Security researchers have discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the infotainment units used in some Skoda cars that could allow malicious actors to remotely trigger certain controls and track the cars’ location in real time. PCAutomotive, a cybersecurity firm specializing in the automotive sector, unveiled 12 new security vulnerabilities impacting the latest model of the Skoda Superb […]
Even with this strategic change, you can expect to see a lot of EV options in the coming years.
Here's a collection of cool EVs — including small hatchbacks, pickups, sports cars, and minivans — that we can't wait to drive.
Audi Q6 e-tron
The 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron.
Audi
The Audi Q6 e-tron is the 11th battery electric model to join the brand's lineup and marks the debut of Audi's all-new EV platform.
With a 100-kWh battery pack, the Q6 e-tron is rated by the Environmental Protection Agency for 321 miles of range. The Q6 e-tron with Quattro all-wheel drive has 456 horsepower and can do 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. There's also a higher-performance SQ6 e-tron.
The Q6 e-tron starts at $63,800.
Cadillac Vistiq
A 2026 Cadillac Vistiq electric SUV.
Cadillac
The Cadillac Vistiq, starting at $77,400, is a three-row midsize luxury electric SUV positioned between the smaller Lyriq and the flagship Escalade IQ.
Cadillac says the Vistiq will have a range of about 300 miles with a 102-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. With dual electric motors generating 615 horsepower, it can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
Production at GM's Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant is expected to start in early 2025.
Canoo pickup truck
A Canoo electric pickup truck.
Canoo
The Texas-based startup EV maker Canoo unveiled its electric pickup in 2021, but there hasn't been much news about the innovative cab-forward truck since. So it's unclear when it will go into production. What we do know is intriguing, including 600 horsepower, 200-plus miles of range, and an ultraconfigurable truck bed.
Hyundai Ioniq 9
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Hyundai
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is an all-electric midsize three-row family SUV set to go on sale in the first half of 2025. Built on the Electric Global Modular Platform platform, which also underpins the Kia EV9, the Ioniq 9 features a 110.3-kWh battery pack and an estimated range of 385 miles.
Kia EV4
The Kia EV4 concept car.
Kia
The Kia EV4 is a concept for a stylish compact EV sedan that debuted at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show. Kia has not confirmed that the EV4 will enter production. But Car and Driver believes it could arrive as early as 2026 with up to 300 miles of range and a starting price of about $39,000.
Lotus Emeya
The Lotus Emeya.
Lotus Cars
The Lotus Emeya is a high-performance four-door GT with as much as 905 horsepower. According to Lotus, the Chinese-built EV can do 0 to 62 mph in 2.78 seconds and has a top speed of 159 mph.
Lucid Gravity
A Lucid Gravity.
Lucid Motors
The Gravity is the second model to emerge from the American EV startup Lucid. It's a three-row luxury SUV with up to 828 horsepower and an estimated 440 miles of range. The Gravity Grand Touring is on sale now, starting at $94,900.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology.
Mercedes-Benz
The iconic Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen can finally be had as an EV. Offered alongside its internal-combustion siblings, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology comes with a 122-kWh battery pack, 239 miles of range, 579 horsepower, and a starting price of $161,500.
Polestar 5
A Polestar 5 EV sedan prototype.
Polestar
The Polestar 5 is a luxury high-performance EV sedan that is scheduled to launch in 2025. The Polestar 5, set to compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz EQS, will be built on the brand's first dedicated EV platform, featuring an 800-volt battery and electric motors that can produce up to 884 horsepower. While developed by Polestar's research-and-development teams in the UK and Sweden, the 5 will be built in the brand's new factory in Chongqing, China, alongside the coming Polestar 6 EV sports car.
Ram 1500 REV
The Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck.
Ram
The Ram 1500 REV is Stellantis' answer to the Ford F150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV. Its 168-kWh battery pack helps it reach an estimated 350 miles of driving range. According to Ram, the 654-horsepower pickup can do 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds and tow up to 14,000 pounds.
Rivian R3X
A Rivian R3X.
Rivian
The R3X is the high-performance variant of the Rivian's coming R3 midsize electric SUV and has distinct hatchback styling. According to Rivian, the R3X should be able to achieve over 300 miles of range and do 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. The R3 and R3X are expected to arrive after Rivian commences customer deliveries of the R2 in the first half of 2026.
Scout Terra and Traveler
The electric Scout Terra pickup truck and Traveler SUV.
Scout Motors
Volkswagen Group's Scout Motors recently unveiled its Scout Terra pickup and Scout Traveler SUV. The body-on-frame off-roaders, with a starting price between $50,000 and $60,000, are inspired by the International Scout utility vehicles of the 1960s and '70s. The Terra and Traveler are set to enter production in 2027 in South Carolina.
Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster.
Tesla
The long-awaited second-generation Tesla Roadster was announced in 2017 and remains in development purgatory. The Roadster was supposed to go on sale in 2020 but has been continuously delayed. When it does arrive, Tesla says it should go from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, reach 250 mph, and have a range of 620 miles.
Volkswagen ID Buzz
A 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz EV minivan.
Volkswagen
The VW bus is back. Volkswagen relaunched its counterculture-era icon as the all-electric 2025 ID Buzz. The new bus, which starts at $60,000, comes with a 91-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and is available in all-wheel drive. The ID Buzz has an estimated 234 miles of range.
Volkswagen workers in Germany have gone on strike today in the largest industrial action taken against the company since 2018. The union IG Metall, which represents about 120,000 VW workers, voted to approve the strike on November 22, describing the situation as "the toughest collective bargaining battle Volkswagen has ever seen."
IG Metall's members are striking in response to VW's plans to cut its European manufacturing costs, which are dragging on the company at the same time as the Chinese market has become more difficult due to domestic competition, as well as a softening of global demand for electric vehicles.
VW's response to these tough times has been to propose a 10 percent pay cut, thousands of layoffs, and the closure of three German factories—the first time such a thing will have happened in the company's 87-year history.
Mexico is the largest trade partner for the US, accounting for nearly 16% of total trade over the first three quarters of this year. Canada isn't far behind as the country's second-largest trading pattern, accounting for about 14.5% of trade.
Tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada are especially problematic for the US automotive industry.
Mexico alone exports more than 2.3 million cars a year to the US, according to Commerce Department data.
Foreign and domestic carmakers like Ford, GM, and Nissan have invested decades of time and billions of dollars to establish a well-oiled, cross-border manufacturing and supply chain operation to make vehicles destined for US dealerships.
A 25% tariff would not automatically mean a matching price increase, though it would leave automakers — already struggling with shrinking profit margins — with little room to eat the cost without increasing the sticker price of their vehicles.
Parts for cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the US can cross the border several times during their production process, thanks to friendly conditions fueled by various regional trade agreements over the years.
Representatives from Ford, Honda, and the American Automakers Policy Council, a lobbying group representing Detroit's Big 3, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nissan, Stellantis, General Motors, and Toyota declined to comment.
This comes at a bad time for US consumers who have seen the average cost of a new car skyrocket more than $10,000 since 2019 to more than $48,000. Many automakers, meanwhile, are planning layoffs and plant closures amid a slowdown in EV demand.
Information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that several dozen vehicles made in Canada and Mexico are currently sold in the US.
Here's a closer look at these models, which range from pickups to luxury SUVs and EVs:
BMW Group
A 2024 BMW M240i xDrive Couple
BMW
BMW 2-Series Coupe/Convertible (Mexico)
BMW M2 Coupe (Mexico)
BMW 3-Series Sedan (Mexico)
Ford
Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Paul Marotta/Getty Images
Ford Bronco Sport (Mexico)
Ford Maverick (Mexico)
Ford Mustang Mach-E (Mexico)
General Motors
A 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV RS in Summit White driving in a downtown area.
Volkswagen and other automakers battling with sliding sales this year.
Hendrik Schmidt/dpa/Getty Images
Car companies are scrambling to adjust to a rapidly changing EV market.
Restructuring efforts include massive job cuts in some cases.
Cost-cutting measures come as automotive execs double down on expensive EV commitments.
A protracted transition to electric vehicles is taking its toll on global car companies, many of which still have yet to profit from battery-powered vehicles.
Demand for EVs, particularly in the critical US market, has slowed considerably this year as green car shoppers get more frugal and practical. This presents a problem for car companies that need mass adoption to deliver profits for these expensive vehicles.
Automotive executives have been scrambling to adjust to this new EV market, pulling back on some EV production and speeding up the development of more popular hybrid cars. As 2024 draws to a close, many manufacturers opt for more drastic cost-cutting options as they continue investing heavily in EV technology.
Major car companies like Detroit's GM, Ford, and Stellantis have begun slashing jobs as they cut costs and reshape their business models for this next stage of the EV transition.
Detroit car giant General Motors laid off about 2,000 workers in two rounds of layoffs in August and November. GM cited cost cutting and changing market conditions in both instances.
The majority of the 1,000 jobs cut in November were white-collar, but the United Auto Workers union reported that about 50 of its members were also affected. According to reports, most affected workers were stationed at GM's global technical center in suburban Detroit, where most design and engineering work occurs.
