A new Xiaomi YU7 Max’s brakes caught fire on track, reaching over 600°C under heavy use.
The brand says organic materials in the pads ignited, but braking function remained intact.
The SUV reportedly wasn’t using regenerative braking, increasing strain on friction brakes.
Things are looking pretty bright for Xiaomi these days, but even a hot streak hits a bump now and then. Fresh off an impressive Nürburgring showing by the SU7and a hefty 289,000 pre-orders for its upcoming SUV, the YU7, the company now finds itself doing a little damage control.
This time, it’s about a different kind of heat; specifically, the kind coming off the YU7 Max’s brakes during a track test for the media that raised a few eyebrows. Here’s a quick look at what happened and how Xiaomi is responding.
Last Friday, a video of a YU7 Max in a race track pit lane with brakes on fire surfaced. That’s not a great situation since this is the brand’s high-end super SUV that makes 682 horsepower (691 kW) and 639 lb-ft (866 Nm) of torque from a dual-motor setup. Naturally, this provides plenty of oomph, but it must be accompanied by great brakes, because inevitably you also need to slow down or come to a halt at some point, right?
In the video, we see technicians standing inches away from the open flame on a caliper as one measures the temperature. According to the device he’s using, the brake pads were sitting at 619 degrees Celsius. That’s 1,146 degrees Fahrenheit, or just 50 or so degrees shy of where aluminum begins to melt.
Notably, these flames aren’t the same type that we’ve seen in the past from supercars sporting carbon ceramic setups. Instead, Xiaomi’s statement toCarNewsChinaclarifies that these brakes caught on fire due to organic materials in the low-metallic pads.
Evidently, this is totally normal when the brakes exceed 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 F) and supposedly, it’s no big deal here because they continued to function properly.
In addition, it’s worth noting that Xiaomi says the car in question wasn’t using its regenerative brakes properly. The YU7 Max has a ‘Master Mode’ with ‘Enhanced Energy Recovery.’ When using that system, the friction brakes don’t have to do as much work since the regen can provide up to 0.2G of braking force.
Instead, it seems that this YU7 was relying solely on the friction brakes. Given that it weighs some 2.3 tons, it’s no wonder the brakes were pushed to their outer limits.
Interestingly, this situation seems separate from the major brake failure seen on other Xiaomi cars. In cases from late last year, two different SU7 sedans had major crashes when their brakes failed completely. Those instances appear related to brake components not intended for track use at all. In contrast, the pads and rotors on the YU7 in this new video are up to the task.
Tesla’s Robotaxis are part of a program that modifies Model Ys for safety.
The initial fleet uses only these modified crossovers that have extra features.
That’s despite Musk claiming they are identical to the EVs the public can buy.
Tesla has officially entered the deep waters of robotaxi service but is doing so in its own, distinctive way. The service is very limited as of this writing; it comes with a silent Tesla employee in every front passenger seat and consists of Model Ys that were secretly modified. It’s not exactly what you might think at first, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Elon Musk has several times mentioned that the Model Ys in Robotaxi service are the same ones that everyday folks can buy. According to a new report, that’s not exactly true, and before anyone asks, no, it doesn’t appear that the Robotaxis have a brake built into the front passenger handle. What they do have is another set of safety measures, though.
According to Business Insider, Tesla has a program called Halo that modifies these cars. Every autonomous car gets self-cleaning cameras and additional protection for the cameras to keep them from getting damaged. In addition, they have not one but two telecommunications units built into the car, each providing detailed GPS data and allows Tesla’s remote operators to control the car if needed. That said, it’s worth noting that these modifications aren’t all that odd.
Tesla’s system relies so heavily on camera clarity that keeping lenses safe, clean, and in perfect working order is paramount. In addition, the standard Model Y already comes with a telecommunications unit, so in this case, Tesla is simply doubling up, likely to increase redundancy should one become non-operational.
That's a wrap! In the last 36 hours, I've taken a total of 20 @Tesla Robotaxi rides and traveled 92 miles. No interventions, no critical safety issues. All my rides were smooth and comfortable.
Thank you, Tesla, for letting me be a part of this experience—and congrats to the… pic.twitter.com/VNpSUVMuz6
It’ll be interesting to see how the court of public opinion rules out on this one. Will it praise Musk for adding safety measures to the robotaxi program, or will it chastise him for not being 100 percent accurate when he said these cars were identical to the ones that the general public can buy?
Optics aside, does it really matter? What does is that people who take a ride in a Tesla Robotaxi can breathe a little easier knowing that the cars come with extra safety equipment built into them. And we wouldn’t be surprised if, at some point in the not-so-distant future, those features make it into Model Ys that we can actually purchase.
👀What an interesting interaction. A Waymo ended up in the wrong lane, and a Tesla Robotaxi handled it like a pro.
A Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype just lapped the Nurburgring in 6:22.091.
That’s almost 24 full seconds faster than the previous record it set in 2024.
It’s officially the third fastest prototype to ever lap the famous race track.
Xiaomi clearly isn’t content with simply being one of the fastest cars to ever lap the Nurburgring. It just went and made that record even faster. Less than a year after securing a top-five finish for its prototype and taking the number one spot for production electric cars, the company returned for another round. This time, not only did the team succeed, but they shaved nearly 24 seconds off their previous time at the hands of driver David Pittard.
For reference, that record was 6:46.87 for the SU7 Ultra prototype. If you’re scratching your head a bit, don’t worry; it’s not just you. Xiaomi has been setting separate record times for both the prototype SU7 and the production version of the same car, which can certainly make things a little tricky to follow.
The production car arguably has an even more impressive record, despite going slower (7:04.957) because it’s the sole leader in the production EV category. To achieve that, it beat the Porsche Taycan and none other than the Rimac Nevera. Yes, the bonkers hypercar was slower than this four-door Chinese sedan. All of that said, this new prototype record is no joke.
The New Record: 6:22.091
The not-for-sale stripped-down SU7 Ultra managed a 6:22.091 lap. That usurps the Lotus Evija X prototype that did it in 6:24.04. Now, the SU7 Ultra sits in third place, and that’ll likely be where it stays. Bumping the second-place finisher, the VW ID.R down would mean going faster than 6:05.33. First place is out of reach for just about everyone. That’s the record set by Timo Bernhard of 5:19:546.
Special Editions: Track Package and Nurburgring Edition
Still, Xiaomi’s performance here is deserving of praise, provided everything is above board. That said, the brand is celebrating the new record with two new special editions. The first, simply called the Track Package, will cost 100,000 yuan (approximately US$13,950 at current exchange rates). It adds a track-grade high-power battery pack, upgraded cooling, optimized brakes, Nurburgring-tuned suspension components, and a top speed of 217 mph (350 km/h).
An even more exclusive version is on the way, dubbed the Nürburgring edition. This special model comes with unique underbody panels, a new roll cage replacing the rear seats, and aerodynamic tweaks on the exterior to set it apart from the rest of the SU7 lineup.
