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  • G. David Felt
    G. David Felt

    Will Competition Destroy Tesla?

      It is hard to judge a company by one month of auto sales let alone two months, but when you have 3 months or more in a market that had no competition and now does, dropping near the bottom in sales should make any CEO question what needs to be done to improve sales. Norway with 60.4% of new auto sales being EV is becoming a struggle for Tesla and Ford is the latest to show them up!

    Norway has been in the news lately and not just a little but across a wide range of news organizations. Norway has been very embracing of the move to EVs supporting just about every version that has come out from small EVs that would remind one of a Golf cart and illegal on the roads in the US to the luxury level of Tesla with the X and S auto's.

    Snag_6d5e1a38.png

    Norway has even been leading the world in the change over of their countries taxi fleet to EVs. One benefit to the taxi owner is the ability to write off half of the auto cost in the first year and the rest in the second year as long as the taxi travels over 100,000 kilometers per year. This allows private taxi drivers to purchase their own luxury ride to use as their work tool every day.

    Snag_6d5a8385.png

    Snag_6d5b7cd9.png

    Tesla was the first to build out a very extensive network of charging infrastructure to support their auto's allowing owners to drive their EVs in any type of weather even very cold snowy winter.

    Snag_6d57bbe9.png

    As anyone in sales would know and to help everyone else understand, single month sales, and quarterly sales sales cannot always clearly show a trend about the success of a company. Even bi-yearly sales numbers while getting close to be considered a trend by some is not enough to state that a company has been a long term success.

    Tesla ever since they started to sell auto's in Norway back in 2009 with just 13 sold has pretty much had a captured market to themselves especially since Norway has been trying various ways to push a clean green agenda going back into the 1990's. Tesla sales spiked in 2019 at 18,798 EVs sold before plummeting as VW introduced the much more affordable ID.4 and other luxury makers such as Audi with their e-tron came on the market in 2020.

    image.png

    As per the jalopnik story, Tesla did not sell many auto's in association with other auto choices till recently making the sample size very small in auto markets around the world. Norway then becomes an even more important picture on EV sales as a country that was in many ways the first to embrace EVs, will be the first to phase out all new ICE auto sales starting January 1st 2025. Currently contrast Diesel auto's that sold in 2011 with a 75.7% market share to only 8.6% market share in 2020.  A market where there are more EV options at various price points than any other market has transformed their auto market.

    Lately, Tesla sales have not been that great and Ford Motor Company is off to a hot start with their Mustang Mach-e. Yes one can contribute this to the Ford EV being a new model but keep in mind that a year ago new auto sales had BEVs make up 43.1% of sales, this year, BEVs are averaging 60.4% of new auto sales with Ford having sold 1,384 Mach-e in May for a 10% share of Norways auto market. Toyota RAV4 hybrid is in second place and Skoda's electric Enyaq is in third. Currently in the top ten EVs sold in Norway, Tesla is coming in at 6th place.

    Let's let the monthly numbers speak for what is being sold in Norway:

    May 2021 top 10 best-selling auto's in Norway.

    image.png

    April 2021 top 10 best-selling auto's in Norway.

    image.png

    March 2021 top 10 best-selling auto's in Norway.

    image.png

    We then have no numbers, but a list was produced of the top 10 auto sales and unlike March, Tesla was in 8th place for auto sales in February:

    image.png

    The clear observation is that Tesla is NOT the dominant auto company in Norway and a concern for the CEO and company one would think. Clearly now that real competition is showing up, Tesla is going to have to address concerns about fit n finish, service, warranty issues, etc.

    In 2019 Tesla dominated the market for BEVs:

    image.png

    Per Norways largest news covering the auto industry, December pretty much saved the year, but even then shows some very interesting changes from 2019.

    image.png

    This on top of the full 2020 year showing that Tesla is only #6 in auto sales in Norway.

    image.png

    At this point, Tesla needs to deliver on a low end solution of BEVs for Norway and the world if they are to remain competitive and survive it would seem. This would be the time for a Model 2 and even maybe 1 to come out of Tesla giving low end solutions for auto buyers that currently cannot afford higher priced auto's.

