In today's issue:

The hike is aimed at stopping expensive fuel from spreading into everything else, not at the fuel itself. For someone shopping for a car this fall, that means paying more at the pump and more on a new loan at the same time, and the Fed says the loan side has further to go.

The House Votes to Require AM Radio in Every New Car: The House passed the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act by voice vote on Sept. 15, requiring AM receivers as standard equipment with no option package or subscription fee, per Road & Track. A Senate companion bill has already cleared the Commerce Committee with 60 cosponsors. Even if it becomes law, the Transportation Department gets a year to write the rule and up to two more before it binds major automakers. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation opposes it, arguing that EV high-voltage components interfere with AM reception and that shielding them could cost billions. #analyst

Acura Parks the MDX Type S Over Emissions Rules: Acura will pause MDX Type S production after the 2026 model year with no restart date, citing uncertainty over the EPA's Tier 4 criteria-pollutant standards that take effect with the 2027 model year, per Automotive News. It follows the same call on the manual Integra for 2027. The 355-hp Type S is under 10% of MDX sales but earns outsized margins, and Acura says it will spread Type S features and styling across other MDX trims. #analyst

Toyota Asks Its Dealers to Lobby Congress Against Tariffs: At its annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas, Toyota Motor North America asked its US dealers to lobby lawmakers against vehicle tariffs, which executives said caused significant financial losses in North America despite more than 2.1 million deliveries in 2025, per Autoblog. "We're kind of in this together, and we're going to work through things together, regardless of what happens to the economy, to the tariff situation," said Dave Christ, who runs the Toyota division. #market

Lucid Promises Europe 25,000 Robotaxis. Bolt Hasn't Ordered One Yet.: Lucid and ride-hailing platform Bolt will "develop and deploy at least 25,000 autonomous Lucid vehicles" across European cities on Lucid's upcoming midsize platform, per PR Newswire, but no vehicle orders have been placed yet, per TechCrunch. Lucid delivered 3,953 vehicles in the second quarter, per its production and delivery report. It's Lucid's second robotaxi pact since April, after a US deal with Uber and Nuro, per Automotive News. Carscoops puts that earlier deal at 35,000 robotaxis, per Carscoops. #analyst

Audi Sues to Keep Its Own China-Only EVs Out of Germany: Audi has started legal proceedings to stop parallel imports of the E5 Sportback and E7X into Germany, per Motor1. Both are sold under AUDI, the EV-only brand Audi and SAIC created for China, with no Four Rings on the car. Audi's problem is that its own China-only cars are reaching its home market through the back door. #analyst

Toyota Takes a Hydrogen Hilux to Dakar: Toyota Gazoo Racing will run the DKR GR FC Hilux, a fuel-cell version of its Dakar truck, in the rally's Future Mission 1000 class in January 2027, covering about 621 miles of special stages on hydrogen alone, per Motor1. A hydrogen Hilux road truck is due to enter production in 2028, per Motor1.

Mazda May Revive the Mazdaspeed3 With 300 HP and AWD: Japan's MotorFan reports a performance Mazda3 based on the 2024 Mazda Spirit Racing 3 concept, with the current 2.5-liter turbo tuned to about 300 hp, likely all-wheel drive and possibly as early as the first half of 2027, per Autoblog. Mazda hasn't confirmed it, and hasn't built a hot hatch since the Mazdaspeed3 ended in 2013.

This Six-Wheeled Ford EcoSport Isn't Photoshopped: A heavily modified 2019 Ford EcoSport Titanium listed on Bring a Trailer got a third axle bolted on, making it a genuine six-wheeler, per MotorBiscuit.

VW Recalls 208,700 Atlas, Tiguan and Audi Q3 SUVs Over a Steering Bolt: Volkswagen is recalling 208,724 US vehicles, covering certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 models, per Reuters. The steering rack bolt can corrode and break, causing a potential loss of steering control, and dealers will replace the right-side mounting bolt free of charge. → If you own one: Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov.

BMW Owners Sue Over "Lifetime" Differential Fluid That Needed Changing: Owners of BMW X5, X6 and X7 models filed suit alleging the automaker's "lifetime" front differential fluid failed well within the vehicle's life, forcing costly repairs, per The Auto Wire and Autoblog. No recall has been issued.

Wholesale Used Prices Slip 1% in Early September: The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index fell 1% from August to 206.2 in the first half of September, per Cox Automotive.

China Sets a 2030 Deadline for Self-Driving Cars: Nine Chinese ministries set a 2030 deadline for autonomous vehicles, backed by a mandatory safety standard, ten weeks after NHTSA withdrew its only proposed AV oversight program, per The Auto Wire.

Yesterday's picks

GM's Recall Escalates to Full-Size Trucks: A GM fuel pump module recall that covered four 2022 crossovers and the Camaro in July added 18 more vehicle rows on September 16, pulling in Silverado, Sierra and full-size SUVs, per GM-Trucks. → If you own one: Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov, this campaign has grown twice since July.

EU Presses China to Cap Hybrid Exports as Imports Surge More Than Tenfold: Brussels wants China to voluntarily hold its hybrid market share in the EU near 15%, down from more than a third today, per Just Auto. The request follows a run-up in Chinese hybrid imports, which face a flat 10% tariff against up to 45% on pure EVs: from 3,800 units in October 2024, when the EV duties took effect, to 50,000 in July 2026, per Just Auto. "If they will not limit their exports to our market then we will. This is about stopping deindustrialisation. We have to act. It's about managed trade," an EU official told the Financial Times, per Automotive News Europe.

Renault and Geely Add $388M to Their Brazil Bet: The partners pledged a further 2 billion reais to Renault Geely do Brasil, lifting committed investment to 5.8 billion reais through 2027, per Just Auto and Bloomberg. The money goes to an electrified Renault on Geely's GEA platform starting in 2027, with Geely's EX2 hatchback entering production in December.

Worth a listen

One episode from Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, picked out of everything the shows published in the last day.

NHTSA Would Like a Word (Kilowatt: A Podcast about Electric Vehicles, also at bleav.com): The hosts break down why NHTSA is escalating its cybercab certification fight with Tesla, starting with a fundamental mismatch: regulations explicitly require brakes activated by foot control, but Cybercabs have none.

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