Priced at 814,900 yuan in China (around $114,000), Xiaomi will produce just 10 examples for 2025, with total production capped at 100 to “ensure exclusivity.” Sure, that’s a hefty sum no matter where you are, but the level of performance you’re getting in return is undeniably impressive.
Under the slinky Porsche-esque design, you’ll find three electric motors that make a combined 1,527 hp (1,138 kW) and 1,306 lb-ft (1,770 Nm) of torque. It’s one thing for a brand to claim that it’s capable of building fast cars and a very different thing to put hypercar makers on notice.
New electric vehicle sales took another haircut in May.
Used EV sales went the other direction though, with a big increase year over year.
The data suggests many factors at play affecting pricing, inventory, and incentives.
Everyone shopping for a new car wants a good deal, and right now, there are plenty to be found in the electric vehicle space. That’s partly because new EVs aren’t flying off the shelves as they once were in the States. While sales saw a slight increase from April to May, they’re still down 10.7 percent year over year. As a result, the deals are getting sweeter.
According to data gathered from Cox Automotive, new EV prices are dropping. In May, the average price fell by 2.3 percent to $57,734. On top of that, incentives for these cars jumped 19.4 percent to an average of $8,226. That works out to roughly 14.2 percent of the average transaction price (ATP), which is the highest it’s been since 2019.
Several notable models, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya, and Acura ZDX are available for what effectively ends up being less than $40,000, which the study calculated by subtracting the average model-specific incentives from their ATPs.
New and Used EV Sales May 2025
Interestingly, the used electric vehicle market is going in the opposite direction. The average price rose 0.9 percent from April to May and 2.6 percent year over year. In cold, hard numbers that represents an average transaction price of $36,053. Despite that, sales increased 1.1 percent month over month and a substantial 32.1 percent year over year. Of those, Cox estimates that almost half (49.6%) were Teslas.
The price gap between used EVs and traditional ICE+ vehicles is also shrinking, staying under $2,000. Unsurprisingly, The Tesla Model 3 was the top-selling used electric car in May, with an average selling price of $23,160, which represents a 1.6 percent decrease from April.
New and Used EV Prices May 2025
Supply Shortages for Used EVs
Used EVs up for sale are far less than new ones. Data suggests 40 days of supply available in May, 11 percent less than a year previous and the lowest since June of 2022. That figure is the number of days of inventory a company has before it runs out of product.
“As EV adoption accelerates, ensuring a growing supply of affordable models is essential,” said Cox. “For many consumers, price remains one of the most significant barriers to making the switch to electric.”
In contrast, new EV dealers had an average of 111 days of supply in May. That’s 8 percent more than April, but still 11.6 percent less than May 2024.
The EV market is clearly in a bit of a balancing act right now, with more incentives, lower prices on new EVs, and rising costs in the used market. For shoppers, this creates a window of opportunity to grab some solid deals, but the clock might be ticking, especially with the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs and $4,000 for used ones on the chopping block soon.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service launches June 22 with strict rules for early access riders.
Riders must agree to terms, pay with a card, and follow geo-fencing limits.
A Tesla employee will be in every Robotaxi ride for added safety and monitoring.
June 22 is the day when Tesla says it’ll launch its Robotaxi service for early access customers. Invitations are going out to many of them, and those invites include more details. Among them are the rules for riders and the fact that a Tesla employee will be along for every ride as a “safety monitor” in the passenger seat. Here’s everything you need to know about Tesla’s Robotaxi launch.
We’ve seen Tesla testing its Robotaxi in Austin, Texas, already. It turns out that much of what we saw there will be repeated for the launch of this new early access program. That includes the use of a Model Y for part of the fleet and a human in the front passenger seat.
The Fine Print
Over the last few days, Tesla has started the process of inviting people to test the Robotaxi beginning on June 22. Inside those invites, people have found a lengthy list of requirements and restrictions. For example, riders can only bring one other person. They must read through the Terms of Service document before riding. They must have a credit or debit card on file. And they are instructed to provide feedback after the ride.
Notably, the instruction tells invitees to let Tesla know that they’ll partake so that Tesla can send them the Robotaxi rideshare application. Service will only be available from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. and within the geo-fenced area Tesla has created in Austin. The automaker says that service could end up limited or unavailable in bad weather, too.
Tesla has given me permission to share the parameters of use for their Model Y Robotaxi service, starting this Sunday June 22nd in Austin, Texas. The Early Access phase is invitation-only.
Parameters of Use: • You must read through and agree to the attached Terms of Service,… pic.twitter.com/RPy5TvUbBg
There are some restrictions, but most are pretty obvious. Riders aren’t allowed to drink, do drugs, vape, or smoke in the Robotaxi. They can’t use the Robotaxi to commit crimes or transport weapons or illegal/hazardous materials. If riders do break the rules, Tesla can suspend their access to Robotaxi. Importantly, riders can record video and take photos of their trip(s), so expect to see lots of that come Sunday.
Reality vs Expectation
Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have touted this launch for some time. The latter has confidently claimed (for the umpteenth time) that Full Self-Driving would reach Level 5 autonomy this year too. That’s clearly not what we’re dealing with here since there’s a safety person in the car during all of these rides. Limited availability based on timing, GPS fencing, and weather casts a dimmer light on this launch too.
At the same time, it’s nice to see Tesla taking this launch seriously enough to have an employee in the car. No doubt, that plays a role in availability based on time. The geo-locked navigation is relatively easy to understand, too, and no different than similar brands like Waymo.
Ultimately, whether you like or dislike Tesla and/or Elon Musk, additional competition in the Robotaxi space seems like a good thing. Of course, that all hinges on these cars being safe for both riders and the general public around them. We’ll find out more in just a few days.
Here’s the full set of rules:
You must read through and agree to the attached Terms of Service, Rider Rules, Robotaxi Rider Privacy Notice, and Service Animal Policy.
You must have a credit/debit card on file.
You may request a ride in the app to/from anywhere in the geofenced area, excluding any airports, between 6:00AM to 12:00AM (midnight), every day of the week. These operational hours are subject to change.A map of the geofenced area is available in the app.
Note that service may be limited or unavailable in the event of inclement weather.
Only the invitee may download and use the Robotaxi App to hail a Robotaxi ride.
Please be courteous and treat the service with respect. Your participation in this Early Access program may be terminated for various reasons, including violating these parameters or engaging in unsafe and/or disrespectful behavior.
Provide a star rating and feedback from your experience in the app.
Photos and video of the experience are ok.
Smoking, vaping, consuming alcohol, and using drugs are not permitted inside the Robotaxi
The Robotaxi may not be used in connection with the commission of any crime, or to transport weapons or illegal or hazardous materials.
Instruments or equipment intended to record, measure, reverse engineer, collect information about, or conduct surveillance of any feature, equipment, component, or area of Tesla robotaxi are strictly prohibited (such as bringing onboard devices with the intent to obtain competitively sensitive, proprietary, or non-public information about Robotaxi).
Tesla may suspend or terminate Robotaxi access if you violate these rules, including if you disseminate content on a social media platform or similar medium depicting a violation of these Rules or misuse of the Robotaxi.