    Ford Is Beating Tesla In One Of The Most EV-Saturated Markets In The World (jalopnik.com)

    • Norway: Tesla car sales 2009-2020 | Statista

    Ford's electric Mustang tops Norway car sales in May | Reuters

    Ford's electric Mustang tops Norway car sales in May | Nasdaq

    Historic December saved car sales | Dn

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    23 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

    That doesn’t change his core point. I personally think it’s more of a joke to have a luxury car maker like Mercedes delaying their seven figure hypercar repeatedly over the last three years. 

    Yes, but they're also not trying to make due with a modified F1 engine(for whatever reason they feel the need to do this). 

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    27 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    Yes, but they're also not trying to make due with a modified F1 engine(for whatever reason they feel the need to do this). 

    That does not change my point at all regarding the “best or nothing”. 

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    1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

    That does not change my point at all regarding the “best or nothing”. 

    I'm not trying to change your point, just mentioning a publicized reason in which Mercedes is taking so long to complete their super car. 

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    Seems the Truth is finally coming out and the fact that Tesla will be very late to the Truck segment.

    According to this writeup, seems Musk is saying that to build the Cyber truck now in Texas it would have a purchase price of $1,000,000 million dollars plus.

    $1,000,000 MILLION DOLLARS PLUS

    The cost of Stainless steel, the required 4680 battery cells, bullet/smash proof glass, the ability to tow and haul as he has stated, the over all cost would still make it a million dollar truck. As such, I suspect what will end up being the real CyberTruck if they stay with the name and design, will not have all the stuff they built it with.

    Musk Says Cybertruck Would Cost $1-Million A Piece If Built Now (insideevs.com)

    Also it is interesting that this story says the Cyber Truck now has over 1 million reservations and yet while Musk has implied they have 7 figures of reservations, there is no real facts on this.

    My gut tells me that Ford, GM and Rivian are going to eat Tesla lunch!

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    Seems while Rivian due to supply issues of parts had to delay delivery of R1T till September, has moved forward with a local buyers event to allow people who have an R1T on order to test drive the R1T at this local event.

     

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    2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

    I'm sure there are more than a few rich Tesla fanboys that would buy a $1m Cybertruck.   Tesla fandom is a cult, Elon can do no wrong in their eyes. 

    And I'm sure all ten of them will very happy. I still maintain that the Cybertruck was never meant to be a $40K "pickup". It is a huge paid advertising gimmick from a company that does not use traditional advertising avenues. Just my opinion.

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    24 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

    And I'm sure all ten of them will very happy. I still maintain that the Cybertruck was never meant to be a $40K "pickup". It is a huge paid advertising gimmick from a company that does not use traditional advertising avenues. Just my opinion.

    I agree.  Tesla and Rivian and all the EV automakers had better either build a 30K vehicle or get their lunch eaten by FORD and perhaps Toyota.

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    12 hours ago, surreal1272 said:

    And I'm sure all ten of them will very happy. I still maintain that the Cybertruck was never meant to be a $40K "pickup". It is a huge paid advertising gimmick from a company that does not use traditional advertising avenues. Just my opinion.

    I certainly agree AAAAAND it worked out very well. It only added to the Tesla hype. 

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    Another UGLY reason to AVOID Tesla! Clearly Musk and the Management team has no Honor as they delay to next quarter and for some into next year that placed their orders early, paid their deposit and just cause now the Tesla S starts $10K higher, they are shipping to the newer reservation holders who are willing to pay the $10K more over early reservation holders who are not having to pay it.

