Making Sense Of Crazy Car Sales

Issue #195

Today, we discuss the chaotic sales reports coming from automakers. One vehicle class is surging. Does this mean we’re back in the 90s?

Or, you can continue to read by scrolling down.

Market News

• GM’s V8 is the source of plenty of conflict, as explained here, and it now could come from Canada. Here’s more. 

• Elon Musk just got the most deceiving, confusing, and downright shady compensation package. Here’s why. 

• Read this article to learn more about why Formula 1 will go back to V8. Well, duh. 

• Nissan is scrapping its $500 million US EV plan. Here’s what’s next. 

• A turbo RAV4? It could be a reality but, as this article explains, it depends on the market.

Safety and Recalls

• Ford recalls the Ranger twice in just days, and the Bronco gets hit with recall sharpnel, as well. Here’s more. 

• The least-recalled brand in the US isn’t a bestseller, but it beats Mazda and Subaru in fewer recalls per year.

Car Culture

• One Chevy dealer pulled off a heist, selling a Corvette for more than $162,000 over MSRP. Here’s how the dealer did it. 

• This is a Ford T5 for sale. If you don’t know what a T5 is, get ready for a fascinating history lesson. 

• How about a rubber clutch? If it sounds bad, then you should avoid these classic Porsches, which had a rubber-centered clutch. 

• After 91 miles, this Jeep SUV lost nearly half its value. Don’t you love a good investment?

• Do you want a 10-second car, Toretto-style? Now you can buy this one with no modifications for under $25K.

Video Of The Week

It seems everyone is doing cheap car challenges now. Here’s Cleetus with a cheap racecar challenge.

In The Know

Making Sense Of Car Sale Chaos

​If Mazda executives could turn back time, they’d aim for 2023 or 2024. Back then, they had good sales, double-digit growth, and their brand was consolidating itself as a true contender for the Japanese automaker crown. 

Meanwhile, in 2026, the story is completely different. There’s no other way of putting it: Mazda is having a rough year, as this article explains. 

Tariffs impacted a trio of formerly good sellers, the CX-30, CX-70, and CX-90, which saw more than 40% drop in sales. Since the automaker had relied so much on these vehicles in the past, their overall numbers are in the red. The company saw sales drop by 17.3% year-to-year.

It’s not all bad. They have some bestsellers, like the CX-50, built in America, the Miata (which rarely gives up), and surprisingly, the Mazda 3 hatchback, which I personally love, so that’s great news. Here’s why it’s such a good car.

The reality is that many manufacturers are struggling, especially when comparing year-to-year sales performance. That’s because this time last year, people were rushing to buy cars before the tariffs took effect, as this article recalls.

Though few companies took the kind of big hit that Mazda did, they’re still navigating challenging times. Hyundai and Kia both saw sales drop by 2% and 3%, respectively.

It might not seem as much, but it shows how volatile 2025 was, and how companies are still trying to navigate the back-and-forth that came with tariffs.

In fact, if you analyze Honda’s performance (a sales increase of 1.6%), you’d say it’s done well, given the circumstances. However, the story is much more interesting.

Honda’s smaller vehicles, such as the Civic and the CR-V, led the charge. The Accord also saw an impressive 27.5% spike in sales, and you can read more about sales here.  

So, where’s the catch? Well, Acura. Luxury brands are struggling simply because everything is too expensive. Evidence of this is that Acura dropped by 15.6%, and Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, dropped by 19.9%.

American brands aren’t faring much better. Ford struggled to move its bestselling truck, the F-150, as explained here.  

Overall, the company saw a 14% drop in sales. In fact, one vehicle that’s helping Ford survive is the Mustang.

While this isn’t the cheapest car in the market, people still love it, and it’s an affordable sports car that you can’t find anywhere else. (Which is why Chevrolet should rush to release the Camaro). You can read more about why the Mustang saw a 40% boost in sales here.

By the way, seeing that Honda, Toyota, and Mazda are benefitting from car sales, it makes sense that Ford revives a sedan, but that’s just me (and most automotive media sites).

​The overall image is that sales aren’t doing great. The combination of excessive pricing, rising gas prices, and expensive loans means people aren’t buying as many cars as they did last year.

However, there’s one that is selling. The sedan, who would’ve guessed?