It’s the National Auto Dealers Association show this week and luckily it’s being held in the one place that’ll never have to deal with massive amounts of snow in January: New Orleans. Taps earpiece. I’ve been informed that New Orleans is now a giant, boozy snow globe.
The Morning Dump is going to start in the Big Easy, where some dealers are gathered. You don’t need a reason to party in New Orleans, but if you’re a Ford dealer there are up to 240,000 reasons to celebrate as that’s the much Ford might reimburse you if you installed EV chargers in the company’s push to be an electric brand.
While the company might be slowing its EV ambitions, it’s still one of the biggest sellers of electric cars in this country, even if the United States isn’t expanding in the EV market at quite the rate that many automakers had hoped. Where else might EVs work? India, here we come.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Ford Reimbursing Dealers Up To $240,000 For Aborted EV Expansion Plans
The early 2020s were a wild time. COVID was all the rage. Taylor Swift fans were mad at Jake Gyllenhaal. Many of the biggest car companies, looking at Tesla’s growth, assumed they’d be selling millions of EVs as soon as they put them on the market.
In order to prepare for this, Ford created its Model e dealership certification program. There were two levels: Model e Certified Elite and Model e Certified, with the Elite plan requiring a huge investment in public chargers and service and the non-Elite plan requiring a smaller investment. If dealers didn’t agree to this plan they’d be unable to get new electric cars and trucks to sell.
Here’s a Detroit Free Press article outlining how many dealers had voluntarily enrolled in the initial version of the program as of December 2022 — about 1,920 of Ford’s approximately 3,000 dealers. As soon as it became clear that not everyone was going to be able to find Tesla-like performance, especially amid a price war, dealers joined much of the rest of the industry in trying to figure out what to do next.
By December 2023 the number of interested dealers dropped to about half, and many other dealers and dealer groups sued Ford stating that it was an unreasonable and discriminatory form of distribution that violated their franchise agreement.
Ford eventually relented and canceled the program. Here’s what the company said at the time of canceling, via CNBC:
“The world has changed,” Marin Gjaja, chief operating officer of Ford’s Model E electric vehicle business, said Thursday during a media briefing. “The growth has slowed down.”
Gjaja said the Model e Dealership Program, which included about half of Ford’s 2,800 U.S. dealers, “is being sunset” as the market undergoes changing conditions and amid conversations with dealers. The company had faced lawsuits from dealers over the program.
Instead, Ford will open EV sales to all of its dealers in an attempt to grow sales of its all-electric cars and trucks.
What about the dealers who started the program? According to Automotive News, they’re going to get a nice little reimbursement:
One option, according to a bulletin sent to retailers and obtained by Automotive News, would give dealers $10,000 per Level 3 charger installed plus $2,000 per EV retailed through 2026, up to a maximum of $80,000 for each charger. For dealers who asked for more time to sell EVs, Ford added the option of taking $1,750 per vehicle retailed through 2027, with the same $80,000 maximum per charger.
Both options would pay out up to $240,000 because Ford had required dealers to install as many as three Level 3 chargers.
A third option would give dealers immediate payments of $40,000 per Level 3 charger installed, up to $120,000. This option would not include any money back for each EV sold but might be better for smaller, rural dealerships that don’t anticipate selling many EVs in the next few years and want the money faster.
That’s not bad. Also, my guess is that many of the dealers who really ramped up probably serve a market (like, say, Southern California’s Galpin Ford) that has a lot of EV customers and can use this money, potentially, to improve charging capabilities and training. Will this encourage David to buy more i3s or busted Leafs?
NADA Update: ‘The Good News Is The Party Is Still Going On, And There Will Be Plenty Of Booze’
The nation’s auto dealers were supposed to all descend on New Orleans this week for the big annual conference, in what I’m sure was to be the kind of teetotaling and restrained businesslike atmosphere that the city is known for. Instead, a freak historic snowstorm shut down the airport, and now dealers who didn’t get in early or can’t drive are stuck at home.
This is a bummer, as Automotive News reports:
A pre-NADA Show private party hosted by five industry vendors was impacted by the weather. The caterer for the Jan. 22 event canceled, leaving hosts to figure out how to feed guests.
