In today's issue:

The agency that was blindsided by Takata is now tracking an almost identical threat, with even less visibility into the supply chain. Until NHTSA publishes a count and a check tool, the only safe move for anyone who bought a used vehicle with a repaired airbag is to have a dealer verify the inflator part number against the OEM list.

VW's Board Blocked the Deep Cuts. The Model Purge Doesn't Need Its Permission.: Following up on prior coverage of VW's restructuring talks: the supervisory board voted down Blume's restructuring proposal 12 to 7 on July 9, with labor representatives blocking the plant closures and up to 100,000 job cuts, per CBT News. Blume's fallback is a Future Plan built from the measures that don't need board approval: cutting the roughly 150-model global lineup by up to half, trimming powertrain and configuration options by up to 75%, and shrinking annual production capacity from 10 million to 9 million units, per Automotive News, with no firm dates attached. The Autopian points out that stripping variants from Porsche and Bentley could destroy the very margin premium that made those brands worth owning. #analyst

Porsche Kills Gas Macan Production This Month, With No Combustion Successor for Years: Porsche confirmed the combustion Macan will end production in July 2026, even though the gas version still accounts for 19,695 units sold this year and remains the segment's most popular variant, per Carscoops. Overall Macan sales have fallen 22% versus 2025, per Carscoops, and Road & Track confirms no gas successor is planned for the foreseeable future. Porsche launched the electric Macan to replace it; buyers clearly haven't agreed yet. #analyst

The 911 Is Outselling the Taycan Nearly 5 to 1 in the US: US buyers are choosing the gas 911 over the electric Taycan at a ratio of almost 5:1 so far in 2026, per Motor1, while The Autopian notes 911 demand is soaring at the same time Porsche's global H1 deliveries fell 16% year-on-year to 122,306 units, per autopunditz. The 911 is doing the volume work that Porsche's EV strategy was supposed to carry. #market

US First-Half Sales Pace Below 2025, Rocky Second Half Expected: H1 2026 US light-vehicle sales are running below last year despite a strong June, with Cox Automotive analyst Erin Keating identifying financing costs, not sticker prices, as the core problem: more buyers are stretching into loans of 72 months or longer to chase a lower monthly payment, per Automotive News. The cheapest new model in America costs around $22,000, per Keating via Automotive News, while average transaction prices sit near $50,000. The gap between entry price and average purchase price has rarely been wider. #market

Dodge Teases Its Most Powerful Sixpack Charger Yet, Reveal Set for August 8 in Detroit: Dodge will unwrap the new variant at its Roadkill Nights event in Detroit, timed to the Charger nameplate's 60th anniversary, per americancarsandracing.com. The Sixpack badge sits on the 3.0-liter twin-turbo Hurricane inline-six, which tops out at 550 hp in the Charger Scat Pack, per Dodge; the name is a nod to the original Six Pack, three two-barrel carburetors on the 440 V8 that peaked at 390 hp in 1969. The new figure has not been revealed, which is exactly how Dodge wants August 8 to feel.

BMW Debuts Fifth-Generation X5 With First-Ever Electric iX5 Variant: The all-new 2027 X5 arrives as BMW's fifth-generation of the SUV that defined the premium utility segment in 1999, now anchored by a fully electric iX5 alongside the traditional combustion and plug-in hybrid variants, per CBT News. The reveal lands the same week BMW reported a 20.4% drop in China H1 sales to 261,773 units, per bmwblog, making the X5's European and US performance more critical than ever to the group's earnings story.

Kia Telluride Re-Recalled for Seat Motor Fire: 462,869 SUVs, Second Campaign for Same Defect: Following up on the July 10 Telluride recall report: the new NHTSA campaign covers model years 2020-2024 and replaces an earlier recall issued for the identical seat motor overheating defect, per MotorTrend. The front power seat motor can overheat, melt surrounding components, and start a fire whether the vehicle is parked or moving, per Carscoops and The Drive. The previous fix did not hold. → If you own one: Park outdoors away from structures until your dealer completes the new repair, and check NHTSA.gov with your VIN to confirm your vehicle is included in the updated campaign.

Gordie Howe Bridge Opens July 27, Giving Auto Supply Chain a Long-Awaited Second Crossing: The bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan will open July 27 after a delayed ribbon-cutting, per Automotive News. The span is one of the most critical auto-supply-chain infrastructure links in North America: more than US$300 million in goods crosses the neighboring Ambassador Bridge each day, according to the bridge's operator, per Automotive News. A second crossing adds redundancy that the industry has been demanding for two decades.

BMW Group H1 China Sales Fall 20.4% to 261,773 Units: Europe rose 5.4% to 496,651 and US grew 3.9% to 200,661, but China's collapse dragged the group's overall H1 tally lower, per bmwblog.

China's Light-Vehicle Retail Market Down 23% in June to 1.6M Units: The drop is partly a base-effect comparison against June 2025's 18% surge, per Just Auto, but the underlying demand weakness is real and landing hardest on Western brands.

BYD Shark PHEV Pickup Launches in UK, Taking on the Ford Ranger: The Shark arrives in the UK with a 436-hp plug-in hybrid drivetrain, per BYD's pressroom, making it the first Chinese-brand pickup to challenge diesel-dominated European light-commercial segment directly.

Bentley Confirms First Fully Electric Model for September Reveal: The Torcal EV will break cover in September, per Wards Auto, giving the ultra-luxury segment its next EV entrant after a year of delays.

Washington Dealers Sue Scout Motors Over Direct-to-Consumer Sales: Washington state dealers argue the VW-backed startup's direct-to-consumer model violates state franchise law, per CBT News, a challenge to the franchise system from inside the VW family.

NHTSA Administrator Weighs Ending Steering Wheel Requirement for Driverless Cars: NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency will consider removing the requirement that autonomous vehicles include a steering wheel, per The Detroit News and the Automotive News Daily Drive podcast.

Yesterday's picks

VW Confirms It Could Kill Half Its Models, Cut 1 Million Units of Capacity: VW's board rejected Blume's deeper restructuring 12 to 7; the company fell back to the lineup and capacity cuts it can make on its own.

Kia Recalls 462,869 Tellurides for Seat Motor Fire Risk, Second Campaign for the Same Defect: Nearly half a million Tellurides face fire risk from a seat motor defect that Kia already tried to fix once before.

BMW Posts 13% US Luxury Sales Jump in Q2, Volvo Snaps Three-Quarter US Slide: BMW's Q2 US surge extends its luxury lead, but a 20% China decline signals deeper trouble beneath the headline number.

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