In today's issue:
Honda's Alabama plant stops Ridgeline production in Q4 2026, no restart until Q3 2028, per Automotive News
Volkswagen's Jetta GLI manual dies after 2026, ending every stick-shift option the brand sold in America
Toyota nearly doubles its overseas production cuts, to 83,000 units, with the RAV4 taking the deepest hit
EMISSIONS MATH
Honda Is Parking the Ridgeline for 18 Months
Honda's Alabama plant will stop producing the Ridgeline in Q4 2026, with production not restarting until Q3 2028, a gap of roughly 18 months, per Automotive News cited by Driving.ca and the Automotive News Daily Drive podcast.
The pause is driven by tougher emissions compliance: the current V6 engine no longer meets incoming standards, per Carscoops.
The refreshed 2028 model is expected to carry design changes, revised components, and an updated V6 hybrid architecture, per Automotive News via Driving.ca.
Honda's official framing treats this as a planned product reset, but the 18-month gap is genuinely unusual for any mainstream North American nameplate. The Ridgeline already plays at the margins of the midsize truck segment, and buyers who would have cross-shopped it in 2027 will need to go elsewhere.
Owners with service needs or conquest buyers considering the Ridgeline face a window with zero new-vehicle options from the nameplate through at least mid-2028.
The data makes the production gap hard to spin as routine: Honda booked more than $9 billion in EV restructuring losses through March 2026, per Reuters and Honda's May earnings disclosure, and is now also retooling on trucks. That is two simultaneous platform pivots at a company that was already under financial pressure from its EV reversal.
Also worth knowing
VW kills its last US manual: Volkswagen is discontinuing the manual-transmission Jetta GLI after the 2026 model year, per Motor1 and Road & Track, ending every stick-shift option the brand offered in America. The GTI manual had already been cut; the GLI was the last holdout. #enthusiast
Toyota nearly doubles overseas production cuts: Toyota has widened its planned overseas output reductions from 38,000 to approximately 83,000 units through November, per Just Auto, with the RAV4 taking some of the deepest cuts, per Carscoops. The driver is softened demand linked to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz blockade, per Just Auto. Nissan has separately revised its export plans as regional tensions persist. #analyst
Xiaomi loses $5,600 per EV sold in Q1: Xiaomi's car business posted a Q1 2026 operating loss of 3.1 billion yuan ($460 million) across 80,856 deliveries, a per-unit loss of roughly $5,600, per CarNewsChina and CnEVPost. That per-car loss is up from approximately $900 per unit in Q1 2025, when deliveries were still ramping, per Autoline Daily, meaning the loss widened sharply even as deliveries grew. #analyst
Used prices up $870 in a month: Retail prices for used vehicles climbed an average of more than $870 from April to May, per Auto Remarketing, as buyers priced out of new cars pile into the pre-owned market. New-vehicle CPI was flat in April (down 0.2%, per FRED), but that headline masks the affordability squeeze pushing demand downstream. #market
Volvo's Geely ownership didn't block its US connected-car waiver: The Commerce Department's Office of ICTS granted Volvo a specific authorization to keep importing connected vehicles despite a rule prohibiting cars with Chinese hardware or software, per Volvo's own press release and Automotive News Europe. The waiver was granted after what Volvo called "constructive discussions" with US officials, per Carscoops. Geely, Volvo's Chinese parent, owns significant stakes across several brands now selling or attempting to sell in the US. #news
What's new
Lotus Emira 420 Sport: The 2027 Emira 420 Sport adds 14 hp and 14 lb-ft over the standard four-cylinder car, hitting 414 hp, 186 mph, and an optional lightweight package that cuts 55 pounds, per Car and Driver. Multimatic two-way adjustable dampers and a new removable roof panel round out the package, per Road & Track. Lotus simultaneously confirmed a new Esprit hybrid is on track for 2028.
BMW G80 M3: last call confirmed: 2027 will be the final model year for the gas-powered G80 BMW M3, and the manual transmission goes with it, per Car and Driver and Driving.ca. A performance version of the electric i3 sedan is planned to bridge the gap before a next-gen M3 arrives.
Recalls & legal action
Tesla Model Y: 14,575 units, missing load labels: Tesla is recalling 14,575 Model Ys after a factory vision-scanning tool failed to verify that certification labels were applied correctly, per CBT News and Carscoops. The missing label could lead owners to unknowingly overload their vehicles, raising crash risk. No OTA fix is available; affected owners will be notified by mail starting July 17.
Ford Bronco hardtop: 16,000 units, panels could fly off: Ford is recalling more than 16,000 Broncos because the removable hardtop panels are prone to cracking, delaminating, and shedding pieces at speed, per Car and Driver. The failure mode is not a slow cosmetic issue but a potential road hazard.
Quick links
Mercedes-AMG GLC 53 first drives: Multiple outlets confirmed the 2026/2027 GLC 53 ditches the controversial four-cylinder plug-in hybrid for a straight-six, with reviewers calling it fast and comfortable but noting the price tag stings, per Auto Express and Autocar UK.
Ross Brawn joins Pramac MotoGP board: The former Ferrari and Brawn GP technical director has joined the board of directors of the Pramac MotoGP team as a strategic advisor to team director Paolo Campinoti, per The Race and Motorsport.com.
USMCA content-rule talks intensifying: The Trump administration is focusing on tightening domestic-content requirements in USMCA renegotiations, per Ford Authority, with automakers and suppliers hoping the 15% tariff framework from EU/Japan/South Korea deals sets the ceiling for North American talks, per Automotive News Europe.
Cox Q2 dealer sentiment holds positive: Dealers felt broadly positive about Q2 business conditions even as economic and political uncertainty weighed on more retailers, per the Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index cited by Automotive News. A seven-month run of negative US new-vehicle retail results is forecast to break in May, per J.D. Power data cited by Autovista24.
Sources: Driving.ca · Carscoops: Ridgeline · The Drive · Automotive News Daily Drive podcast · Carscoops: Honda EV losses · Motor1: VW manual · Road & Track: VW · Just Auto: Toyota cuts · Carscoops: Toyota/RAV4 · CarNewsChina: Xiaomi · CnEVPost: Xiaomi · Auto Remarketing · PR Newswire: Volvo ICTS · Automotive News Europe: Volvo · Carscoops: Volvo waiver · Car and Driver: Emira · Road & Track: Emira · Car and Driver: M3 · Driving.ca: M3 · CBT News: Tesla recall · Carscoops: Tesla recall · Car and Driver: Bronco recall · Auto Express: GLC 53 · Autocar UK: GLC 53 · The Race: Brawn · Motorsport.com: Brawn · Automotive News Europe: USMCA · Ford Authority: USMCA · Automotive News: Cox CADSI · Autovista24