u/Gullible-Pick-268

American Honda has electrified the CR-V and Accord but not the smaller HR-V and Acura ADX, even though all four vehicles share the same architecture.

There’s no technical barrier to making hybrid versions of the HR-V and ADX, executives said, but they were noncommittal on timing as the automaker prioritizes cost in the entry-level crossover segment.

“We won’t talk about when and if hybrids are coming in those vehicles, but I don’t know that there’s any reason why not,” Gary Robinson, American Honda product planning chief, told Automotive News at Monterey Car Week.The cost equation remains a primary consideration.

“It’s a cost-conscious segment so there’s always a little bit of a challenge there, specifically on the Honda side,” Robinson said.

That caution comes as hybrid competition intensifies. In the mainstream subcompact class, the Kia Niro, Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid all offer significantly higher fuel economy than Honda’s gasoline-only HR-V.

McLaren is exploring establishing “experience centers” in top luxury hubs such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

The corporate-owned locations will be less about selling McLarens than promoting brand culture and racing heritage. The stores will host customer events and potentially offer certain personalization services, according to a person briefed on the plan. 

The initiative aligns with CEO Nick Collins’ longer-term goal of elevating McLaren’s mind share, not merely its market share. 

“I want to be the brand that people are talking about — the products that people are falling in love with,” Collins told Automotive News. “I’m not sitting there going, ‘In the U.S. in 24 months, we want to sell X vehicles.’ I want the enthusiasm, the engagement, the awareness growing over that period of time.”

It's part of a broader expansion plan a market that now accounts for more than half of global sales.

Collins sees room for five to 10 additional dealerships in the U.S. over the next two years, which would beef up the brand’s current network of 27 U.S. stores by up to 40 percent. Fast-growing Sun Belt states such as Florida, Texas, Tennessee and Nevada are expected to capture most of the new points.

Personalization through McLaren Special Operations represents another high-margin growth opportunity.

To capture more of this business, McLaren aims to make its bespoke offerings more accessible to U.S. customers instead of requiring trips to Woking, England, or relying on traveling specialists. “We want to move closer with [McLaren Special Operations] to the customer by having representation in the market,” McLaren Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer said.

The retail push coincides with a product offensive that will take McLaren well beyond its traditional rear-engine, two-seat niche. At a dealer meeting late last year, the company outlined a cadence of at least one new model annually through 2028. It begins with the W1 hypercar, followed by an 800-hp V-6 hybrid coupe and a 2+2 grand tourer. In 2028, McLaren plans to introduce a V-8 hybrid five-seater.

“This brand can be so many more things than it’s been historically,. We can do everything we’ve done, but even more of it, and even better, and we can do some other things," Collins said, declining to discuss specific future products.

A Polestar retailer in New Jersey has accused the electric-vehicle maker of using a government sales ban as cover for an intentional withdrawal from the U.S. market.

Prestige Imports filed a lawsuit seeking at least $25 million in damages, a declaration that Polestar violated New Jersey’s Franchise Practices Act, payment of the franchise’s fair market value, and five years of continued parts and warranty support.

Polestar has said the U.S. Commerce Department banned it from selling vehicles as part of a prohibition on Chinese-linked connected-vehicle technology. Prestige said the automaker had planned its exit the U.S. for two years and “maneuvered the [government] into a ban” to facilitate its departure.

The complaint asserts that Polestar was offered the same exemption that Geely stablemate Volvo Cars received a month earlier but that Polestar declined and refused to appeal.

The suit cites Sen. Bernie Moreno, a former auto dealer, who has said Polestar was treated no differently from Volvo.

“Polestar was screwed by Polestar. It wasn’t screwed by the U.S. government,” Moreno, an Ohio Republican, told CBT News in July.

“Volvo was given a list of items that they needed to follow in order to comply,” he said. “It was a very exhaustive and tough list that Volvo had to follow. Volvo chose to follow it.”

Polestar, on the other hand, used the restrictions as “a convenient excuse” after losing $30,000 to $35,000 on each vehicle sold in the U.S., the senator said.

“By blaming the Department of Commerce, they think they can bypass lawsuits from dealers and call it a force majeure clause,” Moreno said. “That’s obviously just a scam on dealers.”

Prestige Imports’ lawsuit says Volvo actively made its case to U.S. officials and highlighted substantial American manufacturing investment while Polestar did not.

It points to a recent comment from Sweden’s foreign trade minister, Benjamin Dousa.

“I was personally very involved in the Volvo Cars issue and traveled with CEO Hakan Samuelsson to Washington and did what I could to ensure that the company would receive its license,” Dousa is quoted as saying. “But Polestar has not asked for help.”