Been following Robotaxi all over Austin, tbh it got boring, after a while the excitement turns down and it felt like following just another car on the road. 99,99% of all pedestrians did not even notice it.
Tesla appears to be developing a six-seat version of the new Model Y Juniper.
This variant could be sold alongside the five and seven-seat versions of the EV.
Rumors also suggest it might feature an extended wheelbase and captain’s chairs.
The Model Y has been Tesla’s biggest seller, and up until last year, it held the crown as the best-selling vehicle overall. It’s a versatile, practical, fast, and modern crossover. The latest iteration, which launched recently, brings updated styling and interior refinements. Now, there’s talk that Tesla may be pushing the Model Y even further with a trio of seating configurations and potentially two wheelbase options.
The latest scoop comes from Green, a hacker and code sleuth (@GreenTheOnly), who’s made a name for himself digging through Tesla’s software to uncover upcoming features. This time, he found something interesting in Tesla’s software version 2025.14. According to Green, the firmware specifically mentions a six-seat Model Y. This is a big deal, especially since, until now, Tesla has only offered the five-seat version.
A seven-seater is coming for sure. We learned that earlier this month, thanks to an email Tesla sent to customers mentioning it. We’ve already seen a version of the seven-seater in the pre-facelift Model Y, where a third row with two retractable seats was available, good for maybe a couple of third graders at best.
The six-seater, however, is a different story. The brand has never sold a six-seat Model Y, so this is all-new for the range. What’s particularly interesting is that while earlier rumors suggested it might be a China-exclusive, the Tesla code hints at it being a global model. Looks like this one’s not just for the Great Wall crowd after all.
That said, we expect it to use a 2+2+2 layout, likely with captain’s chairs in the middle row. The Model X has been available in the past with five, six, or seven seats. In that case, the six-seater was the most expensive of the trio, and that’ll likely be the case here with the Model Y as well. In theory, it should offer the best blend of interior cabin space and ease of ingress and egress.
The much rumored about 6-seater Model Y made an appearance in the firmware. Unlikely to be China-only as some of the speculations said.
Some weird "slow down to save energy, people typically drive this much slower here to save %%" nav suggestions.
No doubt, stretching the wheelbase of the Model Y would make it even more enticing. It would repeat the same trick used by countless automakers like BMW, Range Rover, and even Chevrolet. A long car provides more cabin space, something so many clamor for in today’s automotive market. That said, the appearance of a six-seat Model Y makes a long-wheelbase version even more appealing.
The entire point of offering a six-seater, rather than seven, is that the third row gets more space. Doubling down on that design objective could very well mean a longer wheelbase. Not A Tesla App also points out that rumors are swirling in China about just such a car. Dubbed the E80 there, it could reportedly add 5.9 inches of total wheelbase length. That’s enough to provide more comfort for the second and third row at the same time.
Volvo just recalled over 11,500 cars because their braking software might not be right.
The automaker has advised owners to stop using one-pedal driving until further notice.
Thankfully, an over-the-air software update will resolve the issue for affected vehicles.
Update: While Volvo hasn’t specified the exact number of cars affected, they did send us a statement confirming that “the software remedy has been rolled out to compatible cars via over-the-air update and is also available through retailer workshops.” The spokesperson further added, “We are asking customers who have not yet had the corrective software installed in their cars to avoid selecting ‘B’ mode or One Pedal Drive while driving.”
Regenerative braking is a vital technology for EVs and PHEVs. Without it, they’d have a significantly lower range. The entire driving experience would be different since it enables B-mode and one-pedal driving. Now, 11,469 Volvo owners are finding out what that’s like to live with. The automaker just issued a warning to stop driving with either of those modes until it sorts out a braking issue.
The new recall, number 25V392000, includes several models from 2020-2026, including the S60, V60, S90, XC60, XC90, XC40, EX40, EC40, and C40. Those running software 3.5.14 might have issues with their brake control module. Specifically, they might experience a loss of braking functionality. While that sounds bad, there are two sides to this story.
According to Volvo, the issue seems to only pop up after “coasting downhill for at least 1 minute and 40 seconds.” It would be rare to do that on the vast majority of roads. One would likely be descending a mountain or dropping into a valley on a long highway.
But the big issue is what happens if it does occur. The automaker warns, “If the situation occurs, pressing the brake pedal may remove braking functionality entirely.” Clearly, that’s about the worst possible scenario.
Notably, Volvo didn’t provide a chronology report to explain how it heard about this situation, what it did in the aftermath, and how it decided to conduct a recall. Because of that, we’re missing a lot of vital information about how this all came about.
The NHTSA does require Volvo to produce that report, but it simply isn’t available yet. We do know that Volvo plans to fix all of these cars via a software update over the air. It’ll notify owners by August 6, and dealers already know about the situation.
Interestingly, this recall might actually be a bit bigger than 11,469 units. In a different piece of paperwork filed with the NHTSA, Volvo says that the recall includes 14,014 cars. We’ve reached out to the NHTSA to see why the figures are different. We’ll report back here if we learn the cause of that difference.
Ford’s Pikes Peak Mach-E boasts 1,421 horsepower and 6,900 pounds of downforce.
A different version of the electric coupe won’t race, but it produces 2,250 horses.
Romain Dumas, a Pikes Peak champion, will pilot Ford’s Mach-E in this year’s race.
The road to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak is no place for half measures. But that’s exactly what Ford is doing for the 103rd Race to the Clouds – sort of. Of course, when one’s ‘half-measure’ is a super EV with 1,421 horsepower (1059 kW), it’s probably more of a prudent move than others. The crazy bit is that even with half of the available power on board, this Pikes-Peak-bound Mustang Mach-E sounds absolutely monstrous, though, to be fair, it won’t actually be making any noise.
We’ve known for a few weeks that the Mach-E Ford is bringing to Colorado Springs was going to be fast. The automaker confirmed the car would make 6,125 pounds (2,778 kg) of downforce, but didn’t say much about power.
Now, we know that it’ll carry the same overall package: a trio of six-phase motors (one on the front axle, two on the rear), that the SuperTruck from last year did. This year, though, the drivetrain will make 1,421 horsepower and overall weighs some 260 pounds (117 kg) less.
The Mach-E’s New Tricks
“We’re continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible with electric vehicles,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance. “This Super Mustang Mach-E demonstrator represents the next stage in our electrification journey — lighter, leaner, just as powerful, and more capable in high-altitude competition.”
What he didn’t say there is that Ford also has a quad motor version that can make 2,250 horsepower (1677 kW) , reports TheDrive. For whatever reason, it won’t be racing this year.
Still, the package headed to Pikes Peak sounds potent enough. It uses a new rocker-arm suspension setup, carbon ceramic brakes, and even more downforce than previously confirmed. That’s right, 6,125 pounds was the old number. Now, we know that it’ll actually make 6,900 pounds (3129 kg) at 150 mph. Now the question is whether or not all of that will be enough to win.
