Auto-Loan Balances, Debt-to-Income Ratio, Serious Delinquencies for Subprime & Prime in Q1 2025: Our Drunken Sailors and their Auto Loans by Wolf Richter • May 16, 2025 • 19 Comments Something rare occurred: Auto loan balances fell despite highest new & used vehicle sales in years. More people paid cash to dodge interest rates?
I’ve Been Screaming about Rising Used-Vehicle Prices since Aug 2024 (and No One Paid Attention) but Suddenly It’s the Tariffs? by Wolf Richter • May 7, 2025 • 75 Comments The issue has been tight used-vehicle inventory due to reduced influx of 2021/2022 model years after the new-vehicle shortages at the time.
Oh Elon! Tesla Crushed Further in California in Q1, Non-Tesla EV Sales Soar. Cybertruck Joining Failed Models of Automotive History? by Wolf Richter • Apr 17, 2025 • 118 Comments Non-Tesla EV sales +36% YoY. Tesla sales plunge to lowest since Q3 2022. Cybertruck sales fall for 2nd quarter in a row.
Our Drunken Sailors Are Back: Sales of Used Vehicles Surge in March, same as New Vehicles. Retail Sales Might Look Good by Wolf Richter • Apr 14, 2025 • 77 Comments Despite their foul mood, consumers are splurging on vehicles and may also be splurging on other products.
Our Drunken Sailors Are Back: New Vehicle Sales Surge in March, after Rising in January & February, Best Q1 since 2019 by Wolf Richter • Apr 3, 2025 • 82 Comments GM’s Q1 sales soar, with EV sales +94%, Hyundai-Kia and Honda sales soar, Toyota’s nearly flat, Ford’s dip, Stellantis still in death spiral.
Oh Elon! Tesla Deliveries Plunge as Musk Crushes One of the Most Successful Consumer Brands by Wolf Richter • Apr 2, 2025 • 201 Comments Are they still selling any Cybertrucks?
U.S. Demand for Gasoline Faces Long-Term Structural Problem: Plunging Per-Capita Consumption by Wolf Richter • Mar 4, 2025 • 143 Comments Even as miles driven inched to a record and the population surged, gasoline consumption in 2024 was where it had been 20 years ago.
The Collapse of the EV SPACs: Nikola Joins EV SPAC Bankruptcy Lineup. Here Are Those Already Bankrupt, and Those Not Yet by Wolf Richter • Feb 19, 2025 • 73 Comments The Consensual Hallucination that drove the EV SPAC mania didn’t die with the EV SPACs; it moved on to other stocks.
Auto Debts, Auto-Loan-to-Income Ratio, Serious Delinquencies for Prime & Subprime: Our Drunken Sailors and their Auto Loans by Wolf Richter • Feb 18, 2025 • 61 Comments Subprime, which means “bad credit” and not “low income,” is always in trouble. But it’s only 14% of auto loans. Prime is in pristine condition.
Used Car & Truck Prices Heading Higher on Tight Supply, Strong Demand, after U-Turn in mid-2024 from Historic Plunge. Used EV Prices Jump by Wolf Richter • Feb 8, 2025 • 88 Comments Already putting pressure on CPI inflation. Now comes tax-refund season.
