I’m driving a press car right now with no rear window and a giant touchscreen for its controls. It sucks. I do not like it. You know who agrees with me? The guy who designed the iPhone. So that’s something.
The Morning Dump is all about access today. If you can’t access your route while driving, that’s annoying, but if you can’t access your door while trapped in a sinking car, that’s potentially fatal. A bill to make it easier to find your way out of the car just advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ford is the last of the Detroit 2.5 to report its annual earnings, which were weak in spite of stronger sales. Some of that was due to a surprise $900 million tariff bill. You know what’s also a surprise? A Škoda to end TMD. Just kidding, you probably all expected it.
The Guy Responsible For Your Smartphone Addiction Says Touchscreens Are Wrong For Cars
There were a lot of feelings in the comments over the new Ferrari interior design, which was penned by former Apple design guru and iPhone legend Jony Ive. I conceptually enjoy this interior abstractly, though I’m not sure I love it as a Ferrari as much as Brian did. Either way, it looks good.
Ive has been out talking to the press, and this quote in Autocar caught my eye:
“The reason we developed touch [for the iPhone] was that we were developing an idea to solve a problem. The big idea was to develop a general-purpose interface that could be a calculator, could be a typewriter, could be a camera, rather than having physical buttons.
“I never would have used touch in a car [for the main controls]. It is something I would never have dreamed of doing because it requires you to look [away from the road]. So that’s just the wrong technology to be the primary interface.”
Asked how the Luce’s touchscreen differs from others, given his comments, Ive replied: “So much of what we did was so that you could use it intuitively, enjoy it and use it safely.
It’s true, though, there are too many interfaces where you have to do everything on a touchscreen. This is the Tesla approach, and it’s been copied by way too many people. I just had to duck through a few menus on a trip yesterday in order to get the vents on my Polestar to stop driving air into my eyeballs.
I also love the idea here that Ive discusses about having different buttons feel different, so that it’s obvious what you’re touching. Even in cars without a touchscreen, the variety of surfaces and styles isn’t always prioritized.
Not only should automakers bring back more buttons and reduce screens, but they should also give time to make all sorts of different fun buttons to use. It’s what entertains toddlers and, frankly, automotive journalists.
The SAFE Exit Act Moves Forward
The space between a bill being written and becoming a law is vast, so I don’t cover every law that’s written. One I do care about is the Securing Accessible Functional Emergency Exit Act, or SAFE Exit Act.
It asks for two things:
‘‘(1) a power independent, easy-to-find manual release for each door providing occupant egress, which shall be intuitive to use and readily accessible for the occupant; and
‘‘(2) means for emergency responder access to the occupant compartment when vehicle electrical power is lost.
As I’ve written before, people are waking up to the idea that maybe making it hard to find the mechanical exit for a vehicle was slightly flawed. This bill would help solve this issue and, at least, has moved through its first legislative hurdle and should get a vote in full committee.
Let’s see who kills it first!
Ford Got A Surprise $900 Million Tariff Bill To End The Year
Source: Ford
Ford released its full-year earnings, and the numbers aren’t incredible. This isn’t a shock as the company already announced it would take various write-downs on special times. The company did improve its market share in the United States, but it relied heavily on incentives and had to spend money to cover various challenges, just like every other automaker.
Here’s the topline:
Fourth-quarter and full-year revenue reached $45.9 billion and $187.3 billion,
respectively; fifth consecutive year of full-year revenue growth
Fourth-quarter and full-year net loss of $11.1 billion and $8.2 billion, respectively, reflected impact of special items; fourth-quarter and full-year adjusted EBIT of $1.0 billion and $6.8 billion, respectively
Full-year operating cash flow was $21.3 billion; adjusted free cash flow was $3.5 billion
Outlook for full-year 2026 includes adjusted EBIT of $8.0 billion to $10.0 billion, adjusted FCF of $5.0 billion to $6.0 billion; and capital spending of $9.5 billion to $10.5 billion
Not great, not terrible, and the company thinks it’s in a position to improve its margins and earnings in 2026, which is good. The fact that warranty costs are coming down is also a good sign.
Here’s something fun, though, that Bloomberg caught in the earnings call:
The Trump administration informed Ford on Dec. 23 that the company could only apply a measure to trim tariffs paid on imported auto parts dating back to November, rather than May, Chief Financial Officer Sherry House told reporters alongside the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report late Tuesday.
The change effectively doubled Ford’s tariff toll to $2 billion in 2025, she said, a level the company expects to face again this year.
What’s $900 million between friends?
The Škoda Epiq Will Be the Company’s Cheapest EV
Photo: Škoda
The Epiq isn’t a car we’re going to get in the United States, and with its 273-mile WLTP range, it’s not like something that would necessarily appeal to many. It’s an MEB+ platform, FWD-only “City SUV” that’ll allow the brand to reach more customers at the lower end of the market in Europe.
Because it hasn’t been released, the company put out these photos of the vehicle in camo. What … what even is this camo? Are those pills? It’s unhinged, but I love it.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
I have performatively mixed feelings about Weezer’s album Pinkerton, when, in reality, I adored it at the time and still enjoy it. Not everything holds up, but “The Good Life” somehow makes dude complains about going to Harvard rock.
The Big Question
What’s the most tactile button, knob, or switch on any car?