”We’re looking at pizza places, restaurants to order from,” said Laurie Halter of Charisma! Communications, one of the hosts. “The good news is the party is still going on, and there will be plenty of booze.”
Two beignets and four hurricanes is roughly the average diet of a New Orleans tourist, so I’m glad the people who are there are at least having some fun.
These Five Cars Made Up More Than Half Of EV Sales Last December
Now that we’ve got a full read on December sales and, perhaps more importantly, a sense of the new White House’s plans for electric cars, we can dive deeper into the data.
According to Cox Automotive’s latest numbers, just five cars made up about 54% of all EV sales in December:
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model 3
- Honda Prologue
- Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Chevrolet Equinox EV
Obviously, most of those sales are of the two Teslas, but so far the Prologue has been a big seller and I’ve been impressed with how it’s already outflanked its GM platform-mates. There’s been so much demand lately for EVs that supply has stabilized a bit and prices are even going up. From Cox:
In December, the average transaction price for new electric vehicles was $55,544, marking a 1.1% increase from the previous month and a 0.8% rise from the previous year. EV incentives were equal to 14.3% of the ATP last month, which was lower than in November when EV incentives were equal to 14.7%. In December, the ATP for a new EV was $6,274 higher than the ICE+ ATP ($49,270), the second-lowest premium in 2024. The top five most affordable EVs in December were the Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500e, Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and Chevrolet Equinox.
If Congress moves to remove the tax credit I suspect we’ll see a big rush of sales at the last minute.
Is India The Next Big EV Market?
It’s not just NADA this week, it’s also the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in India. This is the third biggest market after China and the United States, so automakers that are having trouble moving electric cars in other places are eyeing a future there.
Electric cars are all the rage at the Bharat Expo, which is India’s biggest car show.
India is starting from a low point. While electric car sales have surged — a 55-fold jump in six years — even an 18% year-on-year increase in the 12 months to December 2024 only took the world’s most populous nation to 113,715 vehicles, according to BloombergNEF. Falling battery costs and new models mean that number is likely to overtake traditional cars, but only by 2039.
Viewed one way, that’s not great, but viewed another way it just means there’s a lot of room for growth. At the show were representatives of European, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese brands. Many of these companies were showing electric cars, albeit of the lower-cost variety.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
In honor of all those who made it to New Orleans, here’s The Simpsons doing a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire. “Oh, Streetcar!”
The Big Question
If you bought an EV, which did you buy? If you were forced to buy an EV, what would you get?
“Two beignets and four hurricanes is roughly the average diet of a New Orleans tourist. ”
You forgot the complimentary Jackson Pollack display on Bourbon Street/the tips of your shoes after the diet is consumed.
I am exceptionally happy with my Volt. If I had to buy another EV, I’d probably get a Bolt, or a Bolt EUV.
This is pretty-much exactly where I’m at. I bought my 2012 Volt in 2016 and it’s been the best car I’ve ever owned. Hoping to get some more miles out of it before the battery pack goes, but at least it doesn’t owe me anything based on the fuel $avings I’ve realized with it. When it does give up the ghost, a Bolt is the current planned replacement.
I would buy an i3, particularly one that doesn’t have the range extender. So long as it didn’t have to be my only car. No EV meets my roadtripping requirements. Oh, I know it’ll get us there. I’m not worried about range/charging(ok, I roadtrip up and down 95 and I’ve seen the charger lines, but I’ll gloss over it this one time), but I am concerned about my MIL(who vacays with us a lot) complaining about the wait to charge.
At this point, probably a 2-3 year old Model S. I’ve been drooling over them for a while. Price/performance/range is all pretty good. I’ve always like the design. A used 3 might be OK too but I’m not as sold on the looks.
I agree, the 3 has a weird, somehow fish lipped front end.
Any EV? I’d get a Lightning Pro with the ER battery and keep on truckin’
“If you bought an EV, which did you buy? If you were forced to buy an EV, what would you get?”
I am still driving my ex rental Model 3. I’m glad Hertz screwed the pooch and bought a bunch of cars nobody wanted to rent. They were great deals, particularly for those of us that bought during the early days of the fire sale when there were several options to choose from.
While I like my car, I have been looking at used Model S Plaids lately. I am starting to see them in the mid $40s, which seems like a good deal for something with that range and performance. I would prefer a Taycan, but I am reluctant to consider any EV that doesn’t have full access to the Tesla Supercharger network.