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Nissan is gaining U.S. retail market share faster than most competitors, but its rising momentum has a cost. The Japanese automaker has dialed up incentive spending in recent months to sustain that growth.

In July, as most rivals cut back on promotions, Nissan’s average incentives rose to $4,005 per vehicle — 14 percent higher than a year earlier, according to Motor Intelligence data. The average for all automakers dropped 10 percent to $3,202.

The Nissan brand’s total incentive spending climbed 15 percent to $284 million last month as the industrywide sum dropped 11 percent to $4.4 billion. Nissan’s increase contrasted with cutbacks of 35 percent by Toyota, 14 percent by Honda and 8 percent by Hyundai.

Nissan U.S. sales chief Tiago Castro attributed the higher spending to the brand’s strategy of chasing retail growth with more profitable U.S.-built vehicles.

Those crossovers and pickups carry higher sticker prices, Castro said, and thus require more incentive dollars to move off dealership lots. Offering interest-free financing on a $60,000 vehicle is more expensive than on a $30,000 one, Castro told Automotive News.

Although Nissan’s incentive spending climbed in the spring and summer, its total for 2026 is 2.2 percent lower than the same period last year.

The Nissan division is focusing its firepower on the high-volume, U.S.-built utility vehicles driving retail share gains while reducing deals on sedans. The automaker also has concentrated advertising on the models it builds locally and adjusted dealer compensation programs to prioritize them.

Nissan’s incentive spending jumped 25 percent year over year on light trucks in July, according to Motor Intelligence, while plunging 43 percent on cars. Spending on the compact Rogue crossover nearly doubled to $125.7 million — more than 40 percent of Nissan’s entire outlay for the month. Sales of the crossover rose 47 percent in July. The Rogue is Nissan’s top seller and its most-leased nameplate, which necessarily raises the cost of incentives, Castro said.

Spending on the Armada SUV more than tripled as Nissan redirected Middle East volume to the U.S. in the wake of the Iran war. July sales rose 40 percent from a year earlier to 2,107. Frontier pickup incentives totaled nearly $40.5 million last month, up 67 percent year over year.

McLaren teased a new class of ultra-exclusive, heritage-bound supercars with a racy concept at Monterey Car Week. The lightweight McL 6GT delivers the brand’s first proper manual gearbox since the 1992 F1 and previews a production car expected in the second half of 2028.

The concept was revealed Aug. 13 at a posh venue overlooking Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Pacific Ocean.

McLaren Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer said the production car will look similar to the concept.“Some details will need to be adapted,” the executive told Automotive News.

Production of that future model, internally codenamed P50, is expected to be limited to about 500 units and start at about $1.5 million, people familiar with the plans told Automotive News.

McLaren last year revealed to retailers plans for a line of “Maverick” vehicles — limited-run specials honoring the company’s racing heritage. The new model line, still unnamed, will sit above the brand’s core Artura and Supercar series.

The new line will reinforce the brand’s sports car roots. Focus will be on the driving experience rather than top speed and performance specs, said one of the people.

McLaren is targeting a “subset of supercar owners”, Wilhelmsmeyer said. For customers, seeking a collectible car of this kind, authenticity and purity are critical, he said.

Personalization through McLaren Special Operations (MSO) will play a key role, and the limited volume makes the car “attractive to an audience who want to be part of an exclusive community,” Wilhelmsmeyer said.

A Polestar retailer in New Jersey has accused the electric-vehicle maker of using a government sales ban as cover for an intentional withdrawal from the U.S. market.

Prestige Imports filed a lawsuit seeking at least $25 million in damages, a declaration that Polestar violated New Jersey’s Franchise Practices Act, payment of the franchise’s fair market value, and five years of continued parts and warranty support.

Polestar has said the U.S. Commerce Department banned it from selling vehicles as part of a prohibition on Chinese-linked connected-vehicle technology. Prestige said the automaker had planned its exit the U.S. for two years and “maneuvered the [government] into a ban” to facilitate its departure.

The complaint asserts that Polestar was offered the same exemption that Geely stablemate Volvo Cars received a month earlier but that Polestar declined and refused to appeal.

The suit cites Sen. Bernie Moreno, a former auto dealer, who has said Polestar was treated no differently from Volvo.

“Polestar was screwed by Polestar. It wasn’t screwed by the U.S. government,” Moreno, an Ohio Republican, told CBT News in July.

“Volvo was given a list of items that they needed to follow in order to comply,” he said. “It was a very exhaustive and tough list that Volvo had to follow. Volvo chose to follow it.”

