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Episode #1167: GM kills its creative EV tax credit plan while Ford plays coy, the Chevy Bolt returns faster and cheaper than ever, and three Nissan dealers take their high-mileage heroes on a 1,500-mile proving ground through the American West.

• General Motors has scrapped a short-lived plan that would have allowed dealers to keep offering a $7,500 federal EV lease credit after the subsidy expired on September 30. The move follows political pushback and dealer uncertainty around compliance.
  • GM’s plan involved having GM Financial buy EVs from dealer inventory, claim the federal credit, and pass the savings into leases through the end of 2024.
  • GM had already begun funding incentives on about 20,000 EVs, with 5% down payments made on those vehicles prior to September 30.
  • The program was meant to help dealers avoid being stuck with higher-priced EVs post-credit, but Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), a former dealer, objected to the move, calling it an overreach beyond the law’s expiration. GM ended the plan shortly after.
  • Ford rolled out a similar workaround ahead of the credit’s expiration but has declined to confirm whether it plans to continue offering the lease incentives.

• At a “Bolt Block Party” at Universal Studios Hollywood, GM has officially reintroduced the Chevy Bolt, its beloved affordable EV.
  • The new Bolt gains GM’s Ultium 65kWh LFP battery for faster charging, improved range, and bidirectional home power support.
  • Charging now jumps to 150kW (10–80% in 26 minutes) — triple the previous speed — with 255 miles of range and Tesla’s NACS port for Supercharger access.
  • The interior gets a bigger screen, refreshed materials and GM’s SuperCruise driver assist with lane-changing “route following.”
  • Pricing starts at just under $29K, making it the cheapest announced EV in the U.S., with production starting in early 2026.
  • The only controversy? No more Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — GM is betting on its new in-house infotainment instead.

• Three Nissan dealers traded in their desks for desert dust, road-tripping 1,500 miles across the American West in three used Nissans — all over 100K miles and under $10K — to prove the brand’s reliability and shake up customer perceptions.
  • The “Tour Detour” YouTube series follows the group’s off-road trek through salt flats, canyons, dunes, and mountain passes in two Muranos and a Juke.
  • Dealers Tim Pohanka, Chris Lenckosz, and Jason Cole financed and drove the cars themselves, documenting every gritty mile.
  • The goal: to challenge Nissan’s reputation around “continuously variable transmissions” durability and show that even high-mileage models can take a beating.
  • “We bought the cars ourselves and pushed them through the toughest roads in the West,” said Pohanka. “We wanted them to earn our trust — and our custome

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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