    Tesla apologizes for new Model S delays, but some worrying things are going on - Electrek

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    Interesting TESLA News this week: 

    This is a positive for Tesla - Only 10% battery loss after 200,000 miles and only another .5% loss at 400,000 miles per real world use by Tesla Owners. 

    https://electrek.co/2021/08/12/tesla-claims-battery-packs-lose-only-capacity-200000-miles/

    Elon Musk is staying they are in EXTREME Supply Chain Limitations due to Renesas and Bosch having supply problems and this is hurting them as they have to also make time to rewrite the firmware to adapt to the new hardware as they bring on additional suppliers. Seems Tesla is not able to move to additional suppliers easily due to hard coding requirements. This would imply that as a small auto company, they have yet to understand how to scale efficiently. 

    Elon Musk puts Renesas and Bosch on blast for Tesla's 'extreme supply chain limitations' - Electrek

    Seems Tesla is pushing out regular customers to January 2022 now as they focuse on Long range and Performance models for Tesla 3. Long range can be built and delivered by November 2021 and Performance models their most expensive can be built and delivered in 3 to 4 weeks.

    Clearly Musk is focusing on Rich people and could care less about the rest of us as long as we buy Tesla marketing stuff and over priced stock, etc. to keep him going with his space program. Who cares about the average people who actually make up the bulk of the population.

    Tesla pushes new Model 3 Standard Range Plus orders to 2022 - Electrek

    This tends to enforce why I think Ford/GM/Rivian can eat Tesla fast over the next 24 months as they ramp up production.

     

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    The highest mileage Tesla out there, a 2014 Model S, reached 745K miles in Oct of '20, but the owner replaced the motors 4 times and the battery packs 3 times by Nov '19.
    I wonder how much different a '21 Tesla is in this regard...

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    8 hours ago, ccap41 said:

    10.5% battery loss at 400,000 miles seems phenomenal if you ask me. 

    I think this is no different than an engine that looses compression and the transmission loosing torque.

    It will be interesting as data becomes available to compare how electric motors compare to ICE in regards to what they loose in HP/Torque as we know ICE looses MPG as the engine wears, so some battery loss is normal and I honestly do not think 10.5% over 400,000 miles is that big of a deal. Newer batteries are getting even better so just as ICE has improved MPG, I expect newer batteries to do the same with electric motors.

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    Induction motors do not lose torque. 

    The magnetic field never stops giving magnetic vibes as long as that rotor turns around the stator.  There is never a drop in magnetic power as long as rotor rotates inside the stator the way it was intended to...

    The shaft that allows the rotor to rotate around the stator might give eventually, might get misaligned, get imbalanced that will eventually fail the bearings...but as long as the rotor is rotating, there will be constant electricity flowing producing constant torque never missing a beat. 

    Electric motors are known to continuously work non-stop for thousands upon thousands of hours...

    Of course there is wear and tear.  Anything mechanical has wear and tear and will eventually give out.  But an electric motor, as long as the shaft and bearings are aligned and rotate as they should, an electric motor should always produce the same constant power and torque throughout its lifetime. 

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    16 hours ago, riviera74 said:

    Is GM's Ultium using AC induction or DC?

    That is a Million Dollar question as GM has not stated which type their motors are. You can look at their EV site or any press release and that is one thing no one seems to have asked.

    Committing to an All-Electric Future | General Motors (gm.com)

    GM Reveals New Ultium Batteries and a Flexible Global Platform to Rapidly Grow its EV Portfolio

    Even in the very detailed release of the Cadillac Lyriq they do not state if the motors are AC or DC.

    2023 Cadillac LYRIQ Debuts, Heralding an All-Electric Future (gm.com)

    Very weird as I would have thought an automag site would have asked that tech question and I have not found an answer yet.

    Do not be surprised if they are DC motors due to being cheaper to repair and DC seems to wear out faster than AC.

    UPDATE:

    So I found this story on when the Bolt was coming out.

    The technology behind the soon-to-arrive Chevrolet Bolt EV - Electronic Products

    QUOTE: The Bolt uses a permanent-magnet synchronous motor built in South Korea by Chevy partner LG-e. The high-efficiency motor is a GM design that provides 200 hp/150 kW. Peak motor efficiency is 97%.