Polestar, on the other hand, used the restrictions as “a convenient excuse” after losing $30,000 to $35,000 on each vehicle sold in the U.S., the senator said.

“By blaming the Department of Commerce, they think they can bypass lawsuits from dealers and call it a force majeure clause,” Moreno said. “That’s obviously just a scam on dealers.”

Prestige Imports’ lawsuit says Volvo actively made its case to U.S. officials and highlighted substantial American manufacturing investment while Polestar did not.

It points to a recent comment from Sweden’s foreign trade minister, Benjamin Dousa.

“I was personally very involved in the Volvo Cars issue and traveled with CEO Hakan Samuelsson to Washington and did what I could to ensure that the company would receive its license,” Dousa is quoted as saying. “But Polestar has not asked for help.”

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Nissan is gaining U.S. retail market share faster than most competitors, but its rising momentum has a cost. The Japanese automaker has dialed up incentive spending in recent months to sustain that growth.

In July, as most rivals cut back on promotions, Nissan’s average incentives rose to $4,005 per vehicle — 14 percent higher than a year earlier, according to Motor Intelligence data. The average for all automakers dropped 10 percent to $3,202. The Nissan brand’s total incentive spending climbed 15 percent to $284 million last month as the industrywide sum dropped 11 percent to $4.4 billion. Nissan’s increase contrasted with cutbacks of 35 percent by Toyota, 14 percent by Honda and 8 percent by Hyundai.

Nissan U.S. sales chief Tiago Castro attributed the higher spending to the brand’s strategy of chasing retail growth with more profitable U.S.-built vehicles.

Those crossovers and pickups carry higher sticker prices, Castro said, and thus require more incentive dollars to move off dealership lots. Offering interest-free financing on a $60,000 vehicle is more expensive than on a $30,000 one, Castro told Automotive News.

Although Nissan’s incentive spending climbed in the spring and summer, its total for 2026 is 2.2 percent lower than the same period last year.

The Nissan division is focusing its firepower on the high-volume, U.S.-built utility vehicles driving retail share gains while reducing deals on sedans. The automaker also has concentrated advertising on the models it builds locally and adjusted dealer compensation programs to prioritize them.

Nissan’s incentive spending jumped 25 percent year over year on light trucks in July, according to Motor Intelligence, while plunging 43 percent on cars. Spending on the compact Rogue crossover nearly doubled to $125.7 million — more than 40 percent of Nissan’s entire outlay for the month. Sales of the crossover rose 47 percent in July. The Rogue is Nissan’s top seller and its most-leased nameplate, which necessarily raises the cost of incentives, Castro said.

Spending on the Armada SUV more than tripled as Nissan redirected Middle East volume to the U.S. in the wake of the Iran war. July sales rose 40 percent from a year earlier to 2,107. Frontier pickup incentives totaled nearly $40.5 million last month, up 67 percent year over year.

The Polestar 7 won't launch until 2028, but we should get a preview of the model when the Volvo EX50 launches next year.

Both compact crossovers will ride on the SPA3 platform and built at Volvo's new factory in Kosice, Slovakia.

The EX50 is expected to replace the EX40 in the United States as Volvo’s entry-level electric offering, people with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News.

Priced in the high $40,000s, the new model is taller and longer than the EX40. The automaker is targeting first-year U.S. sales of up to 10,000 units, according to one of the people. That estimate could shift if Volvo prioritizes production for Europe.

Codenamed V326, the EX50 is scheduled to enter production in spring 2027. It will launch operations at Volvo’s $1.25 billion factory in Kosice, Slovakia, a plant with an annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles.

The EX50 leads a conga line of mostly battery-powered products headed to U.S. dealerships, including a full-size three-row hybrid flagship in early 2029 and potentially a midsize electric sedan and wagon in late 2028.

Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson has emphasized deeper collaboration with Geely Holding Group stablemates Polestar, Zeekr and Lynk & Co to reach a wider audience without significant additional product investment. 

Matthew Haiken, owner of Prestige Volvo in East Hanover, N.J., sees a strong resemblance between the EX50 and the Polestar 7 compact crossover due in 2028. Volvo will build the Polestar 7 at its Slovakia factory.

Haiken, also a Polestar retailer, called the prospect of having a Polestar 7 derivative as a Volvo “both exciting and a little disappointing.” 

“At least I know Volvo will get a competitive product that gives us real differentiation from Tesla and hopefully a sliver of their market share.”

