Trump reveals auto agenda, Lexus dominates reputation rankings, January car spending skyrockets

Hey, everyone. Honda is in some hot water.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is ordering Honda Finance (the automaker’s in-house lending arm) to pay $12.8 million for falsely reporting 300,000 current loan holders as delinquent.

$2.5 million goes to Uncle Sam, while the rest heads to victims.

But with so many people affected—I doubt the payout will make up for the damage to their credit scores.

— CDG

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Welcome to The Weekly, your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines of the week. Let’s dive in.

1. Trump ends "EV mandate" first day in office, could impose tariffs by Feb. 1

President Trump’s first day in office was a busy one, scrapping EV policies in a slew of executive orders.

Trump overturned the Biden-era EV “mandate,” a set of policies aimed at achieving 50% EV sales by 2030 while freezing billions earmarked for EV infrastructure expansion.

• Trump also ordered reviews of key auto policies, including EPA tailpipe emissions standards.

• While the President said he’d remove EV tax credits too, he left those untouched on Monday. Removing them might take an act of Congress, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Looking ahead: One of the biggest stories of the day for automakers was Trump’s tariff plan.

• The President says he wants to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1.

• He’s also planning a broader global tariff of 10%, although he says the U.S. isn’t ready for them yet.

(Go deeper: 4 min. read)

Those tariff threats could have a major impact on manufacturers—in fact it looks like it’s already leading some to shift production into the U.S….

2. Stellantis expands U.S. production, will build new Dodge Durango in Detroit

Stellantis announced plans to build the next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroit and revive production at its shuttered Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois for a new midsize pickup.

There were concerns that Stellantis was going to build the SUV in Canada, but North America COO Antonio Filosa confirmed the Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson facility will handle Durango production after all.

• While the automaker also plans to restart manufacturing at Belvidere, it’s still negotiating the details with the United Auto Workers union.

The timing probably isn’t coincidental. Trump’s tariff threat is making companies reconsider Mexico and Canada production plans.

Stellantis Chairman John Elkann also met with the President prior to the company’s change of plans.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Stellantis is also trying to boost its image in the U.S.—a crucial effort with its sliding profits. It has a long way to go though…

3. Lexus dealers top Brand Scorecard with near-perfect reputation

Lexus topped Widewail's Brand Reputation Scorecard for the second consecutive year, earning a near-perfect 97/100 from 8 million Google reviews across 18,000 dealerships.

Why it matters: Reputation isn’t just a vanity metric—it reflects how well dealers meet customer expectations on essentials like inventory, professionalism, and repair quality. Brands that nail the basics gain a competitive edge in today’s tight market.

By the numbers:

• Lexus (#1): Professionalism mentions are 36% above average, while negative wait time mentions dropped 12.3% this year.

• Toyota (#2): Strong on service quality but struggles with wait times (18% above average).

• Honda (#3): Praised for helpfulness, but pricing complaints remain a challenge.

Notably absent from the Widewail’s list are Stellantis brands—Fiat was the only one to make it into the top 15.

(Go deeper: 4 min. read)

Mastering the fundamentals is critical for a solid reputation—and one of the most important fundamentals is speed. Failing to meet expectations here can have big consequences…

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4. Dealer wait times, delays pick up in 2024, hurting customer satisfaction

Customers spent more time waiting at dealerships in 2024, with test drives, vehicle selection, and F&I processes causing the most friction.

According to CDK Global's Friction Points Study, 55% of buyers experienced delays, up from 41% in 2023, making it the biggest bottleneck.

• 36% waited for salespeople to locate a car, up from 29% the year prior.

• 49% waited 30+ minutes for an F&I manager, a sharp increase from 37% in 2023.

Long wait times hurt customer satisfaction, impacting dealerships' ability to retain and attract buyers.

• Test drives are especially important as they directly influence purchasing decisions, with 78% of consumers citing them as key to choosing their vehicle.

• Speedy F&I processes are also essential: extended F&I wait times drop net promoter scores (NPS) from +49 (15-30 mins) to +36 (30-45 mins).

(Go deeper: 5 min. read)

But even while dealers are facing some challenges, there’s still plenty to look forward to…

5. New car spending to set January record on incentives, inventory gains

New vehicle sales are projected to rise 4.4% year-over-year in January with consumer spending on new vehicles setting a brand-new record.

J.D. Power and GlobalData predict sales of 1.105 million units in January. Consumers are set to spend a whopping $38.5 billion on new cars, an all-time high for the month.

What’s driving the surge?

• Average retail transaction prices dipped slightly to $44,636, down 0.5%.

• Manufacturer discounts per vehicle are up 29.3%, averaging $3,226, with lease deals boosting lease share to 24.3%.

• Better inventory levels (up 31.1% YoY) mean that shoppers are finding their preferred vehicles with fewer visits.

Looking ahead: As expected, dealer profits per vehicle are expected to drop 13.5% to $2,272, thanks to the increase in inventory.

But plenty of opportunities to boost revenue remain. Fixed-ops will be a particularly big profit driver this year.

Robust buyer demand and rising sales position the industry for continued growth in 2025, with a focus on operational efficiency.

(Go deeper: 4 min. read)

Three opportunities hitting the CDG Job Board right now:

• Veros Credit: Regional Sales Managers (nationwide)

• Ron Marhofer Auto Family: Finance and Insurance Manager (Ohio)

• Foureyes: Customer Success Manager (remote)

Looking to hire? Add your roles today—it’s 100% free.

• Security researchers uncover vulnerabilities in Subaru's location tracking habits.

• Tesla Model Y refresh is coming to the U.S. in March.

• Ford is paying back dealers up to $240K for EV chargers.

• Federal regulators launch series of probes into Ford, General Motors, Honda.

• TikTok’s role in car buying behavior is small but growing.

That’s a wrap for now – make sure you’re following along on X, LinkedIn and IG for more real-time updates.

Thanks for reading. Hit reply and let me know if you found this week-in-review valuable or have any feedback. I’ll see you next weekend.

— CDG

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