    And SAE confirms that it is an AC Motor system: Electric Motor Design of General Motors’ Chevrolet Bolt Electric Vehicle (sae.org)

    This current story seems to imply that the whole Ultium Powertrain platform is AC as both the Hybrid Corvette and BEV Corvette will use AC motors as will the rest of the GM family of Hybrids / BEVs.

    Electrified Corvette (sae.org)

    QUOTE the Corvette story:

    To further exploit its vaunted Corvette nameplate, GM appears ready to bless a new family of battery-electric SUVs with the sportscar’s badge and design cues. Bloomberg recently reported that GM’s Project R will bring just such a product to market after 2025. At a CES 2021 presentation, GM design VP Mike Simcoe confirmed that the company’s coming Ultium battery pack “enables a wide range of models, especially for a broad brand like Chevrolet.

    The Ultium platform will allow Chevrolet to further expand its range of electric vehicles to full-size pickups, compact SUVs and even high-performance vehicles.” Traditionalists may lament this extension of the hallowed nameplate to vehicles with too many seats, but there’s no surer way to guarantee life for the Corvette after the last drop of petroleum has been consumed.

    Newest review: 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric Performance and MPG | CarIndigo.com

    They clearly state AC Motors confirmed via GM.

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    Was not aware of this till I read this story, but it seems at the end of 2019, Tesla changed from their $1,000 deposit on auto orders/reservations which was fully refundable if you decided to cancel to a $100 non-refundable deposit with a 7 day less than 1,000 miles returnable policy if you did not like the auto.

    At the end of 2020, Tesla gave up on it's no questions asked return policy but kept in place that if you place an order and cancel it before taking delivery, you still loose your $100 deposit.

    Now Tesla has more than doubled it as a non-returnable deposit is now $250.00 for any vehicle you order.

    Tesla more than doubles its non-refundable order fee - Electrek

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    17 hours ago, David said:

    Was not aware of this till I read this story, but it seems at the end of 2019, Tesla changed from their $1,000 deposit on auto orders/reservations which was fully refundable if you decided to cancel to a $100 non-refundable deposit with a 7 day less than 1,000 miles returnable policy if you did not like the auto.

    At the end of 2020, Tesla gave up on it's no questions asked return policy but kept in place that if you place an order and cancel it before taking delivery, you still loose your $100 deposit.

    Now Tesla has more than doubled it as a non-returnable deposit is now $250.00 for any vehicle you order.

    Tesla more than doubles its non-refundable order fee - Electrek

    Sounds like Tesla is acting more like a regular auto dealer.

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    On 8/9/2021 at 8:46 PM, riviera74 said:

    I agree.  Tesla and Rivian and all the EV automakers had better either build a 30K vehicle or get their lunch eaten by FORD and perhaps Toyota.

    But the other brands aren’t building an affordable EV either.  The Mach-E starts in the $40s, Toyota is missing in action, the VW iD4 starts in the $40s and is comparable to  RAV4 or CRV per their own advertising but the iD4 costs $15k more.  People will pay big money for a Tesla.  Mercedes or BMW could sell $60k EV’s all day long because their is what their customers are used to paying.  Ford customers aren’t used to paying $50k for a small SUV.

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    On 8/17/2021 at 1:50 PM, David said:

     

    To further exploit its vaunted Corvette nameplate, GM appears ready to bless a new family of battery-electric SUVs with the sportscar’s badge and design cues. Bloomberg recently reported that GM’s Project R will bring just such a product to market after 2025. At a CES 2021 presentation, GM design VP Mike Simcoe confirmed that the company’s coming Ultium battery pack “enables a wide range of models, especially for a broad brand like Chevrolet.