Romain Dumas: The Secret Weapon
Thankfully for Ford, having Romain Dumas at the helm won’t be a hindrance. “After last year’s incredible run with the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck and SuperVan 4.2 before it, I’m honored to be back with Ford to take on this challenge once again,” said Dumas. “This Mach-E is a different beast, and we’re excited to see what it can do on the mountain.” If anyone can win with this car, it’s gotta be Dumas.
He’s the man who currently holds the overall record, 7:57.148 in a Volkswagen ID.R concept from 2018. While VW doesn’t seem to have done much with whatever it learned that year, Ford says what it’s doing here will translate directly to production cars.
“Racing is our test bed,” added Rushbrook. “Every data point we gather on the mountain helps us build better electric vehicles for our customers — whether it’s maximizing power delivery, improving regen strategies, or managing heat in extreme elevation changes. What we learn here goes straight into future production.” How exactly that’ll translate to what you drive in a few years is up for debate.
A Four-Door Mustang? Maybe
Finally, let’s just go on record as saying that a four-door Mustang might sound like sacrilege, but if it looks anything like this, it might be good. We’ll be on the lookout for the Mach-E on America’s mountain on June 22nd.
A train struck a Tesla Model 3 in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 14.
The driver reportedly claimed the car was in Full Self-Driving mode and actively caused the incident.
A specialty tow rig retrieved the car from the tracks without further visible damage.
Imagine setting your semi-autonomous vehicle to take the wheel, only to have it veer off the road and onto active train tracks. At least that’s what one Tesla Model 3 driver claims happened during an early morning drive. While everyone inside the car escaped unharmed, the driver wasted no time pointing fingers at the car’s Full Self-Driving system after the incident.
Western Berks Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw told local news outlet WFMZ that the car, “Went down the tracks approximately 40-50 feet.” According to the driver’s account, the Tesla apparently mistook the train tracks for a road and followed them as if that were a normal route. Renshaw added that the driver claimed the vehicle was in Full Self-Driving mode at the time.
A Close Call with a Passing Train
The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m., and just minutes later, a train passed by and clipped the Tesla’s mirror. Fortunately, by that point, all occupants were out of the vehicle and in a safe location. Even so, the track had to be temporarily shut down to allow crews to remove the car without risking further incidents.
According to Spitlers Garage and Towing, which posted photos of the recovery on its Facebook page, a specialized rig was needed to handle the job. The team there used a rotating crane to lift and extract the Model 3 without additional damage. Based on photos from the scene, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Tesla managed to drive away.
Plenty of Questions, Not a Lot of Answers
Photos Spitlers Garage & Towing’s / Facebook
It’s important to note here that there are a great many details missing from this account.For starters, there are no direct quotes or context from the driver. While FSD is certainly failable, it would be very strange for it to do what the driver alleges. Not only would it have to disregard the GPS coordinates of the road itself, but it would also call into question what the driver was doing.
Did they not think to stop the car when it started to go around the train barrier? Why not hit the brakes when it first turned onto the train tracks? Why wait til it was several yards down the track?
Also, don’t forget that Tesla doesn’t market Full Self-Driving as an autonomous chauffeur. It markets it as a supervised system, one that still needs a human behind the wheel, paying attention. Here’s what Tesla’s own manual says:
“Like other Autopilot features, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) requires a fully attentive driver and will display a series of escalating warnings requiring driver response. You must keep your hands on the steering wheel while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged.While Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged, the cabin camera monitors driver attentiveness (see Driver Attentiveness).“
There are just too many questions here to blindly believe that this was completely the result of Full Self-Driving on its own. We’ve reached out to Commissioner Renshaw for additional details and will update you here if we hear back.
Hundreds of Tesla EVs are parked at a former mall lot with no clear timeline.
Tesla is leasing the space for 16 months due to dealership storage limitations.
Aerial and street images show the lot filled with EVs as far back as 2023.
Every big automaker wants to see its cars filling parking lots across the world. The way Tesla is going about it in Westchester, Missouri, isn’t exactly what we mean, though. The company rented out a lot to stash extra cars more than a year ago. The rent’s still being paid, and the cars are still piling up.
This isn’t just a few rows of overflow inventory. We’re talking hundreds of Teslas crammed into the long-shuttered parking lot of the old Chesterfield Mall. That location is about three miles from a nearby Tesla dealership, which simply doesn’t have the physical space to hold them all.
“Tesla has a short-term lease to park Tesla cars at Chesterfield Mall. We relocated them to the Dillard’s parcel when we started mall demolition,” said Tim Lowe, senior vice president of leasing and development for The Staenberg Group, speaking to Fox 2. As it stands, Tesla is only six months into a 16-month lease, meaning this lot will remain a makeshift storage yard for at least another ten months.
Storing unsold cars off-site isn’t a new move for Tesla. The company does this from time to time and from place to place. We’ve seen it in Florida, where dozens of cars ended up vandalized. More recently, Tesla got in hot water over doing it in Detroit, where it’s against city code.
There’s a decent chance that all of this has been going on a lot longer than just a year. A Google Maps Street View image labeled ‘June 2023’ shows the lot already housing plenty of Teslas. A transport truck is also in the image with six Teslas on board and its ramps down. While it might look like an episode of a modernized Stepford Wives, the underlying cause could be more troubling.
Most major automakers keep a large supply of finished cars ready to go to dealers. Tesla is no different in that sense. Where things get hairy is about customer demand. It’s no secret that the brand is struggling to keep pace with where sales were last year.
Total income for the first quarter dropped 71 percent, and April didn’t offer much relief. U.S. sales for the month fell 16 percent, a sharp contrast to the broader EV market, which dipped just 4.4 percent over the same period.
If demand keeps sliding, the real question isn’t just how long these parking lots will stay full, but what Tesla plans to do with all those unsold cars once the lease runs out.
Kia executives say that we’ve seen the last combustion-powered GT car from the brand.
The only one available in the US is the K5, and when it leaves, Kia’s GT cars will be EV only.
Hyundai Motor Group appears best positioned to succeed with an all-electric GT future.
Performance fans have had it pretty good in recent years, especially from some unlikely sources. The Stinger GT, especially with the 3.3-liter turbocharged V6, was one of those outliers, setting a high standard when it landed and proving Kia could do more than just practical commuters.
Since then, the Korean brand has turned out a handful of genuinely compelling performance cars. But that chapter is winding down. The GT badge isn’t going anywhere, but its connection to gasoline power is nearing the end.
Speaking to members of the press, Australian product chief Roland Rivero confirmed to CarSales that Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) as a whole is gradually moving away from combustion engines because of regulations. “The N tagline is being more and more applied to electrified product, and for a bunch of reasons,” he said.
“You’ve got to satisfy the global situation, and CO2 regulations are tightening all around the world,” Rivero continued. “Ours is going to catch up very, very quickly too, so I can understand why R&D centers are still trying to dial up driving enjoyment responsibly.”
The Last of the GT Gas Crowd
This is a serious blow to those who love performance cars. Since the Stinger GT came out, Kia has been quietly offering a great value in its sports cars. That sedan was genuinely excellent to drive and still lives on to a degree in the Genesis G70. Kia still sells the K5 GT, a front-wheel-drive sedan that packs more power than it probably needs, which, lets be honest, isn’t always a bad thing.
