The Hyundai Sonata is a regular passenger car (a sedan) made for everyday driving. It’s popular enough that it can show up in surveys and reports about what the auto industry is doing. In this episode, it’s referenced as part of a study involving “Sonatas.”
These are features that help you drive more safely. They use sensors and computers to watch what’s happening around the car and can warn you or assist with steering/braking.
Predictive maintenance means the car (or service system) tries to guess when something will need fixing before it breaks. It’s based on data about how the car is being used.
Over capacity means factories can build more cars than people are buying. When that happens, companies look for ways to use the factories more efficiently.
A joint venture is when two companies team up to run a project together. In car manufacturing, it often means building cars locally with a local partner.
Jeep is a brand best known for SUVs. The hosts say the China partnership plan includes building Jeep models for sale in China and possibly other regions.
The host is talking about a problem where car sales have dropped, but it’s hard for governments and companies to shut down factories. Even when closures happen, the overall issue isn’t fully solved.
Renault is a well-known French car brand. The host says Renault closed a factory near Paris, showing that cutting production in Europe can be politically hard.
Leap Motor is a Chinese electric-car company. The host says Stellantis wants to build and share factory space with them in Spain, as part of a bigger partnership strategy.
BYD is a Chinese company that makes electric cars. The host is saying there’s been talk about BYD possibly doing something in Italy, but they’re not sure it will happen.
ATP is a shorthand for the average price people pay when they buy a car. If more expensive models sell, the ATP goes up—even if total sales don’t change much.
Concept
used EV sales surge
This phrase means more people are buying used electric cars than before. That usually happens when prices or incentives make used EVs easier to afford.
“Cost of ownership” is the total cost to run a vehicle over time, including things like financing, insurance, maintenance, energy/fuel, and repairs. The transcript ties it to EV affordability, implying that the overall long-term expense affects whether lease deals remain attractive.
Some people are scared to buy a used electric car because they worry the battery won’t last. If the battery is worn out, fixing it can be costly, so it makes people hesitate.
These are car auctions in the Mannheim area where used vehicles change hands. The point is that EVs are being assessed there as part of the used market.
It’s the guarantee that the EV battery is covered for a long period. The key point here is that many buyers didn’t know the coverage is usually around 8–10 years and up to 100,000 miles.
Cox Automotive is a company that works in the car industry, including tools and data that help with buying and selling vehicles. Here, it’s mentioned because one of the guests works there.
LIVE
Fraud is no longer just a risk for auto dealers,
it has become part of everyday operations.
Experian Automotive's Fraud Protect solution
helps you catch income, identity, and trade in fraud
in real time without slowing down the sale.
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Welcome to Daily's Drive for Monday, May 18th, 2026.
I'm Kellen Walker in Las Vegas.
Today on the show, automakers and suppliers
finally getting along better.
While automakers are backing away
from selling driving data,
and Dong Feng will build cars
at a Stellantis factory in France.
Plus, used EV sales surged in April,
to experts talk about why and what it means
for the broader EV market.
I think the trust and transparency is increasing
and consumers are getting more comfortable
with buying a used EV,
knowing that that battery has a warranty
or that it's gonna last for a long time.
Let's run through all the news you need to know
to keep up the auto industry.
It's finally happening.
Automakers and their suppliers
are actually getting along better.
For the first time in 26 years,
all six automakers tracked in Plant Moran's annual survey
and proved their relationships with parts suppliers.
And this is happening while the industry's dealing
with tariffs and billions in EV write downs.
Angela Johnson from Plant Moran
says suppliers are giving automakers credit
for just picking up the phone and hearing them out,
even if they didn't always get the help they wanted.
Toyota topped the list for the 17th straight year,
while Ford showed the biggest improvement.
Remember when automakers thought selling
your driving data was going to be a goldmine?
Turns out, not so much.
A new survey from Amdia and Sonatas
shows the industry is backing away from data sales.
And when you look at the numbers, you can see why.
Honda made 26 cents per car from selling driver data
between 2020 and 2024.
That's according to information automakers sent
to Senators Ron Whedon and Ed Markey, 26 cents.
Add in regulatory crackdowns and angry customers
and automakers are deciding there are better ways
to use all that vehicle data,
like improving driver assistance systems
and predictive maintenance.
And China's Dongfang will build cars
at Stellantis's French factory in Ren.
According to France Info, it's a first
for a Chinese automaker producing at scale in France.
The plant has about 40,000 units of excess capacity.
Bloomberg reports that the move helps Dongfang
avoid EU tariffs and it's part of Stellantis's broader plan
to address over capacity.
Our own Jake Nier spoke with automotive news
Europe editor, Peter Siegel, about it.
He reached Peter at his home office outside Paris.
Peter Siegel, welcome back to Daily Drive.
Thanks, Jake.
It's great to be here as usual.