    The Ultium platform will allow Chevrolet to further expand its range of electric vehicles to full-size pickups, compact SUVs and even high-performance vehicles.” Traditionalists may lament this extension of the hallowed nameplate to vehicles with too many seats, but there’s no surer way to guarantee life for the Corvette after the last drop of petroleum has been 

    I hope any electric Corvette has 2 doors and 2 seats.  Or at least 2 doors and if they do a 2+2 configuration like the 911 or 2022 Mercedes SL that would be fine since without an engine you open up some space.  But no on family of Corvette SUVs, that would be awful.

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    10 hours ago, smk4565 said:

    Ford customers aren’t used to paying $50k for a small SUV

    Ford reported a 70% conquest rate on the Mach-E; these aren’t ‘Ford customers’. Just like before the Model 3 came out, there weren’t any Model 3 customers.

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    10 hours ago, smk4565 said:

    But the other brands aren’t building an affordable EV either.  The Mach-E starts in the $40s, Toyota is missing in action, the VW iD4 starts in the $40s and is comparable to  RAV4 or CRV per their own advertising but the iD4 costs $15k more.  People will pay big money for a Tesla.  Mercedes or BMW could sell $60k EV’s all day long because their is what their customers are used to paying.  Ford customers aren’t used to paying $50k for a small SUV.

    Mercedes has failed to capture any market share in the BEV market yet.

    10 hours ago, smk4565 said:

    I hope any electric Corvette has 2 doors and 2 seats.  Or at least 2 doors and if they do a 2+2 configuration like the 911 or 2022 Mercedes SL that would be fine since without an engine you open up some space.  But no on family of Corvette SUVs, that would be awful.

    Why not have Performance SUV/CUVs!

    Porsche is alive due to SUV/CUVs, Mercedes has done both regular and AMG whored out SUV/CUVs even in the G-wagon. So why not have a Corvette SUV.

    24 minutes ago, balthazar said:

    Ford reported a 70% conquest rate on the Mach-E; these aren’t ‘Ford customers’. Just like before the Model 3 came out, there weren’t any Model 3 customers.

    This plus 1,000,000 up votes as Ford is taking away BEV sales from everyone with the Mach-e!

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    GM has plenty of SUVs and CUVs.  No need to convert a Corvette into a CUV.  Now, if you want a Cadillac CUV that will crush what Tesla is offering, GM should do that instead of using the Corvette name to sell a CUV.

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    1 hour ago, balthazar said:

    Porsche ADDED SUVs, it didn't convert the 911 into one.
    Corvette = forever a 2-seater.

    Yes, they added, which I did not clarify.

    43 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

    GM has plenty of SUVs and CUVs.  No need to convert a Corvette into a CUV.  Now, if you want a Cadillac CUV that will crush what Tesla is offering, GM should do that instead of using the Corvette name to sell a CUV.

    I agree that Cadillac should have  V version of CUV/SUV.

    I also see no reason to not add a Corvette CUV/SUV if the market shows interest. I honestly do not see a need for an SS version if you offer a Corvette or Camaro CUV/SUV to the portfolio. Yet GM has put SS on everything in the past even auto's that really should never have been called an SS. 

    Will be interesting to see what GM does for the Performance side of selling BEVs.

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    This is a game changer and will help Tesla survive. Going from 370 parts to 3 pieces that are connected to give you the under pinning of the auto not only reduces weight, but increases stiffness.

    Snag_509ded24.png

    Tesla is using the IDRA to make a front, back and battery container. As such, you have just 3 modules to connect and seal compared to the existing 370 pieces.

    More details here: Tesla's Giga Press Die Castings for Model 3 Eliminate 370 Parts (designnews.com)

     

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    Did they figger out a way to eliminate the wood lathe as structural elements, or is that ‘gamechanger’ still in the examination phase??

    Edited by balthazar
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    42 minutes ago, balthazar said:

    Did they figger out a way to eliminate the wood lathe as structural elements, or is that ‘gamechanger’ still in the examination phase??