As we understand it, the K5 GT will be the last combustion-powered GT car from Kia. Meanwhile, Hyundai has already committed to another generation of the Elantra N, reportedly with a bigger engine. So the torch hasn’t gone out completely, but the flame is flickering.
Shifting Gears: From Gas to Kilowatts
Keep in mind that many brands, big and small, have backtracked from previous goals to go all-electric. Even Porsche, which has been talking about an electric 718 for ages, is changing its tune. Can Kia and Hyundai make a success of EV performance cars while other brands get cold feet?
If any brand can make electric performance succeed, it seems like Kia and its corporate partner, Hyundai, are the ones to do it. The EV6 GT is a genuinely epic little hatchback to drive, and it’s supercar-quick. Then, if that’s not good enough, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is basically everybody’s favorite performance EV.
“There’s no reason why an electrified product can’t give you a similar experience [to internal combustion performance cars], albeit with some computer tech and what not,” Rivero said. “Hot hatches are harder to justify as a business case, ongoing, when you combine all the elements of CO2 regulations and the global movement [toward electrification].”
The Kia boss was also asked about the possibility of hybrids or range-extended EVs playing a role in Kia’s performance future. He didn’t confirm anything, but as CarSales noted, there are ongoing rumors that Hyundai is developing hybrid N models. If that’s true, it’s likely Kia could follow suit.
So sure, it’s sad to see combustion GT cars go away, and Hyundai Motor Group might come to regret this choice… but at least the performance we’ve come to appreciate from the brand isn’t dying altogether.
Chevrolet sold around 37,000 electric vehicles during the first five months of 2025.
That places Chevy firmly in second among U.S. EV automakers behind Tesla.
It also means that Ford falls to at best third place after a rough first quarter.
General Motors is having a great year when it comes to electric vehicles. Sure, some reports indicate sales might be cooling off in some corners of the market, but for GM, things are hot. The company says its EV sales have jumped 94 percent year over year, and one of its brands, Chevrolet, now ranks second only to Tesla in U.S. EV sales.
That’s not a small gap, though. Tesla still held nearly 44 percent of the U.S. EV market in the first quarter of the year, with 128,100 vehicles sold, or roughly as much as everyone else combined. However, Tesla’s May figures aren’t available yet, making a direct comparison with GM impossible.
Still, GM managed to sell 62,830 electric cars, trucks, and SUVs between January and the end of May. The first quarter alone saw a 94 percent year-over-year jump, and that momentum hasn’t let up. May turned out to be the company’s second-best month ever for EV sales, pushing GM to a 15.5 percent share of the current EV market.
Chevrolet carried much of that weight, accounting for over half of those numbers with roughly 37,000 deliveries during the same period. Leading the charge was the electric Equinox, which became GM’s best-selling EV with 21,804 units delivered.
Strong Numbers and Stronger Momentum
“Customers are responding in record numbers to our world-class portfolio of electric and gas-powered vehicles,” said Rory Harvey, executive VP and president of global markets. “In the first two months of the second quarter, we more than doubled our EV sales compared to the same period last year.” Lots of those sales are coming from the top EV seller, Tesla.
In fact, according to Scott Bell, vice president of global Chevrolet, over half of the sales GM has this year are conquest sales, meaning customers are switching over from other brands. He told the Detroit Free Press that the Equinox is a major player here.
“It’s certainly the most affordable EV out there with that kind of range. It is by far the leader in the clubhouse; it doubles our Blazer volume easily on a monthly basis,” said Bell. “Once you convert to an EV, you’re not leaving. Especially once you’ve invested in the infrastructure, a home charger, 86% of them will stay.”
Interestingly, General Motors’ figures are even more impressive when compared to Ford’s. The Blue Oval brand delivered 34,132 cars during the first five months of the year, marking an 8.3 percent drop from the same period in 2024. That’s right, Chevrolet outsold Ford, and that doesn’t take into account any of the sales from Cadillac and GMC. No doubt, some of that success comes from GM’s wider range of available EVs.
At the same time, both GM and Ford are doing just fine when it comes to their combustion-engine businesses. Hybrids are selling great, too. We’ll get a clearer picture of the EV sales landscape soon. GM will announce its second-quarter sales numbers on July 1. Other automakers will no doubt do the same around the same time.
Driverless Model Y filmed navigating public streets in Austin without anyone in the front seat.
Confirmed as the first public sighting of Tesla’s driverless Robotaxi program on open roads.
The vehicles have a remote human observer at all times to take over when needed.
Update: After a driverless Model Y was spotted in Austin earlier this week, Elon Musk said Tesla is targeting June 22 for the tentative launch of its long-awaited robotaxi network. “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” he noted. Musk also revealed that the first Tesla to fully drive itself from the end of the production line to a customer’s home is scheduled for June 28.
It’s also worth noting that the video we shared below, showing a black Model Y, has now been confirmed to be a prototype of the robotaxi. Musk reposted the footage on his X account, as did Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s Autopilot team.
Tentatively, June 22.
We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.
First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28.
As self-driving cars edge closer to everyday reality, one brand continues to push the boundaries in full view of the public. Tesla is probably the most talked-about car company in America. Now, among the plethora of other facets of its business, driverless cars are a piece of the puzzle.
Someone just spotted a Model Y without a driver moving around Austin, Texas. The short clip is a hint of what to expect more and more in the coming months.
Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have both pointed to June as an important month. It’s when driverless robotaxis are set to head out onto public roads. In May, we learned that Tesla would launch the program with 10-20 cars and that they’d be geo-fenced the same way Waymo cars are. What we didn’t know for sure was when they’d first be on the road. Now, we know that day has come and gone.
An X user spotted one on June 10 and posted a video of it. The short 10-second clip doesn’t show much, but it’s more than enough to confirm that this is indeed a driverless Tesla. The car is driving off of Congress Ave and turning onto West James Street. Before doing so, it stops and allows pedestrians to cross the road. Then, once the road is clear, it continues on, and we see very clearly that nobody is in the front seat.
Could this be a particularly relaxed Tesla owner with a wild trust in Autopilot? Seems unlikely, for a few reasons. First, the car has a Robotaxi decal near the front door, clearly marking it as part of the program. Second, another Model Y is trailing it closely, probably with a Tesla employee onboard to monitor the situation. And finally, this timing aligns perfectly with what Tesla’s been saying all along that June was the target month.
— Terrapin Terpene Col (@TerrapinTerpene) June 10, 2025
Teslarati points out that Tesla is now listed on Austin’s government website as an autonomous vehicle tester in the city. Right now, the only riders are chosen by Tesla itself, by Musk says the public will get a crack at these cars before the month is over.
While recent press surrounding accidents both this year and in years past has everyone wondering how safe these cars will be, it’s nice to see that at least this interaction went smoothly. The video seems to indicate that the system Tesla is using responds appropriately in this exact situation. Still, maybe be on the lookout for these if you’re in Austin, Texas, anytime soon. That goes double for birds.
