Automakers are expected to redesign just 9% of their lineups across the 2026 through 2028 model years, well under the 20-year average of 14%, according to analyst John Murphy. The Wall Street Journal found this week that new entries are sparser now than after the pandemic shutdowns or the 2007-09 auto crisis.
“We’re in a total stall for new products,” Murphy said.
STELLANTIS
The Journal traced the drought to one source. The billions carmakers poured into electric vehicles “diverted time and money from the types of models that buyers crave today, from hybrids to V8-powered trucks.
”Buyers never wanted EVs in the numbers Detroit planned for. Demand fell short, the paper said, then plunged when Washington ended subsidies and clean-air mandates last year. The world’s automakers have since scrapped or delayed dozens of EV models and booked more than $70 billion in charges, and GM’s share has climbed to $10.9 billion.
The writedowns were only the first bill. The second is arriving now, in lost years.