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Ford reports biggest earnings miss since 2021
Ford Motors fell short of quarterly earnings estimates but still forecasts 2026 to be a rebound year for the automaker. Earnings per share was 32% lower than analysts' expectations of 19 cents per share, coming in at 13 cents per share. This was the company’s first quarterly miss since 2024 and its worst since a 42% difference when reporting its 2021 fourth-quarter earnings. The earnings miss was primarily driven by unexpected tariff costs of US$900 million related to credits for auto parts not taking effect as early as expected, according to the company. As of 15 December, Ford confirmed it has $7.7 billion in earnings before interest and taxes for the first quarter, but additional costs dropped that to $6.8 million. Fires at a Novelis aluminium supplier in New York last year also contributed to the lower than expected earnings. The supplier isn’t expected to be fully operational until the middle of this year, according to Ford CFO Sherry House. “We will see a billion-dollar benefit roughly in 2026; however, this year, due to the Novelis impact, we’re going to have tariffs increasing in order to secure aluminium that is roughly the same amount of that savings,” House told reporters. Despite the miss in ear
Motoring
China’s EV boom stalls as BYD logs weakest month
China’s electric car boom has hit a softer patch with January’s numbers suggesting the slowdown is no longer confined to the margins. BYD, the country’s dominant electric vehicle maker, reported its weakest monthly domestic performance in nearly two years. This notable downturn coincides with deeper concerns about demand, policy fatigue and a market crowded with rivals chasing the same buyers. The Shenzhen-based group sold 205,518 vehicles in January, including plug-in hybrids, of which only 83,249 were battery-electric passenger cars. That was the lowest monthly tally since February 2024, a period when Covid disruptions were still echoing through supply chains. Typically, January figures in China are always awkward to read, with the Lunar New Year following a farming calendar - rather than the Western one – which shifts each year and distorts production, sales and logistics. However, this time there was an extra headwind. From January 1, Beijing reinstated a 5% purchase tax on so-called new energy vehicles - aka cars powered by batteries or a mix of battery and petrol - after an exemption had been in place for more than a decade. While electric cars were one of the few clean growth stories within an econom
Motoring
Toyota shrugs off US levies with record 2025 sales
Toyota Motor Corporation (TSE: 7203) (NYSE: TM) delivered a quiet rebuke to the politics of trade by closing 2025 with global vehicle sales of just over 10.5 million, its strongest result in two years and enough to hold onto the title of the world’s biggest carmaker. Sales across Toyota and its Lexus luxury brand rose 3.7% from the year before, comfortably ahead of Volkswagen Group and Hyundai Motor Group. The standout market was the United States, where Toyota’s results read like a contradiction. American sales jumped 7.3% to 2.93 million vehicles, even after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imported cars. Those levies were initially set at 25% before being cut to 15% following negotiations with Japan. Despite tariffs, which are a tax charged on imported goods, Toyota managed to absorb the extra costs instead of pushing through broad price rises, betting that steady prices would keep buyers coming through showroom doors. That calculation appears to have paid off. Hybrids sat at the centre of the strategy with models like Prius and RAV4, which combine a petrol engine with an electric motor to reduce fuel use without requiring charging, continued to attract U.S. buyers wary of fully electric vehicl
Motoring
GM shares drive higher as Q4 earnings beats forecasts
General Motors (GM) shares rose almost 9% on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) despite the company announcing an 11.8% increase in losses for the fourth quarter of 2025 (Q4 FY25). The American car manufacturer said the net loss widened to US$3.31 billion (A$4.74 billion) in the three months ended 31 December from a $2.961 billion deficit in the previous corresponding period (pcp) a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) deteriorated to a loss of $2.51 from a loss of $1.92 in the pcp on revenue, which dipped 5.1% to $45.287 billion.Source: General MotorsThe share price jumped as adjusted EPS of $2.51, which was 30.4% higher than the pcp, was above analysts’ estimates of $2.20. GM shares (NYSE: GM) closed $6.96 (8.77%) higher at US$86.30, capitalising the company at $80.83 billion (A$115.8 billion), and they continued rising to $86.50 in after-hours trading. GM said Q4 net income was marred by more than $7.2 billion in charges due mainly to a realignment of electric vehicle (EV) capacity and investments to adjust to expected declines in consumer demand for EVs. For the full year, net income plunged 55.1% to $2.697 billion and diluted EPS dived 48.7% to $3.27 as revenue eased 1.3% to $185.019 billion. The company for
Motoring
GM to move Buick production back to the US
General Motors has confirmed that it will be moving production of the next-generation Buick back to the United States. The Envision version of the SUV is currently built in China, and has been since 2017, but the move back to the States comes amidst ongoing pressure from President Trump to increase domestic manufacturing and high tariffs that made things harder for the automaker to keep importing from overseas. The company's Kansas City Fairfax Assembly plant will serve as the location for vehicle manufacturing, starting in 2028. However, this next-gen version of the car will only be sold domestically, leaving the possibility of continued Chinese production of the vehicle for sales outside of the U.S. "This decision further strengthens GM’s domestic manufacturing footprint and supports U.S. jobs, building on $5.5 billion in new investments announced across our U.S. manufacturing sites in the last year,” GM said in an emailed statement.