A Tesla with FSD engaged hit a chicken but the truck never acknowledged the impact.
FSD appears to struggle spotting smaller animals and other similar roadside objects.
At times, the system surprisingly detects and reacts well to similar obstacles nearby.
Sometimes, a chicken just wants to cross the road. And sometimes, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) tech reminds us that it’s still learning how to deal with that. The system is supposed to improve over time by using real-world driving data, gradually getting better at recognizing and responding to everything from traffic lights to pedestrians. But based on a new video, it still struggles with, well, birds.
According to the original poster over at the Cybertruckownersclub forums, the incident happened as he was doing around 45 mph with traffic behind him. The footage shows a chicken literally trying to cross the road (yes, really). The bird takes off, but appears to miscalculate the truck’s speed. It’s tough to say with complete certainty, but it appears as though the bird didn’t make it.
All of you animal lovers get a tiny hint of hope here, too. The driver says, “Could not feel the impact. I don’t recall even hearing a thud!” So maybe, just maybe, this foul managed to avoid an untimely fate. It almost certainly hit the windshield at the very least. What’s curious, though, is that FSD evidently didn’t even notice the impact. This brings up a good question. Shouldn’t the vehicle register an event like this?
Cybertruckownersclub
Turns out, small animals might be a blind spot for FSD. Another person responded in the thread about a recent encounter with an Owl. “A few weeks ago I was FSDing on a rural road at 45 MPH and had to slam on the brakes for a cute owl feasting on a rodent in the middle of the road,” they say. Sure enough, they backed it up with video. They’re not alone either, others report similar findings where the vehicle just didn’t react.
Cybertruckownersclub
Still, it’s not all bad news. One user shared a video showing their Cybertruck successfully stopping for a Canadian Goose standing in the middle of the lane. Interestingly, the goose looked a lot like typical road damage, blending into the pavement just enough to confuse a less attentive system. Yet in this case, FSD recognized the obstacle and slowed the truck down.
That’s encouraging, especially compared to other moments where the system didn’t react at all. Situations like this continue to highlight where lidar or radar might still offer real advantages. Until then, birds may want to reconsider their flight paths, or at the very least, remember to look both ways.
A 2023 fatal crash in Arizona is linked to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software system.
The incident raises questions about Tesla’s vision-only autonomous driving strategy.
It coincides with Tesla’s Robotaxi push and sparks concerns over autonomous readiness.
When tech collides with the real world, the consequences are rarely theoretical. In late 2023, a tragic accident happened in Arizona. Of 40,901 traffic fatalities that year, it was unique. It was the only one that involved a pedestrian and a Tesla reportedly running on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) mode. Now, as Tesla begins its Robotaxi launch in Austin, it’s raising questions about safety now and in the future.
The accident happened in November of that year when Johna Story, a 71-year-old grandmother, was pulled over on the interstate. She was stopped in an effort to help others who had already been in an earlier accident. Video from the Tesla shows that the roadway leading up to the crash was obscured by direct sunlight on the horizon.
That said, the video obtained by Bloomberg of the crash does show warning signs that something was wrong. While the roadway is impossible to see, the car in the right lane slows down. Other vehicles are parked on the right shoulder. A bystander was waving their hands for traffic to slow down.
Before he knew it, Tesla driver Karl Stock was veering left, then back toward the road before hitting a parked Toyota 4Runner and Story head-on. She passed away at the scene. “Sorry everything happened so fast,” Stock wrote in a witness statement for police. “There were cars stopped in front of me and by the time I saw them, I had no place to go to avoid them.”
Notably, Bloomberg claims that FSD was engaged at the time of the accident. “He [Stock] had engaged what the carmaker calls Full Self-Driving, or FSD,” the report claims. This isn’t substantiated by the police report. Neither the reporting officers nor Stock mentions FSD, Autopilot, or any sort of cruise control or autonomous system. That said, it’s possible that the publication gained access to the non-public NHTSA crash report and that more data is available there.
Vision Vs. Lidar & Radar
Ultimately, crashes like this highlight what seems like the most obvious concern for Tesla’s FSD. Vision-based systems aren’t wildly dissimilar from the way that humans perceive the road. That means that when humans struggle to see the roadway ahead, as is the case with bright sunlight on the horizon, or in smoke-filled or foggy conditions, vision-based systems can struggle too.
As mentioned, it seems unclear when exactly FSD was engaged and when it wasn’t. That said, even if the system disengaged in time for Stock to avoid the crash, it’s unclear how he would’ve seen what was coming to do so. In fact, this crash and others like it, albeit without additional fatalities, led the NHTSA to kick off an investigation into FSD that is still ongoing.
“A Tesla vehicle experienced a crash after entering an area of reduced roadway visibility conditions with FSD -Beta or FSD -Supervised (collectively, FSD) engaged. In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust,” the investigation called out.
On the flip side, systems that rely on radar or lidar can ‘see’ beyond fog, light glare, and smoke. They can pick up on obstacles that vision-based systems sometimes have real trouble with. In this case, a lidar-equipped system could’ve potentially alerted Stock to the stopped obstacles. That doesn’t make them perfect.
Cruise famously shut down after billions worth of investment because of crashes. Those cars all used radar and lidar and still failed. All of that said, it’s still a bit of a wonder as to why Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, are so staunch in their use of vision-only systems. Only time will tell if that changes.
The Robot Elephant In The Room
We might learn sooner rather than later whether or not Tesla sticks with its vision-only system. The automaker is already testing robotaxis and driverless cars and is set to expand that this month in Austin, Texas. Musk has promised that the program will expand throughout the year and that Level 5 autonomous driving is coming soon.
Of course, Tesla has continually improved FSD over the years. It’s a dramatically more capable system than it was in 2023 but it still has some major issues. Just a few weeks ago, a Tesla, reportedly with FSD engaged, crashed on an open road with no obstacles, no visual queues, or any other explicable reasoning. We’ve yet to confirm the details, but in the video, the car literally drove off of the road and into a tree at around 55 mph. These two crashes are things that Tesla’s Robotaxis cannot do if the automaker ever wants them to be mainstream. For now, there’s little more to do than to wait and see what happens.
— Jaan of the EVwire.com ⚡ (@TheEVuniverse) June 4, 2025
The automaker is famous for its lack of a PR department [until it really wants to get a message out]. That said, it does sometimes speak about why it continues to push for Autopilot and FSD usage among its customers.
Two years ago, when it recalled over a million cars, it said, “We at Tesla believe that we have a moral obligation to continue improving our already best-in-class safety systems. At the same time, we also believe it is morally indefensible not to make these systems available to a wider set of consumers, given the incontrovertible data that shows it is saving lives and preventing injury.”
While Tesla is notoriously opaque about the safety data it gathers, it does claim that its cars are safer on average than human drivers. Since third parties don’t have full access to that data to validate it, it’s hard to simply accept those claims. Nevertheless, if they’re accurate, Tesla has a point. At the end of the day, nobody in this equation wants to risk lives. The question is, which route is the safest, not just in the future, but right now?