This is a really interesting story.
And one of the things that popped out to me
is that this comes just days after Stellantis and Dongfang
announced that they're investing over a billion dollars
to build Jeeps and Peugeots in China.
How do those two deals fit together, if at all,
in sort of the bigger picture of their partnership?
Yeah, I mean, I think they fit together
just to quickly circle back to the beginnings.
PSA Group, which merged with Fiat Chrysler
to form Stellantis, set up a joint venture in China
with Dongfang in the early 90s.
And it was actually really successful.
They eventually got to the point
where they had four factories.
They were building Peugeots and Citroens
and also cars for Dongfang.
But at one point PSA was selling 734,000 cars a year in China.
It was their biggest market.
This was around 2016 or 2017
because of structural shifts in the Chinese market.
That number started going down drastically.
I think this year, Stellantis had a grand total
of 10 to 15,000 cars in the Chinese market.
So the partnership was almost nowhere.
Dongfang wanted to revive it
and they started by announcing this partnership in China
where they're going to build two Jeep models
and two Peugeot models for the Chinese market and for export.
They didn't say where they were going to export them,
but it's a good bet that obviously Southeast Asia.
But, and so the next bit of news,
and again, this was just a report,
but apparently the sourcing's pretty good.
We didn't do the reporting.
It was a French outlet,
but so they're going to,
they've given some capacity in a plant in Western France
to Dongfang, they've got, I think,
40,000 extra units in this factory.
It only builds a single Citroën model.
It's kind of out there geographically.
So it makes sense,
but it does show that this partnership is still alive
and kicking in and also just one other point.
At one point in the early, in the mid 2012, 13, 14,
Dongfang had 14% of PSA, PSA almost went bankrupt
and Dongfang bailed them out.
Most of that stake was sold when Stellantis was formed,
but they know each other.
That's sort of the long and short of it.
So Peter, that leads me to maybe the bigger question here,
which is what are European automakers
doing about over capacity right now?
Yeah, so it's a huge question.
Stellantis is the main offender, if you will.
I believe they've got about a million extra units,
but the larger problem is that since pre COVID times,
2019, the European auto market has gone down
by 3 million units a year.
It is politically very difficult
to close factories in Europe.
We've had a few since then,
but the problem has not been fully addressed.
Renault closed a factory near Paris.
Howdy closed a factory in Brussels,
which Automotive News has reported on.
And just a couple of weeks ago,
Stellantis announced they would stop building cars.
One of their factories near Paris,
and they're also going to dedicate a factory
in Madrid, Spain, to their Chinese partner, Leap Motor.
They're gonna share more capacity
in a different Spanish factory with Leap Motor.
So it's a real problem.
And Stellantis' solution is,
we're going to partner with our Chinese partners
and let them take over some of the space.
There's also been talk about BYD, perhaps in Italy.
Not sure that's gonna go anywhere,
but for a Chinese company,
you have these high-tech factories
that just aren't being used enough.
So we call them brownfield factories.
Greenfield is when you start with Virgin Turf.
But so it's very attractive.
I mean, it does solve a problem.
I mean, there are, of course,
larger question is sort of the Fox and the Henhouse thing.
Chinese automakers are making great strides in China.
And if you give them an opportunity to build here
to avoid some tariffs,
the outcome may not be exactly what you want,
but it will preserve employment.
And that's important too.
So really quick, before we end off here,
I think for our mostly American audience listening,
maybe the question is,
okay, so Stellantis has this really close relationship
with Dongfang and other automakers from China.
What does that mean for their ability or interest
in bringing that to the US market in any way?
But this is probably sort of a separate story.
Is that fair?
Yes, to a point.
And then it's probably very tempting for Stellantis
to say, we could repeat this in the US
with the right models, partners.
We could offer some of these cars
at a very attractive price.
You wouldn't have to develop EVs
because they're already there.
They wouldn't detract from their core market,
which is larger pickups, jeeps, things like that.
The idea has been floated in Canada.
Could we build kit cars, complete knockdown kits,
as we call them in Canada, in Brampton, I believe.
And the answer from the Canadian government
or from the unions is no, absolutely not.
But Automotive News' Dave Kennedy
had a great column recently
where he said, this is sort of a bargaining chip.
I mean, this doesn't completely preclude the notion
that there could be some sort of partnership in Canada
because Canada is going to allow some Chinese cars there.
And one thing that Chinese cars do
is they can help solve the affordability crisis
because if they're built in China,
they're built at much lower costs.
So, in the US, it's probably a non-starter for the moment
because of tariffs and politics,
but I wouldn't totally rule out Canada.
And once it happens in Canada,
maybe there's administration change in the US,
things change.
So, like this is well-positioned.
They do, of all the automakers, especially in the US,
they probably work the most closely with the Chinese.
I mean, it's now that GM has sort of de-emphasized,
be like a bit, and Ford is out of China.
