Good morning! It’s November 7, 2025, 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 the first morning of the FAA’s flight cuts and the 21% slash in Honda’s annual profit forecast. We will also check in on China lifting the export ban on Nexperia chips and Trump announcing even more foreign deals for Boeing.
FAA-mandated flight cuts are having broader impacts
The Federal Aviation Administration mandated a 10% reduction in flights to alleviate the workload on unpaid and understaffed air traffic controllers during the government shutdown. Despite beginning on Friday at only 4% and increasing over the weekend, the chaos has started immediately as passengers rush to find alternative methods of reaching their destinations. From the Associated Press:
Some passengers quickly searched for alternatives to flying. Hertz is reporting a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. One-way reservations have spiked more that 20% through the weekend, compared with the same period last year.
“We join the airlines in urging Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution and restore certainty for travelers,” wrote Hertz CEO Gil West. “Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption.”
More than 815 flights have been called off nationwide, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday.
This was the inevitable result of any flight reduction, but it’s a far better alternative to potentially endangering commercial flights. If the Trump administration wanted to avoid the situation entirely, it could have approached the Democratic Party with a reasonable compromise to end the federal government shutdown.
2nd Gear: Honda cuts profit forecast by $980 Million, cites sagging sales in Asia and one-off EV costs
Honda is warning its investors that profits won’t be as high as initially expected. The Japanese automaker has lowered its annual profit forecast by nearly $1 billion. It largely blames stiff competition across markets in Asia, one-time EV expenses and a chip shortage. From Reuters:
For the first half of the current financial year, Honda’s automobile business posted an operating loss, due in large part to 224 billion yen worth of one-time expenses related to electric vehicles. The company now expects its global EV sales ratio to be 20% in 2030, down from a previous target of 30%.
It now expects to sell 925,000 vehicles in Asia – including China – for the current financial year, down more than 10% from a previous target of 1.09 million cars.
Competition in Southeast Asia has intensified due to the entry of Chinese automakers, which prompted firms in the region to offer consumers higher incentives or lower prices, Executive Vice President Noriya Kaihara said on Friday.
“We recognise that a fundamental review is necessary for Asia,” Kaihara said. “However, from this fiscal year through the next, there’ll be no particularly new models.”
Things aren’t all doom and gloom for Honda. The hit from Trump’s tariffs was less than projected. The manufacturer is also expecting to resume normal operations at one of its two production facilities in Mexico later this month.
3rd Gear: China lifts export ban on Nexperia chips
The struggle over Nexperia greatly influenced the ongoing chip shortage. The semiconductor maker is based in the Netherlands but is Chinese-owned. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia due to concerns over technology transfer between the two countries, and China imposed a chip export ban in response. Both sides are now backing off and reversing their actions. From Bloomberg:
Recently spun off by Continental AG, Aumovio makes products such as sensors, brakes and automated driving systems. It operates a dozen manufacturing sites in China and supplies major automakers including BMW AG, Volkswagen AG and Stellantis NV.
Aumovio sends Nexperia chips from China to Hungary for further distribution to its plant network. “It will take some time before all procedures and processes will get back to normal,” [CEO Philipp von Hirschheydt] said, adding that there’s still a chance for disruptions in the next four to six weeks.
Still, “if everything I know today is correct, we are not going to be affected,” he said.
The chip supply shortage won’t reverse itself immediately, but there’s still a chance that a permanent solution might not be found. Regardless, executives at European automakers are likely breathing a sigh of relief that the global supply chain has taken a step back from the ledge.
4th Gear: Trump administration announces Boeing deals in Central Asia
The $96 billion deal with Qatar isn’t the only Boeing sale that was sealed by President Donald Trump. The federal government announced airliner deals with three countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The orders for widebody planes will allow flag carriers to operate services to more far-flung destinations. From Reuters:
The Commerce Department said Kazakhstan flag carrier Air Astana plans to buy up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to grow and modernize its fleet.
The orders were signed at the C5+1 Summit in Washington on the 10th anniversary of the diplomatic meeting of the leaders of five Central Asian republics and the United States.
Air Astana currently operates three Boeing 767 widebody jets connecting Kazakhstan with destinations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The new planes will enable expansion into North America, Boeing said.
Tajikistan’s national carrier, Somon Air, plans to buy up to 14 Boeing planes, including four 787-9s and 10 737 MAX airplanes, Commerce said, while Uzbekistan Airways converted options into a firm order for eight 787 Dreamliners, upping the flag carrier’s total orders to 22 for the widebody jets.
Trump’s stint as Boeing’s unofficial overseas deal mascot isn’t quite over yet. The American aviation giant is hoping to seal a deal for over 500 aircraft in China. However, the Asian power has its own fledgling commercial aviation manufacturer and isn’t on the best of terms with the White House at the moment.
Reverse: Gertie gallops to the bottom of the Tacoma Narrows
The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened in July 1940 as the third-longest suspension bridge in the world. The 2,800-foot span only held the spot in the record book for four months before it spectacularly collapsed just four months later on November 7.
During construction, the bridge garnered the nickname “Galloping Gertie” for how the span moved up and down in high winds. The phenomenon persisted after the bridge opened, despite measures taken to mitigate the deck’s movement. On the day of the collapse, a windstorm rocked the road deck in waves up to 28 feet high. The 42-mile-per-hour gusts twisted the bridge apart. The only fatality was a cocker spaniel named Tubby. Read more about the infamous collapse on the official website of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
On The Radio: Frank Sinatra – ‘Come Fly With Me’
I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of airline customers in need of some exotic booze this weekend. When Frank Sinatra first sang “Come Fly With Me,” travelling with an airline was still a luxurious experience that was strictly regulated by the federal government. Today, mismanagement by every vested interest has led us to the current chaotic state of affairs. If you’re flying this weekend, good luck and make it a double.
