+++ GENERAL MOTORS has reported a dip in fourth-quarter U.S. auto sales, reflecting a sharp decline in electric vehicle transactions amid a broader slowing car market. But the U.S. auto giant also achieved an annual sales increase, pointing to growth in pickups and crossovers sales as evidence of resonance with consumers despite offering lower incentives than the industry average. The Detroit giant reported 703.000 deliveries in the final quarter of 2025, a drop from the year prior of 6.9 percent, in a period characterized by tepid consumer confidence surveys. Other carmakers to report a drop in U.S. sales in the fourth quarter included Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen, while Toyota and Stellantis were higher. Analysts at Cox Automotive had estimated a 4.7 percent drop in overall U.S. car sales in the fourth quarter, with concerns about a weakening job market, high interest rates and cost-of-living pressures weighing on sentiment. A driver of GM’s decline was a pronounced fall in EV sales from the third quarter, when consumers raced to take advantage of a $7,500 tax credit that expired at the end of September, earlier than initially intended due to legislation championed by president Donald Trump. EV sales at GM were 25.219 in the October to December period, less than half the level in the third quarter of 2025. GM’s annual sales were 2.8 million, up 5.5 percent from 2024. Among the vehicles with sizable gains were the Chevrolet Equinox, a SUV, and the GMC Sierra line of pickup trucks. “Demand for our products is strong at every price point and we are well-positioned to build on this momentum in the year ahead”, said GM senior vice president Duncan Aldred. At Toyota, fourth-quarter sales rose about 8 percent to 652.195, in line with annual growth of comparable percentage. Total sales were 2.5 million for 2025. Toyota models with significant sales increases included the Grand Highlander SUV and Tacoma pickup. Stellantis, meanwhile, scored a 4 percent increase in the fourth-quarter to 332.321, helping to reduce the size of its annual drop after a number of weak quarters. Stellantis annual sales fell 3 percent to 1.3 million. “With consecutive quarterly sales increases and market share growth, it’s clear that we are taking the right steps to reset our business in the U.S.”, said Jeff Kommor, head of U.S. retail sales, who pointed to 5 new vehicle launches scheduled for 2026. Throughout 2025, automakers were faced with a fast-changing policy environment as Trump announced myriad tariff actions and moved to gut climate measures enacted under predecessor Joe Biden. Tariff costs did not lead to significant hikes in retail prices in 2025, in part because dealers were selling autos from inventory. However, analysts say consumers may see greater car price hikes in 2026 due to tariffs, potentially affecting demand. Cox estimates that U.S. sales will come in at 15.8 million in 2026, or 2.4 percent below its projection for 2025 sales. +++
+++ The combined new automobile sales of 6 automakers from JAPAN in the U.S. market in 2025 rose 2.4% from the previous year to 6.02 million units. Demand spiked early in the year ahead of the introduction of additional auto tariffs by president Donald Trump’s administration, and spending by wealthy consumers remained steady thanks to a bullish stock market. The Japanese automakers saw stronger sales of their popular hybrid vehicles. Toyota, Honda and Nissan posted sales increases, while Subaru, Mazda and Mitsubishi logged decreases. Larger automakers with broad line-ups spanning varying price points are seen to have taken the upper hand amid the growing economic disparity among U.S. consumers. Toyota sold 2.52 million units, up 8.0%. Demand was robust for its flagship models such as the RAV4 as well as the Camry and Corolla, according to a company official. Its Lexus luxury vehicle brand posted a record high for units sold in the U.S. market. Honda logged a 0.5% increase to 1.43 million units, securing sales growth on a full-year basis despite seeing recent sluggishness caused by a semiconductor shortage. Nissan sold 926.153 units, up 0.2%. Subaru’s sales fell 3.6% to 643.591 units. Sales declined 3.3% to 410.346 units at Mazda and dropped 13.7% to 94,754 units at Mitsubishi. +++
+++ Usually, when a car approaches the end of its life cycle, its popularity begins to wane. However, sales figures show that the beloved MAZDA MX-5 doesn’t follow that trend. It’s easy to see why, since the MX-5 doesn’t have a direct rival, although some buyers do cross-shop it with the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86. Sales data confirms that 2025 was a great year for the sporty convertible in the United States, broadly in line with previous levels. Mazda is happy to report that demand for the MX-5 spiked by 7.7 percent last year, reaching 8.727 units. The BRZ we mentioned earlier mustered only 2.882 sales, while the GR86 had the best year of the three, with 9.940 units delivered. It’s important to note that the 4th generation has been around for a decade, as the ND originally went on sale in the third quarter of 2015. The fact that demand hasn’t really tapered off is a testament to its unique positioning in the shrinking sports car market. A look back at how the MX-5 ND has fared in the U.S. over the years shows that 2017 was the model’s best year, with 11.294 units sold. Although Mazda couldn’t match that performance last year, the result is still solid given the vehicle’s venerable age. Looking ahead, Mazda hasn’t said when the next MX-5 will be released. The ND3’s launch in 2024 suggests this