So, they're well-positioned.
It seems like every auto story,
no matter where in the globe,
is becoming a global auto story in the last year or so.
But the good news with that
is we get to talk with our own Peter Siegel
more often over in France.
Peter, thank you so much for joining us today on Daily Drive.
Really appreciate you taking the time today.
It was a pleasure, Jake.
See you next time.
Coming up next, a conversation about the surge
in used EV sales.
That's next on Daily Drive.
Fraud is no longer just a risk for auto dealers.
It has become part of everyday operations.
According to Experian Automotive,
nearly nine out of 10 dealers say fraud is a top concern
and 70% say it's on the rise.
We're talking about real deals slipping through,
costing dealerships 10, even $20,000 per incident.
And it's not just one type of fraud.
You've got forged income documents,
fabricated salaries, synthetic identities,
even trade-in scams.
The worst part, catching fraud
often slows everything down,
adding friction to deals
and frustrating legitimate customers.
That's where Experian Automotive's
Fraud Protect solution comes in.
It's designed specifically for dealers,
helping you quickly detect income, identity,
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it's to keep good deals moving.
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Welcome back to Daily Drive.
I'm Kellen Walker.
Used electric vehicle sales grew 17%
year-over-year in April,
even as new EV sales dropped more than 23%.
Elena Chickatelli, host of the EVs for Everyone podcast
and Stephanie Valdez-Streedy,
director of industry insights at Cox Automotive,
spoke with our own Molly Boygon on the latest episode
of the Automotive News Shift podcast.
They talked about the data and what's driving the gap
between new and used EV sales.
Here's a piece of that conversation.
Let's start with data hot off the presses
from Cox Automotive about new and used EV sales
for the month of April.
So used sales grew 3% month-over-month
and nearly 17% year-over-year.
And meanwhile, new sales dropped 6.2% from March to April
and more than 23% from last year.
EVs are now a share of the total new vehicle market
that has dropped to its lowest point since late 2021.
So Stephanie, what is going on with new EV sales?
I was struck in particular by the 23%
year-over-year drop from last year.
Yeah, I think if you look about last year,
a lot of volatility with policy.
And so we need Q3, right?
The IRA expired record quarter, Q4 drop,
Q1 of this year.
So I think 2026 is still a year of trying to figure out
what that normal demand for EVs is.
And so I think that's what we're seeing right now.
But also I think if you look back,
there's a lot of uncertainty in the market right now, right?
There's the war that's going on.
High gas prices, if the duration lasts,
that could, I think, ultimately help EVs.
But there's a lot of headwinds right now.
And I think that's what's causing
the slow down EV adoption.
But meanwhile, we have infrastructure
that's really growing.
So I think it's just the time that we're in
adjusting to the new norm.
But I'm excited about some of the new models
that are launching this year that I think
are really going to help later in the year
with from Toyota and Subaru.
When you talk about the headwinds,
are you referring to consumer confidence
or what other types of things are you thinking about
as headwinds to that new vehicle adoption?
Yeah, you think of consumer sentiment, right?
Like the University of Michigan showed
the lowest consumer sentiment since June of 2022.
And so when you have consumer sentiment that drops,
that leads to consumer spending drop.
And so for, I think, for a consumer right now,
if you don't need to buy a vehicle,
you're going to fold off because it's very costly, right?
So I think that's what we're also seeing.
Consumers are waiting to see what happens.
But I think if you need a car right now,
I think the consideration for EVs
and other fuel efficient vehicles is happening.
You also published some new data
about the average transaction price for EVs.
So year over year, lower by almost 5%,
still pricey though at more than $55,000,
but an increase from March's ATP.
I really don't know what to make of that.
You have a year over year decline,
but a month over month increase.
So what does that say to you about EV prices these days?
Yeah, when we look at ATP, it's an average, right?
But I think it's all about the mix of vehicles sold.
So if you look at April, there are a lot of higher value
or higher ATP vehicles that were sold.
A decline in some of those more affordable.
We saw a drop in like the Equinox, VZ,
which are better, lower price.
So I think it's all about the mix of models
that dictates that.
So I think at the end of the day,
there's still a premium for EVs.
And so we just need more affordable EVs
to offer for consumers.
Yeah, and speaking of affordability,
the used EV market is looking totally different.
Oli and I see you nodding along a little bit.
So as I mentioned, we saw used EV sales
grow 3% month over month, almost 17% year over year.
Elena, is that aligned with what you're hearing
from the dealer community and others in the auto industry?
Absolutely, yes.
And there are a lot of people who took advantage
of some of those amazing deals on leases
that are not available anymore
because the cost of ownership for a new EV,
as we were just saying,
is just completely unattainable right now.
But if you look at some of the used EVs that were leased,
that were now coming off leased,
that were purchased about two years ago,
it's a good chance that it's got less than 15,000 miles on it,
looks like a new car, smells like a new car,
but it's 40% cheaper.