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Volvo Cars is betting heavily on local production of its XC60 crossover to address both sluggish U.S. demand for its electrified vehicles and chronic underutilization of its South Carolina factory.

Production of the XC60, slated to begin in January, initially will boost output by more than two-thirds at the troubled Ridgeville assembly plant near Charleston.

“We are producing around 30,000 cars and [XC60] will bring at least another 20,000 to start with,” Volvo Cars Americas President Luis Rezende told Automotive News. “It’s going to be at least a full shift, and it’s a fantastic preparation for what is coming next. Charleston will be very, very busy.”

The automaker's sole U.S. plant has run at roughly 15 percent capacity since S60 production ended in 2024.

A three-row hybrid beginning production in late 2028 would push the factory far closer to its 150,000-vehicle capacity.

The XC60 remains one of Volvo’s U.S. franchise players, accounting for 37 percent of the brand’s first-half sales. Next year, the crossover is getting freshened with styling updates, a more powerful engine and a significantly larger battery for the T8 plug-in hybrid that will more than double its 35-mile electric range.

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Volvo is taking another crack at Tesla’s sweet spot with the EX50, a new compact crossover due to reach showrooms in fall 2027.

The EX50 is expected to replace the EX40 in the United States as Volvo’s entry-level electric offering, people with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News.

Priced in the high $40,000s, the new model is taller and longer than the EX40, which starts at $56,545 with shipping.

The automaker is targeting first-year U.S. sales of up to 10,000 units, according to one of the people. That estimate could shift if Volvo prioritizes production for Europe.

Volvo also plans to offer the EX50 in Canada, though it remains unclear whether the EX40 will be discontinued in that market.

Developed on the new SPA3 platform under the code name V326, the EX50 is scheduled to enter production in spring 2027. It will launch operations at Volvo’s $1.25 billion factory in Kosice, Slovakia, a plant with an annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles.

AutoForecast Solutions estimates full-year EX50 production at about 90,000 units.

The EX50 leads a conga line of mostly battery-powered products headed to U.S. dealerships, including a full-size three-row hybrid flagship in early 2029 and potentially a midsize electric sedan and wagon in late 2028.

Mercedes-Benz says it’s closely monitoring bipartisan U.S. legislation that could restrict or ban sales of connected vehicles by automakers with more than 15 percent Chinese ownership. 

CEO Ola Källenius on July 28 said the company’s two Chinese shareholders — Beijing Automotive Group and Geely founder Li Shufu — pose no governance risk and that the company is prepared to adapt so it can stay in the U.S., the world’s second-largest vehicle market. 

“We are not naive about the geopolitical environment and the current competition between the United States and China,” Källenius said, noting neither Chinese shareholder has board representation or decision-making authority. “They are by no means acting in consort."

His comments come as Congress is working on legislation that seeks to codify and expand restrictions on Chinese-linked connected-vehicle technology and ownership, reflecting national security concerns that such systems could enable surveillance or pose other risks. The legislation would ban companies with more than 15 percent ownership by Chinese entities from selling vehicles in the U.S.

Mercedes exceeds that threshold. State-owned Beijing Automotive, Mercedes’ Chinese joint venture partner, holds nearly 10 percent in the German automaker. Meanwhile, Geely’s Shufu also owns nearly 10 percent of Mercedes’ equity, which together would push the automaker above the 15 percent threshold.

“We’re watching very closely what’s happening in [the] legislative arena and on the ground. We’re deeply involved in conversations surrounding this,” Källenius said. “If we need to make adjustments to comply with anything, we will make sure that we protect our presence and our business in the U.S.”

Mercedes’ lobbying efforts include lobbying to raise the amount of permitted Chinese ownership to 25 percent and exploring a qualitative national security risk test instead of a numerical cutoff.

Mercedes-Benz is set to deliver 37 new or significantly updated models worldwide by the end of 2027. More than half will still have combustion engines, while 17 are fully electric.

The product offensive is designed to reignite growth and reclaim momentum in a cutthroat global market. Mercedes executives are targeting a return to 2 million global sales next year, with the biggest gains anticipated from North America.

In the U.S., the brand is chasing an ambitious 400,000 annual retail sales by the end of the decade. This year, it’s gunning for a 7 percent jump, to about 325,000.

The retail strategy hinges on a rapid-fire product rollout, including new electric variants of the CLA and C-Class sedans and face-lifts of the GLE and GLS utility models.

Here’s Mercedes US product roadmap thru 2030.

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Mercedes-Benz is counting on the U.S. to help offset steep losses in China while navigating an era of higher tariffs and volatile global trade.