Prior to the November job cuts, GM also trimmed another 1,000 salaried positions in software and services, according to reports.
GM aims to trim $2 billion in costs as it adjusts its EV strategy and manages slowing sales in the US and China.
Ford to cut 4,000 jobs in Europe amid EV slowdown
Ford said in November that it plans to slash 4,000 positions from its European workforce by the end of 2027. Ford said the Germany and UK divisions are likely to be the hardest hit, as these regions suffer "significant losses."
In addition to these job cuts, Ford also announced curtailed production at a factory in Cologne in the first quarter of 2025.
The cuts to Ford's European business come as companies in the region grapple with intense competition from Chinese EV maker BYD.
In the US, Ford also recently announced an extended pause in F-150 Lightning production, which will affect the roughly 730 hourly workers at that Metro Detroit plant until 2025.
Volkswagen plans historic job cuts in Germany
German automotive giant Volkswagen announced big restructuring actions in October, which could include closing factories and cutting tens of thousands of jobs.
The planned cuts, which still face the scrutiny of German unions, were announced after VW issued its second profit warning in three months. Volkswagen faces similar issues to its rivals, with slowing EV sales in China and stiffer competition from BYD in Europe.
VW's planned restructuring would include closing three German factories for the first time in the company's history, as well as cutting salaries by 10% and freezing wages for two years.
Jeep-maker Stellantis slashes jobs amid tough year
As it struggles with oversupply, it has initiated plans to cut nearly 4,000 factory jobs in the US. Meanwhile, the company laid off 400 white-collar workers in the spring and has offered broad buyouts to salaried workers.
The factory cuts have become a lightning rod for the UAW, accusing Stellantis of violating its contract by removing product commitments from an Illinois factory that built the discontinued Jeep Cherokee.
The UAW has threatened to strike over the alleged violation. Stellantis maintains that its actions fall within its contractual right to change plans based on market conditions. The car company has filed a lawsuit against the UAW in reaction to strike authorization votes.
Tesla reduces global workforce by more than 10%
In an April memo obtained by Business Insider, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told his employees that the company would eliminate "more than 10%" of its staff.
The cuts came after Tesla reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year. After initially weathering a slowdown in EV demand, Tesla is finally feeling the pinch of a more competitive EV market in the US.
Nissan plans to cut 9,000 jobs
Japanese car company Nissan announced in November that it would cut 9,000 jobs and reduce manufacturing output amid poor performance in the critical Chinese and US car markets.
The move came as Nissan reduced its operating profit forecast for the year by 70%.
Volkswagen is committed to China despite a "ruinous" domestic EV price war, its brand chief says.
Thomas Schäfer says VW wants to remain the biggest international automaker in the country.
He made the comments in an interview with Welt Am Sonntag, BI's sister outlet.
Volkswagen remains firmly committed to China despite a "ruinous" EV price war by domestic rivals that has hit overseas automakers hard, its boss said.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the VW brand, said the "price war for electric cars cannot go on forever" in China and that the German group wants to remain the largest international automaker in the world's largest auto market.
Schäfer made the comments in an interview with Welt Am Sonntag, the German newspaper that is part of the Axel Springer group along with Business Insider.
Chinese car makers such as BYD have proved stiff competition for foreign players like VW by offering a wider selection of more affordable, better-equipped EVs.
Last month, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said China's EV market was unsustainable because a large number of manufacturers kept driving prices "lower and lower" to win sales.
VW has three joint ventures in China, producing more than 4 million vehicles annually. VW group sales in China fell by 12% in the first nine months of this year amid the rising popularity of models made by domestic manufacturers.
Rival German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have also suffered stuttering sales in China this year.
The ID.7 is one of Volkswagen's models sold in China.
Wang He/Getty Images
Like other foreign automakers, profits from China had helped VW balance financial difficulties in other markets. Schäfer said it was now "high time to address" this situation.
The VW group, which also owns marques such as Audi, Porsche, and Seat, has told unions that it plans to close factories in Germany for the first time and significantly reduce its workforce in Europe.
Schäfer said VW's production capacity in Europe was too high compared with market demand and the company had to move to a "stable economic footing."
"Any solution must reduce both overcapacity and costs. We can't just stick a plaster on it," he said.
Labor costs at its German factories were "twice as high" as in other parts of Europe and needed to "fall drastically," Schäfer said.
"Our plants in Spain, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Slovakia have worked very intensively on their costs for years and have significantly lower wage and salary levels."
He outlined VW's plans to address its financial situation by the end of 2026 and launch eight new models, including affordable entry-level EVs the following year.