    Are you talking about the wood shims from Home Depot to hold the heat pump in place? If so I have no idea. Hopefully there is no wood shims in the core frame of the auto with these 3 parts now. Seems 2022 models will get this new structure, but current built Tesla will have the 370 pieces, though I honestly could be wrong as they might have switched over already, but Musk has not stated when they are actually removing the 300 robots as they simplify the assembly of the auto's.

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    7 hours ago, David said:

    Mercedes has failed to capture any market share in the BEV market yet.

    Why not have Performance SUV/CUVs!

    Porsche is alive due to SUV/CUVs, Mercedes has done both regular and AMG whored out SUV/CUVs even in the G-wagon. So why not have a Corvette SUV.

    This plus 1,000,000 up votes as Ford is taking away BEV sales from everyone with the Mach-e!

    Because Corvette is not a brand.  If they are going to make a Corvette brand, then it should have a stand alone dealership like Cadillac, and no longer be at Chevrolet dealers.  If they want to make Corvette the 5th GM brand, and supply it with a full line, 2 coupes, a sedan, 2 SUVs, and perhaps more like Porsche has, then that is another story.  Also would be a dumb move to dump billions into making a new brand, rather than giving Cadillac these performance models, but GM likes to do dumb things.

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    I'm sure, somewhere out there, someone is hoping & praying that mercedes doesn't revert to it's roots; a few vastly-underpowered, spartan & outdated sedans, and a 4-banger convertible 'sports car', with black rubber steering wheels from the bus division, an exposed gas filler neck poking out the rear fascia like a mail truck, and some of the worst body hardware engineering this side of World War II. I mean... it's probably come up in the board meetings...

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    6 hours ago, ccap41 said:

    I'd be okay with a Corvette-branded SUV as long as they keep the 2-seater as well. 

     

     Knowing what SUVs have done to Porsche,  which has divided the fanbase into Porsche 911 fans and Porsche CUV fans, Id rather Corvette just stay pure Corvette.  

    I no longer feels that Corvette the brand needs to expand to become a brand on its own...  Corvette the brand is doing just fine JUST being Corvette! 

    The Corvette brand needs to expand, but I need/want it to expand  into more precise machines to better compete with Porsche and its many 911 variants and with Ferrari with their many different models,  head to head, one on one.  

    I want a  Pista/GT2RS Corvette (Z06 ?) with a Superleggera/GT3 Corvette and a LaCorvette Corvette with a  (ZR1?) that is different from a Superfast Corvette even if THAT means in bringing a front engine, RWD car back again... 

     

     

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    20 hours ago, ccap41 said:

    I'd be okay with a Corvette-branded SUV as long as they keep the 2-seater as well. 

    No

    No

    No

    No

    13 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    Corvette is already a brand of its own as they don't even put Chevrolet badges on the car. 

    It's not a solo affair but the chevy logo is inside the Vette emblem.2020-chevrolet-corvette-logo-is-both-new-and-old-134110_1.thumb.jpg.a83ec3bb4bacff543442e481c583ce9a.jpg

     

    On 8/25/2021 at 11:22 PM, smk4565 said:

    Ford customers aren’t used to paying $50k for a small SUV.

    Do you just enjoy being wrong?

    On 8/25/2021 at 11:22 PM, smk4565 said:

    But the other brands aren’t building an affordable EV either.

    The Bolt starts in the 30s.

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    14 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    Corvette is already a brand of its own as they don't even put Chevrolet badges on the car. 

    They never did put Chevrolet badges on the car. Not in 1953. Not in 2021.

    For the C1 Corvette, "Chevrolet" was on the emblem. 

    But the Corvette emblem ALWAYS had a Chevrolet Bow Tie in it.  Always on the red flag.  Sometimes partially covered. Sometimes full. In 1953 all the way to 2021.

    Corvette Logo | Symbol, History, PNG (3840*2160)

     

     

    There is a Fleur de Lys on the emblem.     I wanna know why. Do you have an answer @balthazar

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    General Motors has zero RWD-based SUV's that compete with high end sporty SUVs. In fact, GM has zero sporty SUVs across all 17 brands. 

