As the year 2024 comes to a close, analytic and manufacturer-reported sales data clearly show that the dominant choice of car for U.S. buyers is still 'good old-fashioned' gasoline-powered cars.
Whether you are a strong environmentalist or a passionate, "oil in the veins" kind of hot-rodder, it is hard not to notice their dominance in the greater car market. EV charging infrastructure remains far less developed than gas stations, while fuel-efficient cars remain much cheaper than their electric counterparts.
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Legacy automakers like General Motors and Toyota are actively doubling down on their gas-engined lineups, while luxury brands like Mercedes and Porsche are trying to keep their legendary gas engines alive for their discerning fanbases. Even as EVs affect the status quo, the appeal of having a loud, easy-to-own gas-powered car keeps the demand for them alive.
However, looking ahead to 2025, a number of new developments in the auto industry could shape and shake up the landscape for buyers looking to keep pumping gas.
We don't talk about Donald Trump much [but we have to]
If there is one person that will shape the near future of the automotive industry for the next 12 months, it would be President-elect Donald J. Trump.
According to a December 16 report from Reuters, the incoming president's transition team recommends changes that will effectively undo strides made during the Biden administration.
The $7,500 tax credit that got EVs out on the road? Gone.
Emissions and fuel economy standards that help buyers into more fuel-efficient cars? Rolled back.
Though these measures will help manufacturers like General Motors forgo having to develop 'compliance' vehicles like plug-in hybrids and effectively help them sell more Silverados and Suburbans, the message the change sends is that gasoline engines will last longer in the name of consumer choice.
But while the Trump campaign's 'Drill, Baby, Drill' motto to increase oil production sounds like cheaper gas for everyone, experts say he is misguided.
“It’s a world oil market that determines the supply and demand balance,” Boston University professor Robert Kauffman told USA Today. His work covers global oil markets, climate change and land use changes.
Additionally, automakers may be affected by Trump's tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, which may take effect soon after he takes the seat in the Oval Office.
Various automakers, including Honda, General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and even BMW, have varying levels of exposure to those tariffs, which could cause the prices of new cars to skyrocket.
Though his campaign was run on a promise to ease Americans' economic burden, the incoming president appeared to walk back his pledge to lower prices in his Time Magazine Person of the Year interview.
“It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up,” he said. “You know, it’s very hard.”
strategy that included, but was not limited to shifting around its C-suite, including laying off many of its American factory workers, and addressing its major inventory problems.
But simultaneously, he angered dealers and the UAW and still failed to woo over skeptical buyers.
However, under the new, albeit temporary, leadership of a Stellantis 'executive council' headed by chairman John Elkann, things are changing for the better.
The return of former Ram Trucks CEO Tim Kuniskis is one positive sign. His peers highlighted his previous 30-year tenure at Chrysler and Fiat as a "Swiss Army knife," often contributing more than his job title suggested.
Most importantly, Stellantis brand dealers hold him in high regard for being a "down-to-earth guy" who isn't a shell in a suit.
“Tim [Kuniskis] has the ability to transcend and make an impact across all brands even if he’s focusing on one or two of them, as he’s done in the past,” Michael Bettenhausen, the incoming chairman of Stellantis’ U.S. dealer council told AutoNews.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge, and I think everyone in the company at some point of time has leaned on Tim for guidance and advice. You just can’t get those 32 years of sales and marketing experience he has and let it sit idle.”
At the same time, chairman John Elkann is spearheading amends over in its other key market; Europe, where they announced a multi-billion-euro investment in Italian production that will produce a lineup of new models including a new hybrid version of the Fiat 500.
Time will tell to see how the Stellantis story unfolds, but a start is a start.
More Automotive:
- Stellantis’s STLA frame platform could be the future of trucks
- Subaru CEO could shift U.S. strategy following Trump win
- Feds to require new cars to have an 'annoying' safety feature
2025: the year of the hybrid.
Despite their resurgence being a recent phenomenon, it is weird to believe that it has been 25 years since the first hybrid-electric car was sold in the United States; as the first iteration of the Honda Insight went on sale to the general public.
In the 2000's, the Toyota Prius became pop culture's darling and punching bag, as it became a symbol of Hollywood's environmental activism, as well as a symbol of malaise by car enthusiasts. Paparazzi photos from the period showed actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz treating their respective Prii as ecological vehicular fashion accessories.
Today, said "status symbol" reputation can be applied to EVs like those from Elon Musk's Tesla, as today's buyers still buy into visual and material conscience, as well as the promise of virtually zero airborne emissions and gas-free propulsion.
The polarizing Cybertruck was seen in a music video featuring Travis Scott, and out in public being driven by none other than Kim Kardashian. On the flip side, Shaquille O'Neal employed MTV-famous custom shop West Coast Customs to create a custom two-door Lucid Air to account for his towering height.
But for people with more realistic budgets and value frills-free motoring as a primary form of transportation, EVs present more complications aside from a higher asking price, as limited range, and charging complications can be real hurdles for owners to overcome.
Related: Consumer demand is driving growth for Hybrid cars
But for those who only seek to spend less on gas; an already manageable solution can be found with hybrids.
These days, buyers are spoiled rotten when it comes to choosing a gas-electric hybrid car. Beyond the Prius, hybrid engines power all types of cars including pickup trucks, SUVs, sedans, compact cars and even high-performance sports cars. In fact, during Ferrari's record-breaking year in 2023, 44% of the cars the prancing horse sold were hybrids like the sleek 296 and SF90 models.
