2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Photo: Chevrolet
In today's issue:
NHTSA finalizes a 34.9 mpg target for 2031, down from 50.4
Subaru marks 25 years of the WRX with a 350-unit GD25 special edition
Geely buys 30% of rival Nio's battery-swap network
MILEAGE, ROLLED BACK
NHTSA finalized the standards Sept. 28, projecting a fleet average of 34.9 mpg for model year 2031, a bit above the 34.5 mpg it proposed in December, per the Department of Transportation and AutoGuide. The Biden-era rules projected roughly 50.4 mpg, per CBT News.
DOT says the rule cuts the average cost of a new vehicle by $1,300 and saves $138 billion over five years, per the Department of Transportation.
Starting with model year 2030, small crossovers get reclassified, flipping the fleet mix from about 70% light trucks to about 70% passenger cars, per the Department of Transportation.
CAFE credit trading, which DOT says funneled compliance-credit money to EV makers, ends starting with model year 2028, per the Department of Transportation.
NHTSA's analysis of the December proposal projected roughly 100 billion more gallons of gasoline burned by 2050, $185 billion more in fuel spending and about 5% more carbon-dioxide emissions, per Motor1.
Congress has already stripped the fines automakers paid for missing mileage targets, per AutoGuide.
The rule lowers the 2031 target, moves most small crossovers into the car fleet from 2030 and ends credit trading from 2028.
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Also worth knowing
VW Names the ID.4's Replacement and Drops the ID.5: Volkswagen confirmed the ID.4's successor will be called ID. Tiguan and launches in Europe early next year, per Car and Driver. Volkswagen of America told MotorTrend it reaches the US later next year as a 2028 model, while VW's official statement says North American timing will follow, per Edmunds. Motor1 confirms there's no direct ID.5 successor: the coupe-styled SUV is simply discontinued, per Motor1. Meanwhile VW is clearing leftover 2025 ID.4s with a $12,500 bonus through Nov. 2, while 2026 models get $6,000, per Motor1. #enthusiast
Photo: Volkswagen
Geely Buys 30% of Rival Nio's Battery-Swap Unit: Geely will pay 640 million yuan cash plus its own commercial-vehicle swap business for a 30% stake in Nio Power, valuing the unit at about $2.4 billion, per Automotive News Europe and Just Auto. #analyst
Photo: Nio
Chinese Driver-Assist Maker Momenta Signs On for Jeep and Peugeot: Momenta signed a global deal with Stellantis's Dongfeng joint venture to build driver-assist systems for new Jeep and Peugeot models, with vehicles planned for China, Europe and other overseas markets from 2027, per Automotive News Europe and CnEVPost. #analyst
Europe's Chinese EV Problem Is Bigger Than the Registration Data Shows: UBS says Chinese vehicle exports to Europe are running at nearly double the pace of actual registrations, meaning logistics bottlenecks are masking the true scale of shipments, per Automotive News Europe. Brussels is separately pushing the UK to raise its own Chinese-EV tariffs, per Financial Times and Electrive. #market
Reveals & culture
Subaru Marks 25 Years of WRX With a 350-Unit Special Edition: The 2027 WRX GD25 and BRZ ZC15, limited to 350 and 300 units respectively, carry chassis-code nameplates honoring the WRX's US debut 25 years ago and the BRZ's 15th, per Subaru Newsroom. No extra power, just heritage colors and gold wheels, per Car and Driver.
Photo: Subaru
Alpine Previews the Next A110 With a Veiled Sculpture: A full-scale, veil-draped design study previews the third-generation A110 ahead of a 2027 debut, described as a "phantom volume" by Alpine, per Autocar UK and autoevolution.
Photo: Alpine
Quick links
Chery Built a Diesel Plug-In Hybrid Pickup: The Chery Stockman promises 62 miles of EV-only range paired with a diesel engine, a combination InsideEVs calls a world first, per InsideEVs.
Photo: Chery
Recalls & legal action
A Tesla Owner Says Autopilot Accelerated So Hard the Tires Burst: A lawsuit filed by a 2023 Model X owner in Kirkland, Washington alleges Autopilot triggered sudden unintended acceleration violent enough to blow out the tires, combining two previously separate categories of Tesla ADAS complaints, per Autoblog.
Yesterday's picks
$12,000 Now Buys a 9-Year-Old Used Car With 98,000 Miles: A used car priced between $10,000 and $15,000 now averages almost nine years old with about 98,000 miles, per an Edmunds study reported by The Drive. In 2019 the same money bought a car four years younger with 40,000 fewer miles.
NHTSA Wants to Delete Two Crash Tests: An Aug. 17 notice would drop the Fishhook rollover maneuver and a side-airbag test from the 5-Star ratings program starting with model year 2027, while the upgrades meant to replace them slip to late 2029; comments close Oct. 16, per The Auto Wire.
Zoox Pulls Its Atlanta Test Fleet Over Possible Gas Exposure: Zoox has stopped running test vehicles in Atlanta after contract safety drivers reported feeling sick inside the gasoline Toyota Highlanders that train its software, per TechCrunch and The Auto Wire. Zoox says it detected only carbon dioxide and plans in-cabin gas monitors; OSHA has closed its inquiry, and the purpose-built robotaxis aren't involved.
Worth a listen
One episode from Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, picked out of everything the shows published in the last day.
CarCast+Edmunds - Buying vs leasing, EV vs gas - should you get a new car in 2026? (CarCast, also at bleav.com): CarCast and Edmunds weigh buying against leasing in 2026, and make the case that a short EV lease can pay off when automakers are pushing lease deals.
CarCast
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