In today's issue:

The plan is Samuelsson's and the job is Zellmer's. If Zellmer takes the full runway, Volvo will spend months between the strategy and the person who has to deliver it.

VW Group's Plan Puts 4,100 More Porsche Jobs on the Block: Files behind VW Group's Sept. 3 supervisory board decision propose about 4,100 further job cuts at Porsche to close an overhead shortfall of some €700 million ($803 million), per Automotive News citing Handelsblatt. The cuts would come on top of the 5,000 Porsche agreed to in July, and neither VW Group nor Porsche would comment. Separately, Audi has pushed its first mass-market electric midsize sedan, the A4 e-tron, to 2029 with production potentially starting in March at the earliest, per BMWBLOG, which cites Handelsblatt tying the slip to CEO Gernot Döllner's decision to build in a 48-volt electrical architecture instead of the 12-volt standard planned for VW's SSP platform. In July, VW told investors its guidance assumed zero new restructuring. #analyst

GAC Starts Assembly in Cambodia: GAC Group's new Kampong Chhnang plant rolled its first locally built Trumpchi off the line, with planned annual capacity of 10,000 units, per PR Newswire and Gasgoo. It's a knock-down kit line, the same tariff-avoidance playbook Chinese automakers are running across Southeast Asia. #analyst

EV Sales Climbed in August, Gas Prices Did the Pushing: New EV sales rose 2.5% month over month in August, with the sharpest gains in the used market, per AutoGuide citing Cox Automotive. The bump doesn't erase the year-over-year decline, but it lines up with the pump-price spike covered in our August gas price story. #market

Tesla Reopens Roadster Reservations at $50,000: Tesla's reservation page is back up for the second-generation Roadster, asking for a $5,000 card charge plus a $45,000 wire due within 10 days, fully refundable, per Tesla North. It lands ahead of the Oct. 1 reveal, per Motor Trend, a date we ran as Tesla's Roadster reveal date on Sept. 13.

A 62-Mile Gordon Murray T.50 Is for Sale: A 2024 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, the McLaren F1 successor built around a naturally aspirated V12 with a 12,100-rpm redline, is listed with just 62 miles on the clock, per Autoblog. Someone bought the ultimate driver's car and then did not drive it.

Credit Acceptance Pays $710M to Settle 40 States' Predatory-Lending Claims: Credit Acceptance agreed to pay $710 million to settle claims by 40 states and D.C. that it trapped low-income borrowers in auto loans they could never afford and helped dealers push add-ons such as service contracts and insurance, including forgiving $634 million of debt owed by more than 55,000 borrowers, per Automotive News. The company denied wrongdoing. Separately, two DARCARS dealerships in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., will pay at least $1.9 million over allegations they misled customers about a 2% sales commission and a $2,495 F&I package that the state attorney general called optional, per Automotive News. → If you're buying: Ask which line items on the buyer's order are optional before you sign.

Ford's Fix for the Mach-E Made Things Worse: Ford is recalling 86 Mustang Mach-Es from the 2023-2025 model years because replacement Battery Energy Control Modules installed during earlier repairs can misreport charge level and raise fire risk, per Carscoops and The Truth About Cars. Only vehicles that already had the battery controller replaced are affected. → If you own one: Check NHTSA.gov if your Mach-E has had a BECM replacement, and don't ignore a sudden range or power-loss warning.

Nissan Confirms Next Skyline for December: CEO Ivan Espinosa confirmed the next-generation Skyline debuts in December 2026 with possible V6 hybrid power, per The Supercar Blog.

Toyota's First EREV Targets China, April 2027: Toyota plans to start extended-range EV production in China in April 2027, with initial capacity around 200,000 units a year, per chinaevhome.

Cadillac's Escalade-V Undercuts a Rolls-Royce Cullinan: The $168,000 Escalade-V makes more horsepower than an AMG GLS 63 and costs less than a Cullinan, per CarBuzz.

GM Reveals How Much the Blazer EV Can Tow: The 2027 Chevy Blazer EV's tow rating varies sharply by configuration, with only certain trims rated to pull at all, per GM Authority.

This Week in Car Podcasts: A Stick-Shift Hypercar, and a Dealer Who Bought Back Three Stores: Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, recaps 269 episodes across 187 shows, including Spyker founder Victor Muller on why the new 800-horsepower C8 Preliator XXV has a manual gearbox and no screens, and dealer Charlie Caprara on selling ten dealerships to a $1.8 billion Ponzi scheme and buying three back.

Yesterday's picks

VW Cuts Its 2026 Margin Forecast to 1%, Down From 4% to 5.5%: Volkswagen cut its 2026 operating margin forecast to no more than 1%, down from a range of 4% to 5.5%, citing a sharp contraction in China's car market and restructuring costs. Shares fell as much as 7.5%, the biggest intraday drop in a year, and the selloff spread to BMW and Mercedes-Benz, per Automotive News.

Automakers, Suppliers, Dealers and Former Military Leaders Push Washington to Keep Chinese Cars Out: Following up on Trump saying he would accept Chinese car plants in America, a coalition of automakers, suppliers and dealers sent him a letter urging him to block Chinese cars ahead of a summit with China that could involve BYD, per Automotive News. Retired military commanders and business executives are asking Congress for the same, per Transport Topics, backing the Connected Vehicle Security Act, which The Autopian says a bipartisan group of lawmakers is close to passing. Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz argued Thursday: "The U.K., which in the past was a very profitable, very strong market, has become like China. All the top sellers are Chinese because there are no barriers," he said, per Automotive News.

Toyota's Final Supra Beats the Nissan Z NISMO for the Third Time: MotorTrend put the manual Supra Final Edition up against the manual Z NISMO as the MkV Supra nears the end of production, and the Supra won again, per MotorTrend. The Z has more power, 420 hp against 382, but the Supra was quicker in the magazine's testing, reaching 60 mph in 4.1 seconds against 4.7 and covering the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds against 13.2. It also costs about $2,000 more to start, $70,645 against $68,555.

Worth a listen

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

#373: Are Robotaxis Anti-Human? Waymo, Tesla Cybercab and the Religious Backlash Against AI (Autonocast): Autonocast asks whether Waymo's and Tesla's robotaxi interfaces actually keep passengers safe, with one guest arguing no company has committed more user-interface sins than Tesla.

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