As for more pedestrian cars, hybrid sales for mainstream brands like Toyota and Honda have been peaking in recent months. According to the latest sales data available, Honda sold 31,551 Civic, Accord and CR-V hybrids in November 2024, making up roughly 28.7% of the 110,020 total cars that Honda pushed out of dealers that month.
Additionally, sales of two Toyota models solely offered as hybrids, the Camry sedan and the Tacoma pickup truck, rose by double-digits in November, posting gains of 25% and 29%, respectively.
With Trump in office, automakers may be incentivized to make cars with much more polluting elements, but hybrids could serve as a bridge for electrification, they can be the last hurrah for the gas engine as we know it.
There are some cars that I look forward to:
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
In true enthusiast fashion, I have a special love for some of the most mind-bending, earth-shattering sports cars on the planet.
But if there is one that I am looking forward to seeing or driving in 2025, it wouldn't be the new Porsche, Lamborghini or even Ferrari. It would be the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.
I hate to use this term, but if "American Exceptionalism" were personified in a car, it wouldn't be a hulking pickup truck or full-size, eight-passenger SUV; it would be this, a low-slung mid-engined sports car that does it better than cars costing tens of thousands more.
The numbers it boasts are a feat in of itself. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged, 5.5-liter V8 that makes (breathe in) 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque.
That is not a typo. It makes one thousand and sixty-four horsepower and eight hundred and twenty-eight pound-feet of torque.
Through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, it can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in just 2 and a half seconds and hit the quarter mile in just 9.7 seconds. With the optional "ZTK Performance Package," its 0-60 time drops to just 2.3 seconds, while the quarter mile can be done in 9.6 seconds.
To put those numbers into perspective, the standard ZR1's 0-60 time matches the $524,814 Ferrari SF90 Stradale and the $604,363 Lamborghini Revuelto, as they are both capable of the feat in 2.5 seconds.
But while the Corvette does not exactly match in frivolous things like "prestige," the idea of a Chevrolet beating the best of what the "best" automotive marques have to offer is a feat in itself.
Stellantis
Ram 1500 Ramcharger
Ok, this car is technically an EV, but hear me out.
Earlier this year, Ford CEO Jim Farley noted that during his 10-day trip to China, he found a type of electric vehicle that is very compatible with how Americans drive: EREVs, or Extended-Range Electric Vehicles.
In basic terms, these are fully-electric vehicles that contain an onboard generator (usually a gas engine) that charges the battery whenever needed; extending its range.
"EREVs in the U.S. could be 120 miles of all-electric, and they drive like EVs," Farley said. "They don't drive like combustion engine vehicles, so you get an EV, and you have 700 miles of range. You don't have range anxiety for a long trip. You don't have to rely on any charges. And those vehicles have half the batteries, so they're very profitable."
The Ramcharger in particular, according to Stellantis, can provide up to 690 total miles of range thanks to a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine to power a 130kW on-board generator that charges its on-board 92kW battery whenever it is needed.
“There’s no connection between this generator assembly and the wheels, like one might find in even a plug in hybrid — all of the propulsion is electrical,” Ram Trucks chief engineer Doug Killian said in a statement. “And that’s really important to that story of this being an electric vehicle.”
Related: Stellantis' new electric pickup provides a cure for range anxiety
Despite carrying this load, Ram says that the Ramcharger can actually do "truck stuff," as it will have a towing capacity of up to 14,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 2,625 pounds.
Additionally, it can be used as its own mobile power station, which can power other EVs, or send power to your home, campsite or worksite with up to 7.2 kW of power available.
Though Stellantis may be going through its own problems, this vehicle is being pushed ahead for an early 2025 release.
According to a December 18 release by Stellantis, they note that the "decision to launch Ramcharger first was driven by overwhelming consumer interest, maintaining a competitive advantage in the technology and slowing industry demand for half-ton BEV pickups."
Hopefully, this kind of powertrain setup can find its way into non-truck applications and help companies like Stellantis find a middle ground between full-on EVs and good ol' gas powered cars.
Honda
Honda Prelude
It is official; the Honda Prelude is coming back, and it's coming to America.
Produced from 1978 to 2001, the Prelude was Honda’s former flagship sports coupe, providing thrills to a generation of Honda enthusiasts. Though the updated looks of this new model suggest that it’s powered by Honda’s mighty VTEC engine of yore, the new Prelude is a modern electrified car through and through.
Under the hood is a version of Honda's hybrid system used in the Civic, which combines a 2-liter four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors. According to sources close to Honda, it will share key suspension components with the high-performance Civic Type R.
As for its looks, the new Prelude has a sleek, sculpted sports car body that is a nice evolution from its past. The Prelude's silhouette is distinctly defined by a smooth tapered roofline that harkens to more expensive and faster machines like the Porsche 911, while LED strips on the front and the rear give the car a Prius-like “electric” look.
Related: Honda revives a beloved name for an exciting electric sports car
Though there is much to be revealed, some elements of the car that are known have managed to piss off leagues of disappointed enthusiasts. But while "certified car guys" and Honda fanboys scoff at the Prelude's hybrid engine and the lack of a "proper" manual transmission, the Prelude fills a gap amidst wider hybrid adoption.
Automakers shoehorning hybrid powertrains into "mainstream" models like the Camry, Accord, CR-V and Civic may help to "normalize" their use by the general public, but
I can see the Prelude filling a gap in buyers who could see this car as a sleek, higher-performance machine that is an alternative to a run-of-the-mill sedan, hatchback or crossover.
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