generation is sticking around for a few more years. Regardless of whether a rotary-powered sports car in the mould of past RX models ever materializes, the Japanese automaker has already confirmed that the MX-5 will continue. Based on details shared through official sources, the next-generation model could be even lighter than the ND. A little over a year ago, Design Division General Manager Masashi Nakayama said the target is to keep the weight below 1.000 kilograms. Mazda has also hinted at giving the MX-5 a new, larger 2.5-liter Skyactiv-Z engine, paired with a manual gearbox. The company’s Chief Technical Officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, has already assured purists that the new engine won’t be turbocharged, at least not in the next Miata. Since the Skyactiv-Z engine isn’t due until the end of 2027, we’re not expecting the new roadster to arrive before 2028 at the earliest. +++
+++ NISSAN has chosen the name Wave for its version of the Renault Twingo electric city car and will rework the design with influence from its Pike retro cars. The Wave is due next year and will be built by Renault alongside the Twingo. It is expected to hit the same €21.000 price point as the Twingo, thanks to the use of cheaper, lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry for its 27.5 kWh battery. Nissan Europe head of design Giovanny Arroba has told the car’s design will be inspired by Nissan’s late-1980s and early-1990s retro small cars known as Pike cars, after the firm’s Pike Factory special project group. The Wave name was confirmed by a separate source at Nissan, after Autointenationaal.nl made it public last summer. The Pike cars were based on the first-generation Micra and sparked instant affection in Japan and beyond for their exaggerated references to 1950s automotive design, with details such as exposed hinges, side strakes and prominent door handles. The first (the Be-1) generated so many orders when it was shown at the 1985 Tokyo motor show that Nissan had to run a lottery to choose who got to buy the 10.000 destined for production. The Twingo itself has been given a retro flavour in reference to the original 1990s car. That has given Nissan a good basis on which to stamp the Wave with its own personality without having to make too many expensive changes, similar to the Renault 5-based Micra. How deep Nissan will go in replicating the Pike cars’ look remains to be seen but the company will have noted how successfully its Alliance partner Renault has leveraged retro appeal with the 5 and 4 small electric cars. Using the shortened version of the Ampr Small platform, the Wave will be the same size as the 3.79 meter-long Twingo and is also likely to match that car’s 270 km range. Nissan will benefit from many of Renault’s cost-cutting achievements with the Twingo, including a claimed development time of just 21 months, speedier production from a reduced part count and a low-cost battery sourced from CATL. The Japanese firm has not competed in the European city car segment since it axed the Indian-built Pixo in 2013 but small cars are now attractive again after the European Union agreed to give makers of small EVs ‘super-credits’ worth 1.3 EV sales to boost regional manufacturing. +++
+++ SPORTSCARS have never been big sellers in the United States. They serve a niche segment of the market willing to live with certain compromises in order to enjoy a specific driving experience. Still, fewer customers than are making that choice as sports car sales largely cratered last year, even as some models saw increases. The Ford Mustang remains America’s best-selling sports car by a wide margin. Sales for the iconic pony car were up 3.0 percent last year. The same can’t be said for the Chevrolet Corvette, which saw its sales tumble 26.4 percent over the last 12 months. Dodge, which discontinued the 2-door Challenger in December 2023 and replaced it with coupe and sedan versions of the new Charger, sold a fraction of the cars it did in 2024. Sales of the Charger / Challenger were down by more than 80 percent last year. The Nissan Z outsold the Toyota Supra nearly 2-to-1, even though Supra sales increased 12.9 percent. Z sales also climbed, jumping 73.4 percent to 5.487 units. The Mazda MX-5 was the only other sports car to see its sales increase in 2025, rising 7.7 percent. Volkswagen’s popular hot hatch isn’t as affordable as it used to be, and its sales reflect that. Golf GTI and Golf R sales were down 24.4 percent and 20.9 percent, respectively, last year. Tariffs pushed the Golf R’s price past the $50.000 mark, while the Golf GTI now costs nearly $36.000, about $6.000 more than it did for 2020. Subaru WRX sales also tanked last year, falling 41.1 percent. The automaker explained in July that it was prioritizing production of the Forester (Hybrid) over the sedan at its Gunma Prefecture manufacturing facility in Japan, and it doesn’t look like that directive changed. Last year also saw Subaru increase the starting price of the BRZ for 2025 by nearly $1.000 for no real reason, although the coupe now comes with a Sport mode for manual-equipped models. Sales for the BRZ fell by 13.8 percent last year to just 2.881, about a third of the GR86. While Toyota saw Supra sales jump in 2025, the mechanically similar BMW Z4 basically held steady, with sales dropping by less than 1.0 percent. Toyota sold about 500 more Supras than BMW sold Z4s. +++