Edmunds recently experienced unintended acceleration in its Charger Daytona test vehicle.
Similar issues have been reported online, prompting a response from automaker Stellantis.
It says this is a ‘drive-by-brake’ safety feature that has been on combustion cars for years.
For most folks, a car that accelerates on its own is a dangerous proposition. Just ask Toyota — those unintended acceleration headlines weren’t exactly a PR dream. According to Stellantis, though, that’s a meticulously engineered safety feature. It just happens to be one that we haven’t really heard about before today.
In fact, it only entered the spotlight after Edmunds experienced the issue firsthand with its Dodge Charger Daytona long-term tester, which began picking up speed without the driver’s input.
To put things lightly, the launch of the Charger Daytona hasn’t gone as well as Stellantis might have hoped. That said, it’s still a vehicle worthy of testing and reviewing, and that’s why Edmunds has one. What they likely never expected was that it would speed up on its own one day.
An Unexpected Moment
According to the tester who was behind the wheel at the time, things went sideways almost immediately:
“I was pulling out onto a thoroughfare street from a strip mall parking lot when warning lights appeared on the Charger’s instrument panel for the stability control, frontal collision warning system, regenerative braking, and more. There was also a short-lived message — it might have been something about the forward collision warning system — and that the car would be in low power mode. This wasn’t good. I could tell something was wrong because the car accelerated sluggishly.
Once up to speed, the Charger did the thing we’re all here to talk about. It kept accelerating even after the driver lifted their foot off of the pedal. That’s weird in any car, but even stranger in an EV, where regenerative braking usually slows the car down faster than in a combustion car.
According to the driver, this wasn’t rapid acceleration, but more akin to the speed one typically gains in an automatic car when letting off of the brakes from a dead stop. Except, rather than only being capable of picking up a little speed, it managed to add around one mile per hour each second that the brakes weren’t applied. That said, the brakes did work, albeit with more force necessary (according to the driver) than normal.
“I let the car accelerate by itself as a test. It reached about 45 mph before I had to apply the brakes again for another stop sign. That was enough. Using the time-tested fix for all things tech. I pulled off onto a side street from the stop sign and parked. Fortunately, the acceleration stopped when I put the transmission in Park.”
For its part, Stellantis says that this is the way it’s designed, but we’ll circle back to that. First, it’s important to point out that Edmunds isn’t alone. Thomas Hundal over at The Autopian compiled a list of similar instances documented online.
That included one complaint directly to the NHTSA, where a driver claimed that the car sped up even after they were off the accelerator. They finished their complaint with an important detail. “I regained control using the brake alone.” When confronted with this evidence, Stellantis responded, and the statement it gave was a whopper.
All Of This Is Intentional, Says Stellantis
Here’s the statement in full before we break it down a little.
“In the rare event of an accelerator pedal fault, Stellantis has implemented a ‘drive-by-brake’ safety feature, which allows the driver to control speed through the brake pedal. In this instance, the feature worked as intended, and the driver was able to safely maneuver the vehicle off the road. This feature has been in Stellaris internal combustion engine vehicles for many years and has been carried over to battery electric vehicles.”
That’s right, folks, nothing to see here. “The feature worked as intended.” This is especially gobsmacking because the car doesn’t tell the driver what is happening. It doesn’t alert drivers to, you know, drive via the brake pedal. Of course, many electric cars now feature one pedal driving, but those ones use active regenerative braking to slow down when no input is provided.
It seems that the Charger Daytona is fitted with technology that does the exact opposite. It’s worth noting that while Stellantis says this is a feature carried over from combustion cars, we can’t find any examples of it. There’s no mention of it in past press releases, owner’s manuals, or any other documentation we’ve checked up until now, though we’re still digging, and if anything turns up, we’ll update the story.
For now, at least, several outlets are trying to get the word out to Charger Daytona owners that if their cars accelerate when they don’t expect it, it’s totally normal. Honestly, this doesn’t sound like a totally terrible feature so long as owners know what to expect and when to expect it. We’ve reached out to Stellantis in hopes of learning more about the situation. If we hear back, we’ll update you here.
Kia’s EV9 and EV6 sales plunged in May, continuing a steep decline for the year overall.
K5 sedan sales jumped 256 percent last month, with a 220 percent increase year-to-date.
The brand’s total sales rose 5 percent in May and are up 10 percent from the start of the year.
Not every sales jump in the auto industry follows a straightforward narrative, and Kia’s latest numbers are a good example of that. The company had a solid May, moving 5 percent more vehicles than it did in the same month last year. But that top-line figure doesn’t tell the whole story.
While its flagship electric models took a hit, one unassuming sedan, the K5, surged with a 256 percent increase in monthly sales. Kia’s not alone in this EV slowdown, either.
It’s worth noting that the K5 has been out for several years. Its huge jump in sales during May doesn’t seem to be an outlier either. For the year, it’s up 220 percent. Put into raw sales figures, the company had sold just 9,036 through May last year. This year, it’s shifted 28,951 of them. Combined with the K4, Kia has already made over 90,000 sales this year.
Electric Models Lose Steam
No doubt, the brand wishes its flagship electric vehicles were seeing even a modicum of that success. The recently refreshed EV6 is great to drive, but buyers aren’t snatching it up with the same vigor they did last year. Through the first five months of the year, it’s down 40.8 percent. The EV9, Kia’s flagship electric SUV is having an even tougher time as it’s down 48.2 percent in that same period.
That trend doesn’t appear ready to change either. In May alone, the EV6 was down 69.8 percent. The EV9 sold just 37 units across the country and, as such, was down a whopping 98.3 percent during the month. It’ll be interesting to see what Kia does to incentivize buyers to return as the new model year version rolls in to dealerships. These are both impressive cars, but consumers seem apt to favor hybrids now more than ever.
To Kia’s credit, this trend away from EVs and toward combustion cars isn’t one isolated to the brand. Ford announced its May sales figures recently and saw a similar trend. While the Mustang Mach-E continues to do well, the F-150 Lightning and E-Transit are dozens of basis points off where they were last year.
Ford’s overall May sales rose 15.2 percent despite a major drop in EV deliveries.
EV sales fell 25 percent in May alone, dragging Ford’s electrified progress down.
Lincoln sales jumped 39 percent with Navigator surging 133 percent year over year.
We’re approaching the halfway point of the year, and things have already been wild. Tariffs, both the ones in effect and those merely looming, have changed the automotive industry, regulations are changing, and automakers are trying to keep up.
For its part, Ford has managed to have a positive year so far. Sales across the Ford and Lincoln brands are up 6.1 percent in the USA. At the same time, its EV business just took a huge hit during the month of May.
It was only a couple of months ago that Ford’s EV sales looked like they were sliding, but not by too much. After April, they were down 2.9 percent year over year. That, though, seemed like it could be an aberration since sales in April alone were down 39.4 percent. With this new sales data in hand, it seems clear that buyers are flocking away from EVs and toward hybrids and gas-powered cars.
