AutoGuide Hot Takes: Where Did All The Money Go?

The last week of February has been just as fast and furious as the rest of the month—as always, AutoGuide is here for it. We don’t always cover every piece of news, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have thoughts and opinions—many of them.

Managing Editor Mike Schlee, Road Test Editor Kyle Patrick, Site Coordinator Michael Accardi, and Editorial Director Greg Migliore weigh in on the hot topics of the week. If you disagree, please get in the comments and tell us why we’re wrong.

1) It’s been an ugly earnings season across the industry. Stellantis is the latest to report severely depressed profits. According to the latest earnings report, profits were down 70% year-over-year—the company still made $6 billion—mostly as a result of bad management in its North American portfolio. The brands it bought from FCA were straight-up money-printing machines before Stellantis got involved. Our sources inside the company tell us many on the North American side are excited to get back to doing what they do best now that the reign of Tavares is over.

2) Porsche moved on from its CFO and director of sales and marketing after profit margins and sales volume had cratered last year. They’re not necessarily responsible for Porsche diverging from its core competencies—combustion engines and cars that go fast—but someone always has to take the fall for the folly.

3) Aston Martin reported that 2024 company earnings were down 11% compared to the year before. What’s more worrying is that debt has ballooned by more than 40% to over a billion dollars. Like many others, Aston is blaming Chinese consumer taste for the sharp decline—maybe it's time for automakers to start focusing on sustainability in their traditional markets. As a Western automaker, if your model is dependent on success in China, you might not be in the car business for much longer.

4) Oh, and Maserati is apparently on the brink of extinction. Sales collapsed by almost 60% last year, and Stellantis canceled a $1.57 billion investment earmarked for Maserati's future projects—also citing issues in China. See above.

5) Tesla’s sales volume has been pushed over a cliff by shoppers angry with CEO Elon Musk’s meddling in politics both in the U.S. and abroad. Sales in Europe crumbled 45% while the total new electric car sales jumped by 37.3% across the continent—a damning testament to how much people dislike the newly minted technocrat.

6) It was just announced that Gran Turismo 7 will be getting a free update this week; it will include the 1962 Unimog Type 411. If this isn’t the greatest update to the game, I don’t know what is.

7) NASCAR could see a fourth manufacturer added to its ranks. Reports indicate Dodge is exploring a return to the top level of Cup Series racing using the new Charger. The company is allegedly trying to source an engine supplier for a return in 2028. Also related, Ram would bring the 1500 back to the NASCAR Craftsmen Truck Series after withdrawing almost 10 years ago. It’s an easy bet—NASCAR fans are known as some of the most fiercely loyal consumers out there. Some 70% of NASCAR fans report choosing a brand just because it sponsors or participates in the sport.

9) Should American automakers get back into weapons production? Stephen Feinberg, CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, who is also under consideration to become Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration, thinks Ford and General Motors would be more “adept at scaling and operations than traditional defense suppliers.” Does he know Ford led the league in 2024 for recalled vehicles?

10) The Formula 1 season is officially underway with pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Ferrari drivers seem extremely happy with the car, and the consensus seems to be that the SF-25 may be the best car on the grid come the season opener in Melbourne next month. Carlos Sainz ended the second day of testing with the fastest headline time in the Williams, with both Ferraris right behind—one of which was running on hards to the Williams’ softer mediums.

11) The WEC season also gets swinging this weekend; qualifying served up a mixed bag of manufacturers with Ferrari on pole and BMW and Cadillac in the top five. The Porsches and Toyotas had a tough day, but both manufacturers have proven themselves masters of the grueling endurance circus. Aston Martin’s V12 non-hybrid Valkyrie struggled in qualifying, with both cars pacing at the back of the 18-car Hypercar field. The 2025 Qatar 1812 km gets underway on Feb 28.

12) Apparently cyberattacks on EV chargers are a growing threat. A recent study from Upstream indicates more than half of all EV charger-related attacks last year impacted millions of devices, many of them far outside of the charger ecosystem. Basically, the charger connects to your car, your car is connected to your phone, and your phone is connected to various other devices in your life. Upstream’s vice president of marketing, Shira Sarid-Hausirer, said, “It’s not necessarily the number of assets, it’s the connectivity and the fact that they’re all interconnected that increases the risk dramatically.” For the most part, personal data is at risk, but there is growing concern that critical vehicle systems could be targeted eventually.

13) Volvo’s ES90 continued its slow reveal this week, with shadowy teasers along with the first hard technical specs. It reads like proper flagship stuff in the EV era—800-volt architecture, over 400 miles of range, proper quick charging—and features very cool rear-window-mounted taillights, but the buying public has largely skipped big Volvos in the past. Could this be different?

14) On the other end of the spectrum, Kia revealed the EV2 concept, a glimpse at a future affordable sub-compact. It’s both appropriately funky and far-out, with lots of autoshow glitz. The presumed production model will be far more toned down to fit the bill as an affordable EV option—so, of course, it’s unlikely to make it to North America. Boo.

15) Is Ford planning a new Mustang Shelby GT500? An alleged UAW document claims Ford's Dearborn Engine Plant will add an additional shift to produce engines for a 2026 GT500 project. Ford has a niche line at the plat building supercharged 5.2L V8s for the F-150 Raptor and Mustang GTD. I'm sure Ford thinks there's room between the Dark Horse and the Mustang GTD—say, right around the $100,000 mark?

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