    Correct, and Chevy had no Corvette until they made the Corvette. That's exactly how things work. 

    Edited by ccap41
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    'SUV' isn't a model; 'Corvette' is.

    And while you specified 'Corvette SUV', it seemed to be more about the vehicle classification rather than the model name associated with it.

    While I'd like to see some sporting SUV trims from Chevy, a 'Corvette SUV' is not among my wishes. Not to mention, I believe the vast majority of Cayennes are driven in exactly the same manner as Tahoes are.
    Unless there's competition events featuring Cayennes I should be aware of? 

     

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    Mustang was a model as well, until it was a brand and they made a specific model based off the name. 

    Based on that logic, why ever make a sporty SUV? I mean, "most" are just driven daily to and from work and Walmart. I'd even wager "most" Corvettes aren't driven all out every time either. Why even make the Corvette? 

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    • To clarify, CX-50 production will remain in the US but will only be for US market customers. The pause is only for Canadian market builds. Mazda is increasing US market builds to make up the difference, likely because they know that other imported models will take a sales hit from the additional taxes and Mazda can capture those with a domestically manufactured CX-50.  Mazda very specifically said in a statement that overall production volume is not expected to change.
    • The Mazda CX50 is a compact that built in the U.S. for Canada and is now paused for production and jobs as they will import them from Japan to avoid the idiotic tariffs. Then we also have Subaru, Honda and Stellantis that has all paused production of select models that are exported to Canada, Mexico or outside North America for sale that have been paused with temp layoffs due to the tariff's stupidity. 
    • Tariff Tuesday is the day where we cover how President Trump’s tariffs, if fully enacted, will impact the auto industry, increase costs, and limit consumer choice.  We started this series on April 15, Tax Day for those in the United States, because Trump’s tariffs amount to one of the largest single increases in taxes on the American People. The tariffs which, if fully implemented, will raise $1.4 trillion in revenue, an increase per household of $1,900 to $7,600 per year. Last week we discussed Buick’s Tough Spot - Killing it in China, Killed in the U.S. and one of our readers brought up an excellent point: Big Trouble in Little Crossovers The little crossover segment is one of the hottest and most competitive segments in the industry. So much so that even before tariffs, a few models were already driven from the market without replacements. The Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Nissan Rogue Sport, and Ford EcoSport were all models competing in this segment in the U.S. that just couldn’t quite make it and were canceled after a single generation, though the Jeep Renegade lives on in other markets. The commentator above is right. With few exceptions, nearly all of the little crossovers available in the US are imported.  Because there is a lot of fuzziness in the size of vehicles in this class, for this list we will generally be looking at the smallest crossovers a particular brand offers. We are also including vehicles regardless of price as the tariff impact in this size class appears to transcend price. Acura ADX - Mexico Alfa Romeo Tonale - Italy Audi Q3 - Hungary Audi Q4 eTron - Germany Audi has indicated they may move production of some models to the U.S., likely through partnership with parent company Volkswagen and their production facility in Tennessee.  