Motoring
GM to take $6 billion charge as it cuts EV capacity
General Motors (GM) expects to take US$6 billion (A$8.95 billion) of charges in the three months ended 31 December 31, 2025 as it pulls back its commitment to the electric vehicle (EV) market. The American car manufacturer said these charges include non-cash impairments and other non-cash charges of about $1.8 billion, supplier commercial settlements, contract cancellation fees, and other charges of about $4.2 billion. They relate to the reduction in GM’s planned EV production and the impact on its supply chain and come only weeks after rival Ford Motor (F.N) disclosed a large charge. GM is the latest car maker to pull back from EVs in response to United States President Donald Trump administration's policies and fading demand. "We expect to recognize additional material cash and non-cash charges in 2026 related to continued commercial negotiations with our supply base, which we believe will be significantly less than the EV-related charges incurred in 2025,” the company said in a Form 8K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “In addition, proposed regulatory changes to the greenhouse gas emission standards could result in an impairment of our emissions credits, similar to the previo
Motoring
Ford reaches best annual and Q4 sales since 2019
Ford maintained its position as the number one commercial vehicle seller in the United States in 2025 while reaching its best annual and fourth quarter (Q4) sales since 2019. The company’s sales for the year climbed 6% to 2,204,124 vehicles, giving it a market share of 13.2%. For Q4, sales were up 2.7% and outperformed the industry, with its market share rising 0.9 percentage points for the quarter. “We’re growing share and beating the trend because we offer a great range of products, from accessible entry-level models to high-performance off-roaders,” Ford Blue and Model e president, Andrew Frick, said. The company's F-Series trucks secured their 49th consecutive year as America’s best-selling truck and 44 years as America’s best-selling vehicle. Ford sold 828,832 trucks in 2025, an 8.3% increase from 2024. The Explorer also remained America’s best-selling SUV, and the Bronco posted a new annual sales record. Hybrid vehicles for the company also achieved record Q4 and yearly sales, with 228.072 vehicles sold. This marks a 21.7% increase for the year. The Ford Pro Transit van was America’s best-selling van and set a new annual record of 161,797 vehicles sold. “Our growth across record hybrid sales shows
Motoring
US to remain fossils driver as China spreads EV supremacy
By bolting the door against Chinese innovation as part of its fight to maintain global superiority, the United States has successfully protected its legacy fossil-fuel industry - yet at the cost of leaving its consumers behind in the global automotive tech race. The rapid acceleration of China and its auto exports has fundamentally tilted the playing field, making the bustling wharves of Fremantle and Brisbane the new ground zero for a silent, high-voltage invasion that is currently rewriting the rules of the road for the next decade. America is currently missing out on the rapid R&D cycles that are defining the next fifty years of transport, and (somewhat ironically) Australia has accidentally become the world’s most advanced automotive laboratory. In the U.S., a 100% tariff "deadbolt" has been slid across the door, essentially banning the world’s most sophisticated New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) out of China to protect an incumbent industry that is still struggling to find the "on" switch. Meanwhile Australia, with its diverse and rugged terrain, has become a proving ground for this production overflow, its consumers benefiting from a level of choice and fierce competition from the Middle Kingdom that U.S. buyers simply
Motoring
Tesla dethroned by BYD as biggest EV seller
Tesla has been dethroned by the Chinese electric vehicle maker (EV) BYD as the world’s biggest seller of on a calendar-year basis. This follows two consecutive years of sales declines for Tesla. The company said it delivered 418,227 vehicles in the October to December quarter, down 15.6% from a year earlier. For 2025, Tesla said it delivered 1.64 million vehicles compared with 1.79 million in 2024. Analysts said Tesla had come under immense pressure, especially in North America and Europe, due to intensified competition and owner Elon Musk’s political affiliation. Despite the fall in deliveries, Tesla shares rose 12.30% for the whole year. Meanwhile, BYD said sales of its battery-powered cars rose by nearly 28% to 2.26 million units, marking an extraordinary rise for the company Musk once laughed at. Sales for BYD climbed to a record 1 million outside China, up around 150% from 2024. At the time of writing, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock was down 11.65% to US$428.07