"The goal is to have three cars in the top 10 best-selling vehicles in Europe" and remain the continent's biggest automaker, Schäfer said.
Toyota maintained its top spot in the world for the fourth consecutive year in 2023, selling 11.2 million vehicles globally — about 2 million more than the VW group.
Asked about Donald Trump's plans to cancel EV subsidies and impose steep tariffs on imports, Schäfer said, "We worked sensibly with President Trump and his administration in the last term of office.
"We will do that again. We are well located in the USA and Mexico and are building a huge battery factory in Canada. With Scout, the group is reviving a legendary US brand. You certainly can't blame us for not investing there."
Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
The prospect of higher trade barriers underlines the importance of having the right strategy, the executive added.
"We build cars in China for China; the same is happening in Europe and North America. Of course, this does not reduce development costs. But we are gaining resilience and can also serve the local demands of our customers even better," Schäfer said.
"It is a huge opportunity for us to be located as a manufacturer on all continents and thus be able to scale our large volumes across the regions."
Volkswagen has announced plans to close three production facilities.
Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images
Major automakers around the world have announced layoffs and factory closures in recent weeks.
Ford, GM, Stellantis, and Volkswagen Group all plan to lay off workers in the coming months.
This is due to unprofitable EV investments, Chinese market losses, and more domestic competition.
Major automakers around the world have announced multiple rounds of layoffs and factory closures in recent weeks as they struggle to turn a profit on EVs and face a potential onslaught of cheaper competition.
Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis plan to slash thousands from their workforce in the coming months. Volkswagen has announced plans to shutter three of its factories in Germany, which could come with massive layoffs.
Unfortunately for the world's major carmakers, they aren't facing one issue but an agglomeration of several significant interconnected challenges at once. Add to that an ultracompetitive business with high overhead costs and low profit margins, and things quickly get very difficult.
When market dynamics, regulatory requirements, and financial costs shift dramatically in a relatively short period of time, the results can be dire. That's what we're seeing play out.
The all-electric Chevrolet Silverado EV at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images
A massive and expensive pivot to EVs has failed to turn a profit
The auto industry has invested or announced plans to invest more than $300 billion in US EV and battery production since 2016, the NRDC estimates. That's led to a slew of new models on the market and (relatively) cheaper pricing for consumers.
But despite that growth — and with EVs accounting for roughly 10% of US auto sales — companies not named Tesla have struggled to make their EV businesses profitable.
GM, for example, has invested $35 billion in its EV and autonomous-driving businesses, which has led to new electric models like the Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. Despite the warm reception from the public, the company's profits this year are entirely driven by the strong sales of its internal-combustion trucks and SUVs.
The company's Model e EV division lost nearly $3.7 billion during the first nine months of this year, including $1.2 billion in the last quarter alone.
A Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Tim Levin/Insider
The rapid transformation of the Chinese market
The exponential growth in China's appetite for cars over the past two decades made it a steady profit center for global automakers like VW Group and GM. From 2014 to 2018, GM took in an average of $2 billion a year from its Chinese joint ventures.
But in recent years, Chinese consumers have increasingly turned to competitive domestic automakers like BYD and the Geely Group, whose brands have sold 1.6 million vehicles in the market so far this year.
GM's market share in the country peaked at around 15% in the middle of the last decade and was down to just 6.5% in the most recent quarter.
German carmakers are losing out to Chinese EV upstarts like BYD.
Daniel Pier/NurPhoto via Getty Images
So far this year, Volkswagen Group's sales in China, its largest market, are down about 10% over last year, and the company predicts the situation may deteriorate further.
In response to the potential competition, European leaders have readied tariffs on cars imported from China. VW warned that potential retaliatory tariffs on European cars by China could only make things worse.
An increasingly competitive domestic market
Competition for automakers in their domestic markets has heated up.
Price seems to be a major factor. The average price of a Stellantis vehicle is around $56,000, far above the industry average of $48,000.
The company had to offer aggressive incentives (on top of lower production) during the third quarter to help dealers clear the glut of unsold cars off their lots. Analysts say inventory levels are improving at Stellantis and industry-wide as automakers react to a slower sales environment.
But uncertainty looms large as President-elect Donald Trump threatens tariffs on all goods imported into the United States and eyes ending tax credits for electric vehicles, which could be another headwind for sales, industry experts say.
Volkswagen of America has a new CEO: Rivian’s recently departed chief commercial officer Kjell Gruner. The appointment comes just one week after VW parent company Volkswagen Group formalized a $5.8 billion joint venture with Rivian, which will be focused on EV architecture and software. While Gruner’s new post isn’t really related to that new JV, […]
