Good morning! It is Wednesday, September 17, 2025, and that is The Morning Shift, your day by day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from world wide, in a single place. That is the place you may discover an important tales which are shaping the best way Individuals drive and get round.
On this morning’s version, EV registrations take a giant leap forward of the loss of life of the $7,500 automobile tax credit score, Rivian lastly breaks floor on its Georgia plant, Nissan is shuttering design studios within the U.S. and Brazil, amongst different cost-cutting efforts, and GM is idling its midsize truck plant for 3 weeks due to a elements scarcity.
1st Gear: EV registrations leap 27% in July, however Tesla falls
EV patrons are doing all the things they will to make the most of the $7,500 tax credit score earlier than it expires on September 30because of President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress. Which means new EV registrations at legacy automakers had been up 27% in July, in accordance with S&P World Mobility.
In a not-entirely stunning growth, Tesla missed out on July’s surge. After all, it nonetheless led the best way when it got here to general gross sales, however its 5 fashions misplaced floor in comparison with a 12 months earlier. The Austin, Texas-based firm‘s registrations had been down 13% general. Rivian and VinFast additionally noticed slips, whereas Lucid noticed a small achieve.
The highest 5 had been as follows: Tesla (49,774), Chevy (11,655), Hyundai (7,898), Ford (7,572) and Honda (6,089). From Automotive Information:
EV registrations from all manufacturers grew 6 % in July to 124,961, S&P World Mobility stated. EV share of the light-vehicle market rose to eight.9 % from 8.5 % in July 2024.
From January to July, EV registrations grew 6.8 % to 745,616 automobiles. Their share of the light-vehicle market rose 0.1 share level to 7.7 %, the info confirmed.
Cox Automotive stated third-quarter gross sales of recent electrical automobiles ought to hit an all-time report. It estimated August EV deliveries at 146,332 for a virtually 10 % market share.
Except for a race towards the clock to purchase an EV earlier than the tax credit score expires, incentives are driving EV gross sales, in accordance with Auto Information. Most of the hottest EVs on sale proper now, just like the Tesla Mannequin Y and Honda Prologuecarry large quantities of money on the hood to assist them get off showroom flooring. It is powerful to say how lengthy these will final — particularly after September 30 and particularly as automakers proceed to refocus on hybrids.
If you’d like my recommendation, I believe that for those who really need an EV in your driveway, you’d higher get going, as a result of this is perhaps your final likelihood to get any type of deal for a superb lengthy whereas.
2nd Gear: Rivian lastly breaks floor on long-delayed Georgia plant
It has been a very long time coming, however Rivian has lastly damaged floor on its Georgia manufacturing facility close to Atlanta that’s supposed to construct the R2, R3 and different future lower-cost automobiles utilizing a brand new platform. The EV maker had achieved prep work on the almost 2,000-acre web site earlier than pausing in 2024 because it shifted manufacturing plans for its subsequent automobiles, the R2, to its manufacturing facility in Illinois. From Automotive Information:
Rivian revived the Georgia challenge after approval of a $6.6 billion mortgage settlement with the Division of Power within the waning days of the Biden administration in mid-January.
The automaker has stated the Stanton Springs, Ga., challenge is important to remodeling right into a mass-market model and gaining the size wanted for future profitability.
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The automaker has stated the Stanton Springs, Ga., challenge is important to remodeling right into a mass-market model and gaining the size wanted for future profitability.
The automaker must scale up as rapidly as potential utilizing the federal mortgage bundle and state incentives for its Georgia plant earlier than they expire, stated Sam Fiorani, vice chairman of car forecasting at AutoForecast Options.
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Rivian first introduced the Georgia manufacturing facility in December 2021 with manufacturing deliberate for 2024. When Rivian unveiled the R2 and R3 in 2024, it stated it will first broaden its Regular, Ailing. manufacturing facility for the R2 and pause Georgia to a future date.
The automaker now plans the primary part of building to start in 2026, adopted by the beginning of manufacturing in 2028. Rivian may even make the R2 in Georgia, adopted by the R3.
It is anticipated that the R2 will begin across the $45,000 mark and the smaller R3 shall be even lower than that. Each undercut the bigger R1T pickup and R1S crossover, which begin properly above $70,000. There are even some early rumblings of plans to make even lower-cost automobiles like an R4 and R5, however particulars on these automobiles are hazy at finest.
Regardless, Rivian must lock in rapidly. It is burning by money like no one’s enterprise, and whereas it does make a superb product, that type of factor can’t final ceaselessly.
third Gear: Nissan shutters design studios world wide to economize
Extra cuts are coming to Nissan. The Japanese automaker says it’s closing design facilities in California and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Additionally it is scaling again its operations in London and Japan as half of a bigger realignment of its world design group. These modifications are anticipated to be achieved by the tip of the 2025 fiscal 12 months. From Reuters:
The modifications, a part of its broader “Re:Nissan” plan, will consolidate its design group into 5 hubs: Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Japan’s Atsugi.
Nissan stated its Los Angeles “Studio Six” will develop into its major U.S. design hub, whereas London will proceed to assist the automaker’s Africa, Center East, India, Europe and Oceania areas in collaboration with associate Renault.
The corporate didn’t disclose what number of jobs could be affected.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took over in April, in Could unveiled the “Re:Nissan” turnaround plan to revive profitability. It included measures akin to slicing world manufacturing capability to 2.5 million automobiles from 3.5 million and manufacturing websites to 10 from 17 by fiscal 2027.
Nissan is doing all the things it may possibly to proper its sinking shipso it is smart that it will be making cuts like these. Let’s simply hope not too many roles are impacted, although I am certain that is going to be the case.
4th Gear: GM idles Colorado, Canyon manufacturing for 3 weeks as a result of elements scarcity
Normal Motors is idling its Wentzville Meeting mid-size truck plant in Missouri and quickly shedding staff for 3 weeks due to a elements scarcity. The pause is ready to start on September 29, and it will final till October 20, impacting about 3,800 workers who construct the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickup vehicles in addition to the Chevy Specific and GMC Savana vans. From the Detroit Free Press:
“We have now quickly adjusted manufacturing schedules at Wentzville Meeting to handle provide chain points and align with general enterprise wants,” GM spokesman Kevin Kelly stated in a press release supplied on Sept. 16. “The plant is predicted to renew regular operations on Oct. 20.
Plant govt Eric Shelhorn and UAW Native 2250 chairman Jon Daughterty notified workers in a letter posted to the union’s web site on Sept. 12.
“Though this momentary layoff will have an effect on nearly all of our workforce on all three shifts, expert trades, stamping, physique store, last course of and people teams that assist these departments might have work accessible throughout this time,” the letter learn.
GM would not present specifics on what half or elements had been inflicting the scarcity, and I desperately need to know what elements are shared between the comparatively new Canyon/Colorado and the Specific, which has been comparatively unchanged for almost 30 years.
Reverse: Conducting nothing collectively!
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On the radio: Elon John – Amoreena
There is not any higher solution to get by the center of the week than with slightly Elton John. Am I proper or am I proper?