Global sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division fell 7 percent in the first half of 2026, dragged down by stiff competition in China. Excluding the world’s largest auto market, the company posted modest growth of 3 percent, Mercedes-Benz sales chief Mathias Geisen told Automotive News.

“Right now we cannot compensate for what we lose in China,” Geisen said. ”It’s a very aggressive market environment over there. “For the German automaker, the U.S. and European markets have emerged as relative bright spots.

In the second quarter, sales rose 4 percent in Europe and 10 percent in the U.S., helping offset a 30 percent slide in China.

Mercedes is targeting a 7 percent increase in U.S. retail sales this year, to about 325,000 passenger vehicles.

Longer term, Mercedes is aiming for 400,000 annual U.S. sales by the end of the decade, 32 percent more than last year’s volume of 303,200.

Geisen is optimistic the U.S. will deliver for the business.It ”may be a bumpy road and … difficult getting from here to there,” he said.

To fuel U.S. gains and blunt tariff exposure, Mercedes will begin building the GLC in Vance, Ala., in the coming years. The move is part of a $4 billion investment in the Alabama plant through 2030.

U.S. tariffs cost Mercedes-Benz about $1.2 billion last year. Vehicles produced in Alabama are largely shielded, but imported models and components remain exposed.

“A world where you had more or less free trade is over. Local production is becoming more and more important.”

Honda is considering a lifted Accord hatchback that would offer more utility, a higher driving position and cargo versatility for a sedan-like price.

The midsize model, called the “Accord SUV” in a Honda planning document, is expected to enter production in mid-2029, potentially in Marysville, Ohio, a person with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News.

The vehicle would arrive alongside a redesigned Accord sedan. Both versions of the nameplate would feature Honda’s next-generation hybrid powertrain.

Building on the Accord platform would avoid heavy R&D spending. The sedan’s long wheelbase provides a capable foundation for a small crossover-style derivative that would have a large rear hatch, bigger wheels and tires, and roughly a 2-inch suspension lift.

Honda’s Accord variant is a counterpunch to Subaru’s success in the crossover space. The strategy aims to create a compelling middle ground for buyers who seek** **the utility of a wagon without committing to a full crossover.

“Automakers are hunting for entry price points they can win at,” said a Honda dealer.* *“Could Honda bring a quasi-SUV that delivers real utility capability at sedan-level pricing?”

Acura intends to revive a decades-old ambition with a three-row utility vehicle that would anchor the top of its North American lineup.

The flagship, positioned above the midsize MDX, is scheduled to enter production in September 2029 at a Honda factory in Lincoln, Ala., people with knowledge of Honda’s production plans told Automotive News. The automaker is forecasting annual volumes of up to 40,000.

The model, referred to as ‘Acura XL’ in a Honda document, is expected to carry a new large-vehicle hybrid powertrain to deliver premium performance and efficiency.

Rumors of the potential Acura flagship recently have circulated among the brand’s retail network.

There are customers who want a full-size luxury utility offering a combination of performance capability and cargo capacity, said a dealer. “I hope it’s a full-fledged large SUV that gives us the ability to compete against Tahoe, Expedition, Escalade,” the person said. “If it’s on a body-on-frame platform, or an extended wheelbase, not only do you get three rows, but you get added cargo space.”

The addition is sorely needed. Acura’s U.S. lineup will shrivel to only three nameplates, with Honda scrapping several planned electric vehicles as part of a strategic pivot toward hybrids.

A larger three-row Acura would directly compete with the TX and provide a more attainable alternative to large but pricey European flagships such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7 and upcoming Audi Q9.

Volvo Cars, which spent the past year reshaping its U.S. portfolio into an all-crossover lineup, is weighing a return to midsize cars with a pair of electric models.

The Swedish automaker is studying a midsize sedan and station wagon that could arrive in U.S. showrooms in 2028, a person briefed on the discussions told Automotive News.

The electric models would carry the familiar 60- or 70-series badging and be built in Europe. A rugged Cross Country variant of the wagon also is possible.

Both models would ride on Volvo’s versatile scalable platform architecture, or SPA3, which debuted on the EX60 crossover and uses advanced 800-volt architecture for quicker charging.

Expectations would be modest; Volvo believes the vehicles, likely to start in the low $50,000s, potentially would generate incremental volume of only about 10,000 sales annually in a challenging U.S. EV market.

Volvo is considering the idea while also planning to expand at the higher-volume end of its U.S. lineup. In 2029, the automaker will introduce a three-row utility vehicle larger than the XC90 to compete with luxury flagships such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7.