The Bentley Continental GT Speed. It’s no contest.
Used Taycans are into “well if i just never eat out again, and maybe dont pay for my kids preschool, i could afford that…” territory. I found one the other day in the green exterior/red interior combo. That one. That’s what i want.
Taycan breaks down
“….AND my kids don’t go to college.”
Breaks down again
“And we extend our retirement to 92 years old…”
COTD
I have a Chevy Bolt, but I’m really interested in replacing my wife’s gas Volvo XC60 with the EX30, too bad the price jumped up compared to the original promised $35k. I’d love to have a used Polestar too.
I’m really lusting over Polestars but I don’t have a “dealer” within 200 miles which makes me sad. My Volvo dealer got a EX90 in the other day which made me want to trade in my XC90 for it on the spot. But that’s not in the budget.
Brand new Ford dealership was built around the corner from my office within the past year. They have about 4 EV chargers right out in front at the corner of the new dealership building, and all I ever see parked in those new spaces are new Broncos. What a waste of money – glad they are compensating the dealers for wasting all of that money.
There might be some EVs using them if they didn’t park Broncos there all the time.
Pipe dream: Polestar1, Rivian,
Day dream: Polestar 2, Prologue
Reality: Used Nissan Leaf
I already have an EV but I make bad decisions so I am going to go look at the EV Charger Scat Pack and the Jeep Wagonner S.
If I had to buy an EV, I’d really look at the i3 if I could find one. David’s coverage has me intrigued.
For a daily drive the i3 slots into my thinking as Enough Car.
I guess I’m way out of touch with EVs because I’ve never heard of a Honda Prologue.
…and an infrequent visitor here, I assume?
It’s a badge engineered Chevy Equinox EV, but it has carplay/auto b/c it’s a Honda
Ah GM. Maybe I have heard about it but just put it out of my mind.
In Summer of 2023 I bought a used 2015 E-Golf for my Son to drive just under $10K . This past March I picked up a 2019 Audi Etron for under $25K and was able to get the 4K used rebate to bring her down to $21K.
I just returned from a roadtrip with the Audi from MI-TN-MI and it was fantastic. A few more stops than gas (planned and expected) and the temps hit range a bit (about 25%) but all in all the infrastructure on our route was very good.
I was contemplating taking a look at the new Jeep Wagoneer S lease but my 6 year old Audi has a better tow rating. Not sure “faster accelleration” and a bit more range is worth the extra cash at this stage of the EV game.
Also, no V2X capabilities on a new EV Jeep? C’mon.
I still have my Gladiator for other mission needs (Airstream Mule) but I’m keeping a close eye on the used Lightnings.
No V2L on the Jeep is a huuuge miss, considering the response the F-150 Hybrid and Lightning got from it.
I don’t have an EV and I’m not in the market for one but if I had to buy a brand new one right now-ish, it would be the Charger. I do not like any crossover or most SUVs so it wins out by being almost the only choice that isn’t one of them plus I genuinely think it looks good.
What do you mean the early 2020s as if they are over? We’re still in the earl…*checks calendar*…oh, well then.
Well since we are pretending I see no reason to be sensible. I would buy a Taycan wagon in that Blackberry Sherbet color.
Haha yeah if this is a hypothetical internet dollars with someone holding a gun to my head it would be a sarcastic “oh no I’ll guess I’ll get a Taycan cross” but in the cherry metallic for me.
Yes, internet dollars and I am going nuts on the Taycan wagon customizer.
Yeah, mine specs out at only $185K… I would rather have the Sport than the Cross wagon, though the Cross comes in higher tier performance.
But really there are a couple things I want that they don’t offer there. I want the blackberry interior, with black seats that have blackberry insets. I would be installing new rims on day one. None of their options are great to me.
“only 185k” haha I’ll go home today and tell my fiance “hon we need to take a second mortgage out on the house for reasons it will be fine”
Oh indeed. I mean that fully sarcastically. The last daily driver I bought was $900. I’ve never in my life spent more than $7000 to buy a car. I’m in my 40s and I’ve owned a number of cars. I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything under 100K miles either. While in theory I could afford a “regular” new car, we are much happier focusing our finances on other things. New carness doesn’t do it for us.
