Here’s the latest in automotive sales and strategy:
Toyota is expecting the impact of the war in Iran to cost it about $4.3 billion this financial year, marking one of the most significant warnings to date from a global company about the broader economic fallout from the conflict, Reuters reports. The world’s largest automaker said last week that quarterly earnings fell nearly 50% and forecast that full-year profit will drop about one-fifth in the current fiscal year. The company said rising costs linked to the war are outweighing strong demand for hybrid vehicles.
Ford is intensifying efforts to develop a new family of efficient electric vehicles designed to compete directly with gasoline-powered models, not only on price but across performance and usability, according to Wards Auto. The initiative is being led by a skunkworks-style team using rapid testing and iteration at the company’s Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach, CA. The effort reflects Ford’s broader push to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive EV market.
New light-vehicle sales in April 2026 reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 15.9 million units, down 7.1% from April 2025 and marking the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Industry data shows April 2025 was the final month before tariffs on imported vehicles and parts took effect, leading to a surge in “pull-ahead” purchases as consumers rushed to buy ahead of price increases. Through April, the year-to-date SAAR stands at 15.6 million units, a 6.7% decline compared with the same period last year.
New-vehicle inventories declined to 2.85 million units at the start of May as rising fuel prices pushed demand for hybrids and electric vehicles to record levels while supplies of those models tightened, according to data firm Catalyst IQ. The total inventory level was down 2.7% from the beginning of April but still 1.2% higher than a year earlier. The industrywide supply stood at 76 days, down from 80 days in the prior month but up from 69 days a year ago, the firm said.
General Motors is working to increase inventory of its high-margin pickup trucks at U.S. dealerships after failing to meet demand earlier this year, while production issues at rival Ford Motor create an opportunity to gain market share. “It’s prudent to be increasing right now just because their inventory is low relative to demand,” said David Whiston, an analyst with Morningstar. “But if you’re GM, you want to take advantage of Ford’s weakness.”