+++ Given everything that has gone on at STELLANTIS over the past year, 2025 could have been far worse. Full sales results for the company’s U.S. operations are out, and the automotive conglomerate ended the year down just 3 percent overall. Deliveries slipped to 1.260.344 units, weighed down primarily by Alfa Romeo, Dodge and Fiat, all of which posted double-digit declines. Alfa Romeo suffered the most, with shipments plunging by a whopping 36 percent to just 5.652 vehicles. The aging Giulia and Stelvio fell by 41 percent, while the smaller Tonale declined by 29 percent. The outlook isn’t encouraging, either, given the brand’s thin product pipeline over the coming years. Moving on to Dodge, 2025 was also a challenging year. Shipments fell by 28 percent to 101.927 units. The ancient Durango continued to do the heavy lifting, jumping 37 percent to 81.168 vehicles. By the numbers, the Durango accounted for nearly 80 percent of all Dodge sales in the U.S. last year. Dodge’s Tonale equivalent, the Hornet, had an abysmal year, with sales falling off a cliff. Sales of the Americanized Alfa dropped by 54 percent to 9.365 vehicles. That doesn’t come as a surprise, as production of the Hornet was postponed in July due to tariffs. It remains unclear whether the Hornet will even receive a facelift like the Tonale did last year. Even if it does, it’s hard to believe a mid-cycle update would move the needle. Fiat sits at the bottom of Stellantis’ U.S. sales rankings for 2025 after delivering just 1.321 vehicles, down 14 percent from the previous year. Demand for the adorable 500e electric city car, the sole-surviving model, isn’t great, and the upcoming arrival of the even smaller Topolino is unlikely to make a meaningful difference. Another Stellantis brand that declined last year was Ram, albeit by only 2 percent, to 431.670 vehicles. Chrysler, by contrast, edged up by 1 percent to 126.373 units, while Jeep also posted a 1 percent gain, reaching 593.401 vehicles. +++
+++ TOYOTA had a strong 2025 in North America, with demand climbing 8.1 percent to 2.147.811 vehicles. While SUVs and pick-up trucks predictably carried much of the load, pun intended, demand for regular cars remains healthy. Even though the Corolla is aging, its popularity persists. The larger Camry continues to hold down the sedan segment, while the Prius is enjoying a resurgence. The compact Corolla grew 6.5 percent to 248.088 vehicles, excluding the Corolla Cross, which Toyota lists separately at just under 100.000 units. Corolla sales do account for the hatchback, and, by extension, the sporty GR Corolla. The Camry had an excellent year as well, with demand rising 2 percent to 316.185 vehicles, making it Toyota’s second-best-selling model in the U.S., only behind the RAV4. The omnipresent SUV grew 0.9 percent to 479.288 units, despite the outgoing generation being phased out as the new model arrived in December. 2025 was a record year for the Corolla Hybrid, GR Corolla and Camry Hybrid. While the Prius no longer dominates as it did a decade ago, it still posted a notable 26.3 percent increase to 56,488 vehicles. Even Lexus’ aging IS saw modest growth, up 4.1 percent to 19.714 units. Meanwhile, the outgoing ES dropped 7.5 percent to 39.926 units ahead of the next-generation model’s arrival later this year. The flagship LS is on its way out, and saw sales cut in half in 2025 to just 1.082 examples. The success of its SUVs helped Toyota’s luxury division post record sales, reaching 370.260 vehicles last year or 7.1 percent more than in 2024. +++
+++ The shortlist for the WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR is out and the Hyundai Motor Group (that includes Kia) is already looking like a front-runner. With 4 vehicles in the running, the company holds a 40 percent shot at taking home the main prize. Alongside the headline award, the competition has also named finalists for World Electric Vehicle, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Urban Car, and World Car Design of the Year. The most coveted title, World Car of the Year, will be presented live on April 1st at the New York Auto Show. A jury of 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries cast their votes via ballot. Among the finalists are the Audi Q5 and SQ5, BMW iX3, BYD Seal 6 DM-i, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Hyundai Palisade, Kia EV4, Kia EV5, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Nissan Leaf and Toyota RAV4. Notably, the Hyundai Motor Group is the only automaker with multiple entries on the list. It also bodes well given that the Kia EV3 took the top prize last year. And in case it slipped by, not a single finalist comes from an American brand. The World Electric Vehicle category features a slightly tighter list: Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron, BMW iX3, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Nissan Leaf. The Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron is also in the running for World Luxury Car. There, it’s joined by the internal combustion Audi A6/S6, the Cadillac Vistiq, Lucid Gravity and the Volvo ES90. When it comes to performance, the shortlist tightens even more. There, the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is joined by the BMW M2 CS, Land Rover Defender Octa, Hyundai Ioniq 6 N and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro. In the World Urban Car category, Chinese automakers dominate the field. Finalists include the Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV, the Firefly from Nio and the Wuling Binguo / Ari Poly. Rounding out the list are the Hyundai Venue and the Alfa Romeo Junior. Rounding out the awards will be the 2026 World Car Design of the Year. The Firefly, Kia PV5, Lynk & Co 08, Mazda 6e/ EZ-6, and Volvo ES90 have been named as the finalists. +++