In today's issue:
Mitsubishi calls its new EV the Eclipse. It's a Nissan Leaf.
GM pivots its battery business toward power grids, not just cars.
May new-vehicle prices dipped while incentive spending hit a new high.
NAME GAME
Mitsubishi is reviving the Eclipse name for a fully electric subcompact crossover called the Eclipse Sportback, its first new nameplate in seven years, per Automotive News; North American sales begin by early fall 2026 as a 2027 model.
The platform is next-generation Nissan Leaf underpinnings, shared with Nissan Alliance partner tech; even Mitsubishi's own press materials acknowledge the differences are only cosmetic, per Kelley Blue Book.
The original Eclipse was a turbocharged, rear-torque-biased sport coupe made iconic by the Fast & Furious franchise; the Eclipse Cross SUV already diluted the name once, and now the Sportback is the third reinvention, per Autoblog.
Mitsubishi calls the Sportback the "launch of a five-year product blitz," per Automotive News, but the brand has no dedicated EV platform of its own to anchor that pipeline.
The Nissan Leaf earned KBB's 2026 Best New Model designation, so the base vehicle is strong; the question is whether buyers shopping a $30,000 EV will pay a badge premium for a Mitsubishi, per InsideEVs.
Mitsubishi is marketing this as a comeback, but the product is borrowed. Selling a cosmetically differentiated Leaf under one of the most recognizable sport-coupe names in tuner culture is either a clever platform play or a brand reputation gamble, and the fall sales numbers will settle it.
Also worth knowing
GM Is Pivoting Its Battery Business to Power the Grid, Not Just Cars: GM announced it will develop and produce sodium-ion battery cells for grid-scale energy storage through a partnership with Peak Energy, explicitly citing lower-than-expected EV sales as the motivation for diversifying the battery business, per Automotive News and Car and Driver. At the same San Francisco event, GM also announced a firmware update unlocking vehicle-to-grid capability for existing EV owners with no new hardware required, per CleanTechnica and the GM pressroom. #analyst
May New-Vehicle Prices Dipped as Incentive Spending Climbed: New-vehicle average transaction prices fell 0.5% month over month in May while incentive spending grew, per Kelley Blue Book / Cox Automotive, consistent with FRED data showing new-vehicle CPI down 0.2% in April. Multiple HEV models hit monthly sales records in May, but the wholesale used-car floor softened simultaneously, a split that is compressing dealer margins at both ends of the transaction, per Car Dealership Guy. #market
Iran Oil Shock Is Accelerating GM and Other Global Brands' Retreat From China: Sales at SAIC-GM, GM's main China joint venture, plunged last month as soaring oil prices crushed gasoline vehicle demand and compounded an already brutal market share loss to local EV makers, per Automotive News. China's passenger car market had already contracted 24% year-over-year to 1.6 million units in April 2026, per Just Auto. #analyst
BYD Says It Will Accept Legal Liability When Its Semi-Autonomous System Causes a Crash: BYD announced it will accept liability for damages caused by specific functions within its "God's Eye" semi-autonomous driving system, per CarExpert. Western automakers have consistently refused to accept liability for ADAS-related crashes, keeping legal responsibility with the driver. #news
Reveals & culture
A £295,000 New Ford Escort With a 10,000-RPM Naturally Aspirated Engine Is a Real Thing: British engineering firm Boreham Motorworks revealed its Mk1 Ford Escort RS "continumod" in production form: a brand-new car built on Escort DNA, not a restomod, with a naturally aspirated Ten-K engine producing 326 hp and a 10,000-rpm redline, limited to 150 examples starting at £295,000, per Carscoops and Autocar UK. #enthusiast
The C9 Corvette May Have Just Photo-Bombed a GM CEO Interview: During an NBC tour of GM's Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, computer screens visible behind CEO Mary Barra appeared to show C9 Corvette design work, per Autoblog and CarExpert. Chevrolet confirmed no additional core C8 variants are coming after the Grand Sport. #enthusiast
Recalls & legal action
Stellantis Tells 1.3 Million Jeep Owners to Park Outside Over Fire Risk: A June 9 NHTSA filing covers 2021-2025 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Gladiator trucks; the electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring can overheat and ignite even when the vehicle is off, and Stellantis is urging owners to park away from structures and other vehicles until repairs are completed, per Automotive News and Carscoops. The U.S. portion of the recall covers approximately 1.07 million vehicles, per Just Auto; no fix has been announced. #news
Quick links
Gordie Howe Bridge to Open June 15, Adding a Second Auto-Freight Crossing Between Michigan and Ontario: The US$4.6 billion span linking Windsor, Ontario to Detroit is set for a ribbon-cutting despite earlier Trump threats to block it, providing a second crossing alongside the Ambassador Bridge that handles critical auto-parts shipments, per Automotive News.
BYD Added to Pentagon's Chinese Military-Linked Companies List: Reuters reported that BYD was placed on the Pentagon's list of companies allegedly working with China's military, a designation that could restrict U.S. government procurement and add further pressure to BYD's already limited American market access, per Autoblog.
Canada's Chief Trade Negotiator: The Country "Will Remain a Country That Builds Cars": Janice Charette, Ottawa's chief U.S. trade negotiator, told auto sector leaders on June 9 that the auto industry will not be traded away in the coming USMCA review, per Automotive News.
Audi Nuvolari Supercar Spotted Testing at the Nürburgring Days After Its Surprise Debut: The R8 successor arrived without a teaser campaign, carries a combined output of 987 hp, and was already lapping the Nürburgring within days of its reveal, per Carscoops and The Drive.
Yesterday's picks
Rivian's R2 Is Delivering Today. The Press Embargo Just Lifted. Here's What Reviewers Actually Found.: Rivian's $45K R2 hits the road; reviews call it refined but less luxurious than R1S.
UAW Strike at GM Axle Supplier Enters Second Week With No Deal: UAW strike at GM axle supplier threatens truck production with two weeks of inventory.
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