Happy Monday! It's November 2, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift โ your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.
๐ The Core Development
In this morning's edition we're looking at Ford's desire to make its lineup more interesting, and the effects of our Canadian trade war on Michigan's election. We'll also look at companies getting ready for a midterm rout, and BMW's plans for autonomy.
Ford wants its sales back to pre-pandemic levels, and it has a new approach that CEO Jim Farley hopes will get the company there: Make cars that are actually interesting. Wild concept, I know, but perhaps it is just crazy enough to work. From the Wall Street Journal :
๐ Background & Sector Context
Ford Motor expects to sell 5 million cars a year by early next decade, Chief Executive Jim Farley told workers this week, a sales volume the company hasn't reached since before the pandemic.
The company's global strategy turns on Farley's emphasis to no longer make "boring" vehicles, which for now has left it without the budget-friendly small sedans and SUVs it used to give priority to. Farley has said that making affordable vehicles remains a priority, however, and Ford is planning to launch five new models priced below $40,000 by the end of the decade, including an all-electric pickup truck.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Ford once decided to kill off nearly all its interesting cars in favor of making crossover slop, so this will be a reversal of that. Of course, the crossover slop got Ford to the sales numbers it's now trying to return to, so who knows what's best.
Benchmark Telemetry & EV Fuel Savings
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Michigan's race for Senate is a closely-watched one, and it's made headlines recently as (former?) Democrat Haley Stevens turned away from supporting her (former?) party-mate Abdul El-Sayed to go back Republican Mike Rogers. But within Michigan, there's another factor playing in voters' minds: The trade war with Canada. From Automotive News :
The Michigan seat is crucial for Democrats to get a Senate majority. It's also a race where Trump's trade war with Canada has become a ballot box issue.
