles, per Carscoops; the Telluride is already on its second recall since launch, per Autoblog. #news
Quick links
Tesla Roadster Demo Pushed to August as SpaceX Thruster Work Continues: The showcase slipped from late June to August or later after engineers encountered issues with the cold-gas thruster kit co-developed with SpaceX, per Electrek citing four sources; the car was first revealed nearly nine years ago.
Used EV Wholesale Prices Jumped 11.9% Year-Over-Year in May: Overall used-vehicle wholesale prices rose 3.6% annually, with EVs leading at plus-11.9% and compact cars up 12.3% since December, per CBT News and the Manheim/Cox Automotive index; Cox chief economist Jeremy Robb attributed the EV surge to sustained high gas prices.
Edsel Ford's Personal 1940 Speedster Gets a 480-HP Restomod: The SP40 roadster revives the one-off Lincoln-based car Edsel Ford commissioned for himself, rebuilt as a limited restomod with 480 hp, per Autoweek.
Novelis Restarting Its Oswego Hot Mill, Easing the F-150 Aluminum Crunch: Novelis is bringing its shuttered Oswego aluminum mill back online, which should ease a separate supply constraint on Ford F-150 production that has been building alongside the GM axle shortage, per CBT News.