Happy Monday! It’s February 9, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift — 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.
In this morning’s edition, we’re looking at American dealers’ fears and opportunities around Chinese cars, as well as Canada’s intent to keep making cars. We’ll also look at India’s new tariff structures, and BMW’s latest big recall.
1st Gear: Dealers may soon have to choose between sinophobia and profit
Car dealers in the United States love the Trump administration. Their contributions to political campaigns, their lobbying, it all points towards a love for the 45th and 47th president. And yet, when push comes to shove, it seems some aren’t so sure about Trump’s goal to ban Chinese-built vehicles from American roads. From Automotive News:
Should U.S. dealers sell Chinese cars? The question divided industry leaders at the NADA Show, with many acknowledging profit potential even as their trade group pushes to keep Chinese automakers out of the market.
“We actually survey dealers in our year-end survey … interestingly, a majority of the dealer respondents saw it as a threat and opportunity — both. All indicators suggest that the vehicles are really good, slick and more affordable, especially as you have [the Chinese] government subsidizing,” said George Karolis, president of Presidio Group, a dealership mergers and acquisitions advisory firm.
While dealers here voiced support for the Trump administration’s efforts to keep imported Chinese vehicles out of the U.S. market, many said they are focused on selling cars. If Chinese automakers find an entry point with inventory that beats legacy automakers on pricing and addresses the growing new-vehicle affordability crisis, they will jump in. That was the message from multiple dealers who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic.
In the red corner, sinophobia! In the blue corner, profit! Three, two, one, fight!
2nd Gear: Canada wants Big Three auto manufacturing, no matter what happens with tariffs
Trump’s tariffs have pushed automakers to shift production from plants in Canada to the United States. Canada is unhappy with this arrangement, so it’s working on incentivizing automakers to come back — regardless of what the Trump administration does with its foreign policy. From Automotive News:
The Canadian government is reformulating its playbook for keeping the country’s auto manufacturing sector afloat, even in the face of long-term U.S. tariffs.
Ottawa is preparing for all outcomes, but is holding out hope that upcoming trade talks will keep United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — known as CUSMA in Canada — on track, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Feb. 5.
“Canada continues to favour a zero-tariff regime with the United States in autos because we know that will deliver the strongest North American auto industry,” Carney said in a speech from an auto parts plant north of Toronto.
“But if the U.S., through the CUSMA review, insists on some form of auto tariffs, we’ll ensure that companies that sell vehicles in Canada are strongly incentivized to produce in Canada.”
Will those incentives be tax breaks? Probably, but we can imagine some more interesting options. Maybe, for every car Stellantis produces in Canada, the Canadian government will give Antonio Filosa one (1) jug of really good maple syrup. It’s a good deal, he should consider it.
3rd Gear: India lets Harley-Davidson in, but not Tesla
Tesla has been trying to make inroads in India, with little success. CEO Elon Musk had hoped for India to lower tariffs on American EVs under new trade agreements, but it seems he won’t be getting his wish. Harley-Davidson, though, will get access to a massive motorcycle market. From Reuters:
India will slash tariffs on high-end American cars to 30% from as high as 110% and eliminate duties on Harley-Davidson bikes under an interim trade pact, an official said, but will not make concessions for electric vehicles, a move that pointedly leaves Tesla out.
The U.S. and India moved closer to a trade pact after releasing an interim framework on Friday, days after President Donald Trump said duties on Indian exports would be cut to 18% from 50% in exchange for New Delhi halting purchases of Russian oil.
Under the deal, tariffs on traditional internal-combustion cars with engine capacity above 3,000 cc would fall gradually to 30% over 10 years, an Indian government official said.
Electric vehicles have been excluded from the deal, the official added, shutting the door on a possible lower-tariff entry route for Tesla – ignoring a key demand from Elon Musk, who has frequently criticised India’s high duties.
India is a truly incredible market for motorcycles, but the country runs on smaller, cheaper bikes than Harley produces. Maybe that Chinese-made beginner bike will take off over there?
4th Gear: BMW recalls 87,000 coupes, sedans, convertibles, and X4s/X3s for possible starter motor fires
BMW has a big recall out, affecting starters on much of its lineup — at least, its non-SUV lineup. Turns out, starter motors aren’t supposed to be self-heating, even in the cold spells we’ve seen in much of the U.S. recently. Who knew? From KWCH 12:
BMW is recalling more than 87,000 vehicles due to the threat of the engine starter overheating, causing a fire risk.
The company reported that the overheating can happen from the engine starter wearing internally and advised that dealers will replace the starter for free.
Affected vehicles include:
2021–2023 Toyota Supra
2022–2023 BMW 2 Series Coupé
2021–2024 BMW 5 Series (including 530i and 530i xDrive)
2021–2022 BMW Z4 sDrive30i
2022–2024 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé (430i)
2021–2024 BMW 4 Series Convertible (including xDrive)
2021–2023 BMW 4 Series Coupé (including xDrive)
2021–2024 BMW 3 Series (330i and 330i xDrive)
2021–2023 BMW X4 xDrive30i and 2021–2024 BMW X3 (sDrive30i and xDrive30i)
If you have an affected BMW, you’ll hear about it next month. You may not want to wait that long for a repair, though, unless you really like fire.
Reverse: The ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ prequel had a weird tone shift
The boys are thirsty in Atlanta, and there’s a Coors heir in Colorado.
On The Radio: Tacocat – ‘I Love Seattle’
God bless the Seahawks. Super Bowl 49 was rough, but things are better now. Someday I’ll actually get to visit the city, but for now I’ll happily back any team that has a chance of kicking the Patriots’ teeth in. Which, of course, the Seahawks did handily last night. So, in their honor, Seattle band Tacocat performing in Seattle (for a Seattle radio station) a song about how much they love Seattle.
