My grandmother's refrigerator ran for forty years. The washing machine she bought in the 1970s? Still spinning when she passed away. Meanwhile, I'm on my third coffee maker in five years, and don't get me started on the laptop that mysteriously died two weeks after the warranty expired. This isn't just bad luck or nostalgia talking. There's something fundamentally different about how products are made today versus decades ago.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that his country will slash its 100% import tax on Chinese EVs to just 6.1%, paving the way for companies like Geely, BYD, Xiaomi, and others to establish a second foothold in the North American automotive market. Canada is not going all-in on Chinese EVs, though. The country will initially cap annual imports at 49,000 vehicles. That cap will slowly increase to about 70,000 in around five years, according to the Associated Press.
At Stellantis headquarters, driving a company car gets you the best parking spots - but driving anything else can get you the boot. When the Jeep parent company ordered employees back to the office five days a week at its Auburn Hills, Michigan campus, workers discovered that parking a Tesla or Hyundai in a spot reserved for Stellantis vehicles could earn them a ticket from security.
When shopping for a vehicle, most buyers are looking for more than just a good deal. A vehicle purchase isn't worth it to them without peace of mind. While style, technology, and performance all play a role, affordability and reliability consistently rise to the top of the priority list. A car that's reasonably priced but frequently in the shop quickly becomes an expensive headache. Drivers know that long-term dependability is just as important as the sticker price.
As vehicles become platforms for software and subscriptions, their longevity is increasingly tied to the survival of the companies behind their code. When those companies fail, the consequences ripple far beyond a bad app update and into the basic question of whether a car still functions as a car. Over the years, automotive software has expanded from performing rudimentary engine management and onboard diagnostics to powering today's interconnected, software-defined vehicles.
For years, car dealerships had a terrible reputation. Pushy sales tactics, confusing pricing, and long hours spent negotiating made the entire experience feel more like a battle than a purchase. Like many buyers, I assumed that avoiding dealerships altogether was the smartest way to buy a car, especially as online platforms and direct-to-consumer models gained popularity. Over time, however, my perspective began to shift.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that's pretty demonstrably false. It's a good reminder that consumer sentiment often lags the reality on the ground. Americans don't have a damned clue who makes good EVs. That's what I took away from the January, 2026 edition of the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report, which measures consumer sentiment toward EV brands. Surveyed consumer sentiment toward EV brands seems to be based on vibes and internal-combustion car experience, not anything resembling reality.