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Recent Posts
- Hybrids Rule New EU Car Registrations in March and Q1 2026
- VinFast Auto Posts March Sales of ~28,000 EVs
- Acura to Enter IndyCar. “Pause” IMSA GTP
- Canada and U.S to Co-Host Global Vehicle Safety Conference
- April 2026 Light Vehicle Production Forecast Drops Globally!
- First Look – Mercedes-Benz 2027 C‑Class EV
- IMSA and IndyCar – Acura Wins 2026 Long Beach Grand Prix!
- IMSA Street Fight – 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
- Mustang GTD Runs Record Nordschleife Lap at 6m 40.835s
- Honda Fastport eQuad Vehicles Link to Bird and Spin
- Bosch Group Plans Sales, EBIT Growth after a So-So 2025
- Stellantis Q1 2026 Shipments Up 12% at 1.4 Million
- Light-Duty Fuel Cell Trucks – Isuzu, Toyota Collaboration!
- Airbag Malware – Honda Recalls ~440,000 Odyssey Vans
- Trumped – Used Car Prices Spike after Hitting 12-Month Low
Recent Comments
- Council on Foreign Relations on Iran and Strait of Hormuz on AAA – Pump Gasoline Prices Still Soaring
- Autocrat on Stellantis Subordinated Perpetual Hybrid Bonds on Stellantis Posts Full Year 2025 Loss of €22.3B
- Michigan Governor Whitmer on Pew – Confidence in Trump Dips, Fewer Support His Policies
- Porsche Motorsport Daytona Victory on Daytona 24 Hours – Old and New Stars Getting Ready to Run
- UAW Ford Department Director VP Laura Dickerson on Trump's Ford Plant Visit on Whitmer Stands in Stark Contrast to Trump at Detroit Auto Show
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Category Archives: Trump Truth Tests
Musk and Bezos Freeloading on Taxpayer Subsidies
Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to cut spending he alleges is wasteful, has himself benefited from more than $38 billion in government funding, according to a just-published exposé in the Washington Post. The Washington Post used Good Jobs First’s Subsidy Tracker to help tell the story of just how much companies controlled by Musk have received, according to a release today from the respected Good Jobs First (GJF) organization. Continue reading
Posted in AutoInformed Editorial, fools 'n frauds, news, news analysis, people, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Good Jobs First, Good Jobs First Violation Tracker, Ken Zino, Reuters, SpaceX, tax credits, tax grants and reimbursements, tesla, Wahington Post, Wall Street Journal, X @KenAutoinformed
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Tariffs – Trump’s Next Economic Disaster Looming
Despite all the legal and political controversies surrounding the Trump Administration’s trade and tariff policies, there is emerging clarity in one area with a high potential for damaging the auto industry and the U.S. economy. Anderson Economic Group identified the threat of tariffs as a “two-alarm fire for the auto industry” as early as November 2024. It recently estimated the costs per car of tariffs on Mexico and Canada at $4000 to $10,000, based on its analysis of ten different vehicles from multiple manufacturers.
“The Trade Expansion Act (TEA) has clear statutory authority. It’s been used before. It’ll probably be used again, whether now or next year, said Patrick Anderson,* Anderson Economic Group CEO today speaking to the Automotive Press Association. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, environment, financial results, fuel economy or emissions, manufacturing, news analysis, public health, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged Anderson Economic Group, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, Patrick Anderson, The Trade Expansion Act. Automotive Press Association, Trump 2.0, X @KenAutoinformed
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Trump Tax Cuts for Rich among other things Wildly Unpopular
Data for Progress said today that House Republicans currently debating budget reconciliation are planning to extend and expand President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for corporations and high-income households, which are expected to cost trillions in the coming years. To pay for this, GOP Congress members have proposed slashing health care, food assistance, education funding, and many tax credits benefiting low-income communities and shifting costs to states and families.
