It's been eight months since I answered comments directed at the Rumble Seat -- eight miserable months for U.S. carbuyers, battered by higher fuel costs and insurance rates, and a record number of manufacturer recalls affecting millions of gas-powered engines. My humble thanks go out to all these correspondents, commenters and readers, and my condolences. I hope you all made it home safely.
In the spirit of legendary columnist William Safire, I've got my own messes to clean up. Many readers caught my recent gaffe when I asked, hypothetically, what if Rivian's or Tesla's first model had been a pickup? Of course, Rivian's first model was a pickup, the R1T. The word that went missing in that sentence was "midsize." On me.
The email that really stopped me came from reader Michael Weber. "How do you maintain your interest in cars these days?" he asked. "I was a lifelong enthusiast and industry nerd. But today's cars and auto culture have lost me. What am I doing wrong?"
Let us consult the wisdom of the ancients. From Plato we know that as humans age they gradually lose interest in the new and long for the familiar, which they called nostalgia. I despise nostalgia. My job is to discover and celebrate the New.
It is well to remember also Heraclitus, who observed that all is flux. Fifty years ago, the U.S. was the center of the automotive universe. Today, China is now the world's largest automotive market, as well as second-largest exporter of light vehicles, after Germany. It also controls something like 75% of global EV battery manufacturing. China's battery titans, including CATL, control vital patents on technologies such as sodium-ion battery chemistry, considered by many the next generation in onboard energy storage.
In other words, if you want to be inspired by the frontiers of automotive engineering and solutions-based product design, look to China. That will be hard for many. I understand there are legitimate data-privacy concerns, although I question whether they're specific to China's automakers. In late June Polestar, majority-owned by Geely, announced it would stop U.S. sales as of 2027, due to the U.S. government's ban on Chinese operating systems. But in May GM agreed to pay $12.75 million in a case where it was accused of selling customer data, and Detroit is nowhere near China.
In many ways, China's vernacular taste in automotive design codified the excesses of the West and doubled down upon them, propelled by the status-signaling anxieties of rising Chinese affluence. China's transportation sensibilities are aspirational and urban, where U.S. tastes lean toward the landed and utilitarian. But everybody loves SUVs. That is how we come by something like BYD's Yangwang U8L, an ultraluxury SUV/landing craft that can float in water for up to 30 minutes, can turn in its own length like a tank and walk sideways like a crab.
Looking for something a bit more sporty? Yangwang's U9 Xtreme is the fastest road car on Earth, with a top speed of 496.2 km/h, or 308.3 mph. And that's another thing: Americans must embrace the metric system. In the age of electrification, it's bonkers to still be fiddling with pound-feet, horsepower and miles.
In any case, get used to it: China-made vehicles, transplant brands, patented technology and aesthetics are likely to reshape the U.S. auto market in the next decade. I predict a self-identifying Chinese style will assert itself globally, like the "Cool Britannia" era of the 1990s, when London's cultural vision shaped everything from clothes to concert halls. Why? As the title of Sven Beckert's recent "Capitalism: A Global History" succinctly puts it, Capitalism wants nothing more than to be global. Style follows the money.
In response to my full-throated praise of Rivian's R2 midsize SUV, Nathan Myer wrote to ask if I was "paid by Rivian for that complete pile of slop you called an article." Thank you, sir! May I have another? "Holy smokes," writes Monty Ayers. "I just read your review of the smaller Rivian and am astounded by your bulls -- ."
I feel you, brah. I say that every day to the mirror. Nonetheless, Rivian is one of the few American automakers in a position to compete with Tesla and Chinese automakers overseas -- notably in Europe, where EVs claimed a quarter of new-car sales in May. Rivian R2 brings more than a classy chassis and a progressive brand to the table. Rivian developed its own operating system, user interfaces and hands-free driving assistance. It is my considered opinion that people will really dig it.
Joe Pundyk observed that the Tesla Model Y is both more aerodynamic than the Rivian R2 and more efficient. Agreed, but the four-door, fast-backed Model Y is not an SUV, except in Tesla's own taxonomy. As noted, the trad-core styling of the R2 raises the degree of difficulty. The R2's range and fast-charging rate could be better, granted. I expect they will get progressively so over the design's lifespan.
"Do you have any concerns [about] Rivian's long term financial health," wrote Wade Duke. "They seem to be burning cash at a high rate."
This column is a sacred space, where consumers and not investors have the front pew. But if I had to guess if Rivian will be around a decade hence to service today's customers, my answer is yes, if only because electric vehicles don't require the same large numbers of dealerships and service centers to keep them on the road. Most of Rivian's fixes would be via monthly over-the-air updates.
As to whether and when Rivian will be cash-positive, you'd be better off asking my cat. But the company is building a monster factory in Georgia. The R2 has been described to me as a make-or-break product with huge mainstream potential. The volume play will tell.
Some readers were waiting for my review of BMW's new iX3 SUV, rated with 383-434 miles of range and based on the software-defined Neue Klasse platform. Larry Ryan drives a 2021 Mustang Mach E but his "wife refuses to ride in the car on any trips over 150 miles for fear of running out of charge." He figures 400 miles will do. BMW, if you're listening, please make Mr. Ryan's dreams come true.
Among the brickbats was carmakers' dropping of Apple CarPlay, in favor of their own operating systems and connected services. For many it's a deal breaker -- I'm paraphrasing from more strongly worded protests. "I'm never going to understand why some companies refuse to incorporate Apple CarPlay or Android Whatever into premium-priced vehicles, " wrote Chris Bergman. "Apple has spent billions making its systems work seamlessly (ish) across multiple platforms, and frankly I don't want to learn another complicated system to use something I already own."
John Schaeffer sent pictures of his Ram 1500, mangled by a head-on accident with a Tesla. He says if he had been driving the Telo MT1, an American microtruck now in development, mentioned in a cover story a few weeks ago, "my wife [would have been] making funeral arrangements."
The traffic safety establishment, it's fair to say, will likely have some questions for the MT1. Even so, crash safety survivability isn't as obvious as it might seem. One example is the original Smart Car, with the boron-steel safety cage. In the case of the Telo, while it looks from the outside as if the driver position is close to the windshield, it's not, actually.
I'm sure your wife will be fine.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 11, 2026 05:30 ET (09:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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