So that's why we're seeing a lot of examples.
There's this one particular example
of a dealership in Renton, Washington.
The dealer's name is Genevieve Carter.
She is the owner of Revolve Motors.
A woman-owned dealership, by the way,
she is saying that she is constantly getting calls
from people wanting to come in for a test drive.
She said the second half of March was absolutely insane,
like just flipped on a switch
and all this demand just started to turn on
and she's expecting for this to continue through the summer.
Again, as we had mentioned in the beginning,
gas prices are definitely getting people
to think twice about a used EV.
Stephanie, do you think that the used EV market
is more susceptible to the influences of gas prices
than the new because perhaps these would-be buyers
are a little bit more price conscious?
Is that what's explaining that?
Yeah, definitely.
I think, like Elena said,
you have all these off-leased vehicles that are coming.
So there's a lot of choice at a really good price point.
If you look at the price difference
between a used EV and a used gas,
it's less than $1,000.
So we're getting to Christ parity.
And actually about probably like more than 40%
of used EVs that are sold are less than $25,000.
So it provides access.
And then if you think about somebody who can charge at home,
lower maintenance, the total cost of ownership
is really a strong value proposition
and just a lot of models to choose from.
So I think that really is definitely helping
with the high gas prices.
Used EVs are something to consider.
And I also think Elena was at the used car summit,
I think that we were both at.
I was listening into a dealership panel on used EVs
and they said they started to see a lot of boomers
coming in and buying used EVs.
So I say all that to say that the typical,
you have the typical new EV demographic profile.
I think for used EV, it's just wide open.
So I think for a used dealership
or car dealership selling used EVs,
there's a lot more target demographic to buy those used EVs.
I was also at that used car industry summit panel.
I think all three of us were there
at the beautiful intercontinental hotel in Miami.
You're right.
Yeah, that's really interesting point, Stephanie.
It sort of flips the expectations on its head
about what an EV buyer looks like in that used market.
And it also makes me wonder if some of the,
I remember last year, there was a lot of concern,
at least articulated by consumers to the press
about the used EV battery fear
that people were gonna have to replace an EV battery.
I wonder if it feels to you, both of you,
like that concern has been a swage somewhat
or there's more consumer education around that issue
or something.
Stephanie, do you feel like that's less of an issue
for buyers these days or whatever happened to that?
Yeah, I definitely think the industry's building trust
and transparency around the battery.
We have Mannheim auctions where we see a lot of used EVs
going through the auction
and we do a state of health assessment.
The batteries are really good.
And so I think having that information
when you're looking at a used EVs,
you're gonna purchase it whether you're dealership buying it,
the auction or consumer buying it.
The other thing too is I think we're starting to get better
at educating consumers about the battery warranty.
We did a survey a couple of years ago.
I think it was like 30% of the respondents
weren't aware that there's a warranty eight to 10 years,
100,000 miles on the battery.
So I think the trust and transparency is increasing
and consumers are getting more comfortable with buying a used EV
knowing that that battery has a warranty
or that it's gonna last for a long time.
Elena Chickatelli of the EVs for Everyone podcast
and Stephanie Valdez Streedy of Cox Automotive
spoke with her own Molly Boygon.
You can hear the full conversation
on the latest episode of Shift,
available now wherever you get your podcasts.
That's Daily Drive for today.
I'm Kellan Walker.
Thanks to Automotive News executive producer Jake Neer
as well as our own John Irwin and Molly Boygon
for their reporting for today's podcast.
We also had reporting from Peter Siegel
of our sibling publication, Automotive News Europe.
You can get the latest news
on automaker supplier relations, used EV sales
and everything happening in the auto industry
at AutoNews.com.
Come back tomorrow for a conversation
with Steve Greenfield, general partner of Automotive Ventures
about the latest do's and don'ts for dealers
looking for AI vendors.
If I'm gonna spend more on AI solutions
that are trying to sell to me,
where am I gonna make trade-offs
and start reducing my budget elsewhere?
And that I think as a dealer isn't very clear to me yet.
We'd love to hear from you.
Let us know what you think of the show
and the topics we covered today.
Send us an email at dailydrive at autonews.com
or leave us a voicemail at 313-444-2774.
And if you enjoy the podcast, remember to like,
leave a review and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Thank you.
About this episode
Used EV sales are climbing while new EV demand softens, and the hosts connect the shift to lease turn-ins, pricing that’s closer to used gas than many expect, and better battery warranty/health information. They also pivot to dealer fraud, citing Experian Automotive’s Fraud Protect as a way to catch identity and trade-in scams in real time. On the industry side, a Plant Moran survey says automaker-supplier relationships improved for the first time in 26 years, alongside Stellantis’ capacity and China partnership moves.