Together with the Student Borrower Protection Center and Groundwork Collaborative, Data for Progress conducted a survey from 31 January – 2 February measuring voter sentiment toward cuts to federal funding and tax breaks for the wealthy. The poll shows that many government programs are very popular with likely voters: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and SNAP each have support from more than 3 in 4 respondents. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, economy, fools 'n frauds, news, news analysis, people, public health, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Data for Progress, Groundwork Collaborative, House Republicans, Ken Zino, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Student Borrower Protection Center, X @KenAutoinformed
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U.S. EV Adoption to Stall in 2025
“Amid a flurry of speculation about how Trump administration policies on everything from EV incentives and tariffs on foreign imports to federal emissions and mileage standards will affect the future of EV adoption, J.D. Power has focused its attention on the data, reassessing the major trends in EV adoption for the past four years, and analyzing current government policies and manufacturer strategies to get the most accurate reading possible on consumer sentiment heading into 2025. Though many variables are still at play, which could create potential headwinds and tailwinds to EV adoption, J.D. Power is projecting that 2025 will be a reset year for EV adoption, in which total retail share will hold at 9.1% as manufacturers and consumers adjust to new market dynamics,” J.D. Power said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, news analysis, public health, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, j.d power, J.D. Power EV Index, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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NOAA – 2024 Was Earth’s Warmest Year on Record
Planet Earth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2024 was 2.32 degrees F (1.29 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This was the highest global temperature among all years in NOAA’s 1850-2024 climate record. It was 0.18 of a degree F (0.10 of a degree C) warmer than 2023, which previously was the warmest year on record. Regionally, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America (tied with 2023) had their warmest year on record. Asia and the Arctic had their second-warmest year on record.
The planet’s 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade. In 2024, global temperature exceeded the pre-industrial (1850–1900) average by 2.63 degrees F (1.46 degrees C). Other scientific organizations, including NASA, the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UK Met Office have conducted separate but similar analyses that also rank 2024 as the warmest year on record. Continue reading
Posted in environment, global warming, news, news analysis, public health, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Copernicus Climate Change Service, greenhouse gases. UK Met Office, Ken Zino, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, X @KenAutoinformed
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Cox Automotive Alters January Forecast Sales Down
New-vehicle sales in January increased compared to year-ago levels, but initial results indicate that market volume likely came in slightly below the forecast, Cox Automotive** said today. The original Cox Automotive forecast* called for year-over-year growth of 5.2%, but early estimates “suggest the increase was closer to 4%.” Some automakers posted record January volume and others saw declines from January 2024 levels.
“Our market continues to be one of diverging stories,” said Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke. “While the macro view is one of growth, ‘actual experience may vary.’ January is typically a low-volume sales month, and there were no shortages of sales challenges last month – from extreme cold over much of the market to major fire disruptions in Southern California. Consumer confidence also declined more than expected in January and was lower than in January 2024, the first yearly decline since September. All factors considered, the positive sales performance in January was a good sign for the market,” Smoke said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis, sales, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cox Automotive Forecast: January U.S. Auto Sales, Jonathan Smoke, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency Executive Order
“This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,” President Trump said yesterday “it is hereby ordered (read AutoInformed.com on: New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump) Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, economy, milestones, news, news analysis, people, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Department Of Government Efficiency executive order, Donald J. Trump, Ken Zino, Trump scorecard, X @KenAutoinformed
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New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) said today that it is introducing a new “Efficiency Gap” metric that provides insights into federal government performance through citizen experience data.
“The timing is particularly relevant as the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) prepares to tackle federal cost-cutting initiatives. The ACSI Efficiency Gap metric reveals significant variations across federal departments, with some performing up to 13% above the federal average while others lag by as much as 9% below – insights that could prove valuable for targeted reform efforts,” ACSI® said. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, milestones, news, news analysis, people, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged ACSI Federal Government Study 2024, American Customer Satisfaction Index, autoinformed.com, citizen satisfaction with federal services, Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, Forrest Morgeson, Ken Zino, Trump administration promises, Trump Truth Tests, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW Manufacturing is Largest US Auto Exporter Again
Forget Trump’s wrong assertion that trade is a zero-sum game and failed trade war, BMW Manufacturing led the US in automotive exports by value for the eighth consecutive year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. During 2021, BMW Plant Spartanburg exported 257,876 BMWs with a total export value of more than $10.1 billion. Continue reading
New York Auto Show Claims It Will Happen
The show’s fate of course will be determined by public health departments at the city, state and federal levels. At the moment there is no known vaccine for preventive or ameliorative use against COVID-19. Continue reading
Chattanooga Choo Choo – 100,000 VW Atlas SUVs Made
Volkswagen Chattanooga has achieved a production milestone with the completion of the 100,000th Volkswagen Atlas. This comes as President Trump is – for the moment with his short attention span – targeting very profitable European automakers – such as VW Group Members Audi and Porsche for punitive import tariffs. Continue reading
EV Satisfaction Improves But Trump Chaos Looms
“The elimination of EV tax incentives and public charging funding has the potential to affect two critical barriers to EV adoption: public charging availability and vehicle prices,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. “This temporary slowdown in market share growth for EVs creates a unique challenge for the industry as manufacturers forge ahead with new vehicle introductions. The EV market will be faced with expanded product offerings and flat share, creating increased competition.” Continue reading →