This year’s  JD Power  Automotive Forum, which preceded the  New York International Auto Show  last week, was once again an opportunity to catch up on the retail side of the business (which is always educational for me) as well as emerging industry trends. The up-front global economic outlook and U.S. automotive outlook set the stage, with the expected array of less-than-encouraging numbers: labor market challenges, the retail sales shift from discretionary to essential goods

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/f7FTjwMgkUc?si=YKvp7RcK4uGgRMKU AMG Gets an SUV Mercedes‑AMG is preparing its first standalone SUV, expanding the GT family beyond the SL and GT coupes with a fully electric performance flagship aimed squarely at the Porsche Cayenne Electric and BMW’s upcoming iX5. Riding on the new AMG.EA platform rather than a repurposed Mercedes architecture, the GT SUV is expected to use Yasa axial‑flux motors in a high‑output multi‑motor configuratio

image: Ford Ford’s latest press release on the Universal EV Platform (UEVP) shows plenty of clever ideas, although nothing that sounds truly groundbreaking. Although some outlets thought Ford might actually show the upcoming midsize electric pickup, what we got today instead was a behind-the-scenes look at the product development process, a/k/a the “ skunkworks .” Noteworthy highlights include: Ford claims aerodynamic performance that’s 15% better than the best available tod

Image: Microsoft CoPilot Could Detroit bring affordable sedans back to America? I had a fascinating chat with the Wall Street Journal's Chris Otts about this (see his article here ), and thought it sounded like a good time to look into how GM, Ford, and Stellantis might go about getting back into the car market... GM actually still sells both compact and midsize sedans in China. The compact Chevy Monza is based on a low-cost variant of GM's D2 platform, so they might be able

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/rGmkUVkeo4g Nissan’s Body-on-Frame Play Nissan has confirmed that its upcoming body‑on‑frame strategy will extend beyond the revived Xterra to include a next‑generation Frontier, an Infiniti off‑road variant, and new versions of the Pathfinder and QX60, signaling a broad investment in rugged architectures. AutoPerspectives is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscri

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/uwlOUMrMXu0 Kia Goes Small The KIA EV2 is a compact electric vehicle that builds on the platform and design cues of the larger EV3, offering a smaller footprint than the outgoing Soul EV and launching in Europe at under €30,000. Notable features include flush doorhandles, a rising beltline, up to 19-inch wheels, and low-mounted taillamps for easier rear access. Powered by the front-wheel-drive EGMP-derived platform, it offers battery opti

Surprise! I was interviewed for a podcast yesterday and asked if I had ever been surprised in the 25 years I spent in the competitor intelligence space. The best example that came to mind was the DaimlerChrysler merge r  , which I heard announced on the radio while driving into work — shortly before I was supposed to give a presentation to several hundred people on Chrysler’s potential future.  Today’s announcement  about Ford and Renault was definitely a surprise. Sure, Ford

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/Kuw0j88JyzE TOYOTA’S NEW BZ7 FLAGSHIP Originally shown as a concept in Shanghai, Toyota’s electric...

Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/dJ2BswO1110?si=-_tAUQUdPPqc359f Although I wasn't fortunate enough to attend Monterey Car Week...

image: Ford To get the obvious spoiler alert out of the way: Ford did not show what their new Model T-inspired affordable EV will look...

Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/CJ4spfRIFo8 Ford's Electrified Bronco Ford's resurrection of the iconic Bronco nameplate...

Ford Bronco New Energy (photo: Ford) Frankly, I don't think anyone saw this coming.  At first glance, it looks like a Bronco Sport, but...