Audi has paused all imports of their vehicles to the U.S. due to the tariffs and is holding vehicles already in the U.S. at ports. BMW X2 - Germany BMW X3 - United States Buick Envista - South Korea Buick Encore GX - South Korea Buick Envision - China Cadillac XT4 - United States (model canceled) Cadillac Optiq - Mexico Chevrolet Trax - South Korea Chevrolet TrailBlazer - South Korea Chevrolet Equinox - Canada Chevrolet Equinox EV - Mexico Dodge Hornet - Italy Ford Bronco Sport -Mexico Ford Maverick - Mexico Ford Escape - United States  Genesis GV60 EV - South Korea Genesis GV70 - South Korea GMC Terrain - Mexico Honda HR-V - Mexico Honda CR-V - United States Hyundai Venue  - South Korea Hyundai Kona  - South Korea Hyundai Ioniq 5 - United States as of 2025 model year to take advantage of EV Tax Credit eligibility from the Biden Inflation Reduction Act. Eligibility for the tax credit is still in limbo. Hyundai Tuscan - United States Infiniti QX50/QX55 - Mexico Infiniti has announced they have suspended all new orders of these models in the U.S. due to Trump’s tariffs. The models remain in production for other markets. Jeep Compass - Mexico. Kia Soul - South Korea Kia Seltos - South Korea Kia Niro - South Korea Kia Sportage - United States Kia EV6 (exc. GT) - United States as of 2025 model year to take advantage of EV Tax Credit eligibility from the Biden Inflation Reduction Act. Kia EV6 GT - South Korea Range Rover Evoque - United Kingdom Discovery Sport - United Kingdom Lexus UX - Japan Lexus NX - Canada Lexus RZ - Japan Lincoln Corsair - Mexico Lincoln Nautilus - China Maserati Grecale - Italy Mazda CX-30 - Mexico Mazda CX-5 - Japan Mazda CX-50 - United States The Mazda CX-50 is produced in the United States, and until the tariffs, was exported to the Canadian market. Mazda has since shuffled production and will now supply the Canadian market from Japan. Mercedes-Benz GLA - Germany Mercedes-Benz GLB - Mexico Mercedes-Benz EQB - Hungary Mercedes-Benz GLC - Germany Mini, Mitsubishi, Porsche - Austria, Japan, and Germany respectively Nissan Kicks - Mexico Nissan Rogue - United States Polestar 2 - China Polestar 3 - United States Rivian R2 - United States (not in production yet) Rivian R3/R3X - United States (not in production yet) Subaru Crosstrek - Japan and starting in 2024 United States for select trims Subaru Forrester - Japan Tesla Model-Y - United States Toyota Corolla Cross - United States Toyota RAV-4 - United States and Canada Volkswagen Taos - Mexico Volkswagen Tiguan - Mexico Volkswagen ID.4 - United States Volvo EX30 - China Volvo EX40 - Belgium Volvo XC40 - Belgium Volvo C40 - Belgium Of this list of 70-ish small crossovers, only eleven models plus some versions of a twelfth are assembled in the United States.  For the sixteen that are assembled in Canada or Mexico, they may possibly qualify for reduced or exempted tariffs if they can prove compliance with the USMCA. However, meeting the USMCA regulations is an arduous process for a product with as many components as a vehicle. A vehicle with a significant amount of components produced outside of the USMCA zone will likely fail to qualify for a tariff exemption.  For example, a vehicle assembled in Canada may lose its tariff exemption if the steel used in its construction was purchased from China or the stamping took place outside of the USMCA zone.  It’s a complex process for manufacturers to calculate, and some, such as Audi and Infiniti are simply opting to stop shipments for now. It’s likely that EVs built in Canada or Mexico that currently qualify for the tax credit from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will also qualify for a USMCA exemption. Some manufacturers are hit harder than others. Ford's recent smash hits, the Bronco Sport and Maverick truck are both built in Mexico and represent a significant portion of Ford's recent sales. Dodge, already struggling to move the Hornet crossover, will face significant price increases as it is not able to be exempted from tariffs via the USMCA. Toyota will gain an unusual prices advantage here with the RAV-4 and Corolla Cross being built in the United States, but can also afford to not discount prices much as demand will be higher. All of the burden of Trump's tariffs trickles down to the consumer eventually. Consumers will either pay higher taxes on imported vehicles, pay higher prices for manufacturers to comply with the USMCA, or lose choices and supply with lost model availability driving up the costs of the remaining options on the market. For one of the most competitive segments of the auto industry, this signals a time of turmoil with consumers taking the brunt of it. View full article
    • I don't look at number built as the ultimate metric, how interesting of a car are you building. Some one of one MOPAR muscle cars are fantastic, Toyota built nine billion nine hundred ninety nine trillion Corollas and they are universally boring cars. Cadillac is building interesting Iron.
    • They do look substantially better, yes, I will agree with that.
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