Ford doesn’t break up sales figures for its hybrid Lincoln products, but as a group, hybrids were up 28.9 percent in May. They outperformed every other propulsion type by at least ten basis points or more. Internal combustion cars came in second with a 17.2 percent bump over last year’s sales. Electric vehicles were down a whopping 25 percent. Due to the heavy volume of hybrid and internal combustion sales, the group was ultimately up 16.3 percent in May.
FORD AND LINCOLN SALES
Propulsion Type
May-25
May-24
Diff.
YTD-25
YTD-24
Diff.
Total Electrified Vehicles
29,442
26,597
10.7%
131,255
111,257
18.0%
Electric Vehicles
6,723
8,966
-25.0%
34,132
37,208
-8.3%
Hybrid Vehicles
22,719
17,631
28.9%
97123
74,049
31.2%
Internal Combustion
191,517
163,417
17.2%
799,670
766,428
4.3%
Total vehicles
220959
190,014
16.3%
930,925
877685
6.1%
SWIPE
Digging a little deeper into the data provides further insights. For example, the Mustang Mach-E continues to be a hit among consumers despite the EV downturn for Ford. It was up 11 percent in May and is still up 2.8 percent year over year. That’s a big rebound after it was down 40.2 percent in April. The big issues for Ford’s EV business seem to be the work vehicles.
The F-150 Lightning was down 41.7 percent in May and is down 17.3 percent year over year. The E-Transit saw a sales drop in May of 93.3 percent and is down 24.8 percent for the year. It appears that buyers are leaning into the middle ground more than ever at Ford. The automaker’s hybrid business is up 31.2 percent this year.
The Bigger Picture
Incentives likely helped boost May’s overall results, with employee pricing offers and consumer concerns about incoming tariffs giving shoppers extra motivation. Several models posted standout gains. The Bronco surged 51.1 percent year over year in May and is now up 46.5 percent for 2025. The Ranger also turned in a strong performance, rising 34.4 percent for the month and jumping 157.9 percent for the year.
On the flip side, the Mustang, despite having the ICE muscle car segment to itself, continues its downward trend, slipping 3.2% in May and falling 18% since the start of the year.
Lincoln had a solid month as well, climbing 39 percent in May and 13 percent for the year so far. The Navigator was a key driver of that growth, rocketing 133 percent in May and up 75.5 percent year to date.
New Jersey canceled Tesla’s charging contract on the Turnpike with little public explanation.
Applegreen was selected despite having far fewer charging stations and higher electricity rates.
Tesla added 116 off-Turnpike chargers and remains open to negotiations with state officials.
Electric vehicle drivers in New Jersey may want to rethink their charging routines. A major shakeup is underway on the New Jersey Turnpike, and it involves the one company that’s basically synonymous with EV charging.
The state’s Turnpike authority isn’t renewing a contract with Tesla but is instead going to employ chargers from Applegreen. The move could prove more costly and trialsome for New Jersey residents, but Tesla appears ready for anything.
The automaker, rather than the state, actually announced the change on Friday. “The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“NJTA”) has chosen a sole third-party charging provider to serve the New Jersey Turnpike and is not allowing us to co-locate. As a result, NJTA requested 64 existing Supercharger stalls on the New Jersey Turnpike to not be renewed and be decommissioned,” it said in a statement on X.
A Smaller Network With Higher Prices
It went on to claim that it offered the state “above-market commercial terms” and access for all EVs to keep the contract going. It would’ve built more stations and upgraded existing ones with screens and CCS1 ‘magic docks’ as well. For whatever reason, the state said no and instead went with Applegreen for the foreseeable future. That’s a fascinating decision since Applegreen’s network is almost comically smaller than Tesla’s.
At present, in the USA, it only serves a few states like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In New Jersey, it has only a few stations installed. Elon Musk went as far as to posit that “corruption” played a part in the decision. Even after it finishes installing the chargers it plans to put in place, things might be worse off for most drivers.
Notably, a little number crunching from InsideEVs suggests that this won’t help consumers. “Superchargers along the NJ Turnpike range from $0.20 to $0.45 per kWh, depending on the time of day. Applegreen, on the other hand, varies from $0.35 to $0.59,” it found.
If those figures hold, drivers could end up paying more to power their cars than they did before. It’s possible the state stands to gain more financially under the new arrangement, though no public statements have been made by the NJTA to confirm or clarify that.
Tesla Already Moving On
All of that said, Tesla says it knew this was a potential outcome and has already supplemented the decommissioning of 64 charging bays with the creation of 116 stalls off of the turnpike. Interestingly, this might not be how the story ends. Tesla says it’s willing to return to the negotiating table should NJ authorities change their tune.
“We are still willing to invest in New Jersey Turnpike sites if the NJTA or Governor Murphy decide to reverse this decision. Otherwise, we will continue expanding the best charging infrastructure off the Turnpike to serve EV drivers in New Jersey,” the automaker said. In a part of the world where charging infrastructure isn’t exactly super-reliable, this could be a step in the wrong direction. Only time will tell.
A Rivian R1S driver accidentally backed into a UPS truck and, thankfully, didn’t suffer much damage.
Nevertheless, that fender bender left him wondering whether it would result in the car being totaled.
Some recent examples show why their worry may be fully justified, while others offer lots of hope.
For most people, a small parking mishap is more of a nuisance than a real problem. But when your vehicle is packed with sensors, custom parts, and carries a price tag north of $65,000, a light tap can spiral into something much more stressful. That’s exactly what happened to one Rivian R1S owner, whose seemingly minor accident now has him worried the SUV could be totaled.
The incident happened when the driver accidentally backed into a parked UPS truck. “I thought I was looking at its shadow in the camera,” the driver wrote on Reddit. To their credit, it appears as though they stopped quickly after making contact.
Small Damage, Big Anxiety
The rear light bar is cracked and the tailgate has a golf ball-sized dent as well. How on earth could someone worry that this is enough damage to total an SUV worth north of $65,000? Well, it’s a common concern for EV owners in this particular community. Almost exactly a year ago, we told you about a Rivian R1T with damage to the rear corner of its truck bed.
The repair bill ended up being $21,149.16. An R1S owner in the comment section showed off their own repair bill of $10,803.65 for an upper C-pillar accident that narrowly avoided cracking the glass. Despite what looks like less than a square foot of damage, the labor alone was $2,322.
Things might be improving for Rivian owners, though. In another incident from February, we see damage that appears almost identical to that of this new case. That accident earlier this year cost $7,490.34. On top of that, another owner showed us in March how they saved thousands by using pointless dent repair (PDR) and their own skills.
Others suggested in the comments that this owner go the same route. Light bars like the one he damaged are available on the second-hand market and PDR can cost as little as a few hundred bucks. One guessed that the repair costs through a certified shop would be around $15,000 which, while a considerable amount, wouldn’t be totally shocking for a Rivian.
Of course, it’s always possible the original poster is being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Still, it’s a reminder that even a light bump in a high-tech EV can turn into a surprisingly complicated and expensive process.
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