$184,658 here. Not sure what the difference is between Sport and Cross, but just picked Sport. I went with the darker blue exterior, blackberry interior, gold wheels.
Cross is like 2 inches taller in the suspension than the Sport.
I’d be looking hard at used Bolts or see if I can find a heavily depreciated R1S, depending on which vehicle I’m replacing. If it had to be a new model, it would be an Equinox EV or Mach-E. I’m curious about the Ioniq 5, but I also want the tax credit…
If I had to get an electric it’d probably be a Mach E or an EV6. Checked out the EV6 when my wife bought her Sorento and was pretty impressed. Ford just to match my existing Mustang.
If Musk wasn’t involved in Tesla I’d probably have gone a 3 or Y.
Would want the most? Rivian R1T probably.
Realistic/1-car-to-do-everything? Probably an EV6. Maybe Kona EV though an Ioniq 5 would make more sense; I like the I6 but value practicality more than people space and the sub-Versa sized trunk makes it a no.
Not opposed to an Ariya, bz4x, id.4, so on for most of the others for the right price, but that goes for a lot of things. But if I’m picking one of those based on price it would only really make sense in a >1 car fleet. Could actually throw a cheap Ioniq 6 back in that group then for that use case.
Assuming I have to pay for it, I get the cheapest lease out of the Prologue, Ioniq 5, or Mach E I guess. If the Equinox had CarPlay, I’d consider that too.
I don’t really shop EVs, so I’d want to see what charging differences there may be between them. But ultimately I think “cheap” wins the day there.
If the rules allow though, I’d rather just get a PHEV. Prius or RAV4 Prime.
We have a Model 3 and Model Y. My wife and I both think Musk has lost the plot since we purchased our vehicles, but we aren’t looking at replacing them until absolutely necessary.
I think Walmart will be the next big player in the EV scene. They have plans to roll out DC fast charging at their locations coast to coast. Getting groceries is one of those tasks that can easily be done while charging, especially for renters. That should remove charging as a barrier to many.
Man I haven’t gone in a store to get groceries in 10 years. If they put them at breweries then I’d be set.
Can’t wait to buy an Onn EV. Wonder how long it will take to find the only clerk in the store who knows how to remove the security tag octopus from one of these.
Our local Walmart super center has fast DC charging, It’s very convenient. Go do some grocery shopping and walk out to a fully charged car.
I bought a Model Y back in May. At the time it was the only EV with 3 rows of seats and enough towing capacity for my popup that could easily fit into my garage. The vehicle itself is brilliant. It just works. There’s a Tardis-level amount of storage. The screen really isn’t an issue.
The Tesla board needs to find a new CEO. That guy is a real drag on the company.
I’ve been saying that for almost 10 years. No company (or country) deserves to have an unfiltered CEO (or president/PM) who just spews everything on his mind.
Also, I’m not sure how I missed that the Y has a third row, but now I’m slightly intrigued about punishing my kids by using it…
The third row is offered as an option. FWIW, it only safely has headroom for small adults or kids.
I use the third row for my dogs. They have some place to buckle a tether into so they don’t go flying during a sudden stop. The lack of leg room is a feature for that use. Makes getting a paw stuck a lot more difficult.
I’ve transported shorter and skinnier people back there. It’s fine for trips under 30 minutes.
I bought a 37k mile, 2014 Leaf for a third car, with 97% battery remaining for 4K. I L2 at home, it handles all the in city commuting, parking, grocery getting with ease and anonymity. I was originally looking for golf carts, but then quickly realized that they’re insanely overpriced and the leaf made a ton more sense.
Is that the original battery, or was it recently replaced? That sounds like a great deal.
original battery! and these things are dirt cheap to insure as well.
That’s awesome. My 2016 was down to around 80% when I sold it last year, although it only degraded ~5% during the 60k miles I owned it. First generation Leafs are highly underrated. I don’t need another vehicle, but I couldn’t pass up a 1G Leaf with a good battery for a decent price.
100% agreed. So underrated. They’re the perfect car for a new driver too if the roundtrip pencils out.
Even though I already have 5 vehicles on the road I’m keeping my eyes out for a <$5k Leaf for all the little errands it could do. You found a great deal!