Photo: TTTNIS / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
In today's issue:
GM still leads Toyota in the U.S., by fewer than 130,000 vehicles this year
China and the EU reach an understanding on hybrid exports, with the hard numbers still to come
Honda reportedly plans a rebadged Mitsubishi pickup for Southeast Asia
THE No. 1 SPOT
GM sold 670,974 vehicles in Q3, down 5.5%, and Toyota sold 633,223, up 0.6%, a gap of about 37,750, as we reported Oct. 2, per Automotive News and Toyota's release.
Toyota trails by fewer than 130,000 vehicles year to date: GM's U.S. sales are down 6.3% to 2.01 million while Toyota's are up 0.6% to 1.88 million, per Automotive News.
Electrified vehicles, hybrids and EVs together, were 57% of Toyota's Q3 sales against under 4% of GM's, per Automotive News.
Only the 2021 chip shortage has put Toyota ahead of GM; GM has been the U.S. leader every other year since passing Ford in 1931, per Automotive News.
GM's trucks are holding up, with Silverado 1500 deliveries up 13% in Q3, but it has only one hybrid, the low-volume Corvette E-Ray, per Automotive News.
Analysts told Automotive News they would be surprised if Toyota catches GM this year, but AutoPacific's Paul Waatti called 2027 "absolutely in play."
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Also worth knowing
China and the EU Reach a "Shared Understanding" on Hybrid Exports: China says it reached an understanding with the EU that "opens the prospect" of cutting Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid exports to Europe by more than half, measured against projected growth over four years, per Automotive News Europe and Politico. It reverses Thursday's report that China had rejected Brussels's request for voluntary curbs, and it follows the tariff-rate quota plan reported Oct. 7. What is agreed is the framework; no tariff or quota figures have been published, only a pledge to keep talking. #analyst
Honda Reportedly Plans a Rebadged Mitsubishi Triton: Honda reportedly plans to sell a rebadged Mitsubishi Triton, built in Thailand for Southeast Asia with a launch targeted for 2028, per Automotive News citing Japanese media, corroborated by Carscoops and Motor1. Honda declined to confirm. It would be Honda's first body-on-frame pickup in decades; the Ridgeline, its only current pickup, is unibody. #news
The Mitsubishi Triton, the pickup Honda would rebadge. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC0
FTC Drops Asbury Case but Proposes a Dealer Pricing Settlement With Greenway: The FTC dismissed its complaint against Asbury Automotive Group on Oct. 5, per CBT News, but proposed a settlement with Greenway Automotive, alleging that more than 92% of Greenway Kia customers were charged an average of $3,354 above advertised prices, per Automotive News. The FTC says it remains committed to dealer price transparency, and advertised prices must include required fees and add-ons. #news
BMW Pulls Ahead in the US Luxury Race: BMW sold 100,210 vehicles in Q3, up 3.4%, ahead of Lexus's 93,056, per Automotive News. #market
Germany Backs EU-Wide Approval for Tesla's Driver Assistance: Germany's transport ministry, which had called the old FSD name misleading, now supports EU-wide approval with a speed cap 10% above the limit, per InsideEVs. #news
Reveals & culture
Rivian Turns Every EV Into an Ecto-1 for Halloween: Rivian's free OTA update adds Ghostbusters-themed lights, sounds and games to every R1T, R1S and R2 through November 2, with Bill Murray reprising Peter Venkman in a short film, per Motor1 and InsideEVs. Rivian also built a full-scale Ecto-1 replica for the stunt, per InsideEVs.
Photo: Rivian
Quick links
Porsche Lifts Its Manthey Racing Stake to 67%: Porsche increased its stake in Manthey Racing to 67%, per Autoblog, and ruled out gas-engine 718 Boxster and Cayman variants, so the line stays electric, per Autoblog.
Geely Confirms 2027 Canada Launch, Names No Models: Geely will stand up Canadian retail and service operations ahead of a 2027 sales launch without naming a single vehicle, per InsideEVs.
Jaguar Land Rover's Global Sales Rise 6% Despite China Collapse: JLR posted a 6% global sales increase for the quarter ending September even as China sales fell, per WardsAuto.
Supplier Lear Closes a Michigan Plant It Bought in 2021: Lear will shut its Sterling Heights injection molding plant, affecting 67 employees, by July 2027, citing market conditions, per Automotive News.
Recalls & legal action
Ram Recalls 16,385 2026 1500s Over Tire-Pressure Readings: The 2026 Ram 1500s get a TPMS fix for inaccurate pressure readings, per autoevolution.
Photo: Ram
Yesterday's picks
France and Germany Reportedly Cut a Deal to Weaken the EU's 2035 Combustion Rule Further: France and Germany have agreed to push for a further weakening of the EU's planned phase-out of new combustion engine cars, Handelsblatt and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, per Clean Energy Wire and The Driven. Handelsblatt cites three unnamed sources.
Reuters: Tesla Leaned on the Dutch Regulator to Ease Its FSD Review: Tesla spent months pushing the Dutch regulator RDW to scale back its review of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), including disputing a €365,000 bill, according to emails obtained by Reuters, per Electrek. The bill itemized testing permits, technical work and other services, and a Tesla employee balked at it in an April 2025 email, per Automotive News Europe. Separately, Tesla rebranded the system "Tesla Assisted Driving" across Europe on Oct. 8, per Tesla North.
Porsche's Nine-Month Deliveries Fall 16% on Weak China Demand: Porsche delivered 178,532 cars worldwide in the first nine months of 2026, down from 212,509 a year earlier, a 16.0% decline, per Reuters and Porsche's release. China is the biggest drag, down 33% to 21,493, and North America fell 13% to 56,088. In Britain, registrations rose 4.4% to 14,238, per Car Dealer Magazine, citing SMMT. The all-electric Cayenne has delivered 7,002 examples since launch, per Porsche.
Worth a listen
One episode from Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, picked out of everything the shows published in the last day.
EP117: What's ruining car shows?; Paris motor show preview; a Mitsubishi AMG! (50to70, also at the50to70podcast.podbean.com): The hosts diagnose why modern car shows have lost their appeal while weighing classic car ownership against the cost difference between passive and active suspension repairs.
50to70
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