Happy Tuesday! It’s March 24, 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 GM’s newest autonomy tests, as well as the return of the EV in the European market. We’ll also look at Toyota’s latest investment in North American manufacturing, and yet another Ford recall.
1st Gear: GM is testing eyes-off driving in California and Michigan
GM’s Super Cruise driver-assist system, with its hands-off driving, is arguably the best semi-autonomous offering in the automotive market. But GM isn’t satisfied with hands-off — it wants eyes-off, Level 3 autonomy and the company is starting to test such tech on public roads. From Automotive News:
General Motors said it will begin testing its hands-free, eyes-off driving system on public highways this week as the automaker gears up for its launch in 2028.
GM will deploy 200 test vehicles on highways in California and Michigan, each with a test driver that can take control of the vehicle if necessary, the automaker said March 23. It will be the first time GM tests its next-generation driver-assistance system on public roadways, though the automaker previously deployed dozens of test vehicles driven by humans to gather data on public roads.
GM plans to launch the system in 2028 on the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV, with the goal of being one of the first automakers to bring Level 3 technology to the market. Ford Motor Co. also plans to launch a Level 3 partially autonomous system in 2028.
I’m intrigued as to how one tests eyes-off driving with a safety driver behind the wheel. Isn’t that person’s entire job to have their eyes on? GM is following Ford with its 2028 promise of a Level 3 driving system for owners, catching up to Mercedes-Benz, which has offered Level 3 driving in California since 2023 and BMW, which has offered the more-autonomous-than-not driving in Germany since 2024.
2nd Gear: EVs are back, baby
Here in the United States, we’re doing our best to pretend electric vehicles never existed and never will exist. Our entire regulatory apparatus is bent towards elevating fossil fuels above all else, but Europe does things a little differently. The continent is halting its sliding new-car sales with cost-effective EVs, and the plan is working. From Bloomberg:
European car sales edged higher last month as consumers rotated to buying electric vehicles, taking advantage of new subsidy programs and picking from a growing range of affordable models.
New-vehicle registrations rose 1.7% in February from a year earlier to 979,321 units, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said Tuesday. Sales climbed in Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK, offsetting a decline of nearly 15% in France.
The rate of EV growth outran steep declines for fuel-burning cars. Sales in Germany for vehicles with a plug jumped by a combined 27% after low-and middle-income earners started to tap into a new subsidy scheme. In France, battery-only car demand surged 28%, while sales for petrol, diesel and hybrid-powered vehicles fell.
The real movers here are cheap EVs, sales of which are likely not hurt by high gas prices thanks to our war with Iran. Europe may not have active combatants in the fight, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz affects everyone.
3rd Gear: Toyota is spending $1 billion to build more SUVs and EVs in the U.S.
Toyota has gone all-in on appeasing the Trump administration, and that seems to include bringing production stateside. The company is now looking to invest $1 billion to make more SUVs at its already existing plants in Kentucky and Indiana — and, curiously, to make EVs as well. From Automotive News:
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Toyota is spending $1 billion at its assembly plants in Kentucky and Indiana to build at least three new EVs — including a pair of previously announced three-row EVs — and boost output of one of its hottest gasoline-powered three-row crossovers.
The Japanese automaker held an event March 23 here to mark an $800 million investment in its largest global plant that allows Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to build the first EV-based Toyota Highlander and a Subaru version, both due this fall.
In addition, the investment in Kentucky will pay for a future three-row EV-based SUV set to launch in late 2027, as well as expanded local output of the Toyota Camry and RAV4, the company said. The as-yet-unnamed EV SUV may carry the Land Cruiser name, based on the automaker’s 2021 EV product plan.
Toyota has laggard on EVs — to the point where activist groups have targeted the company for its “electrified diversified” tag that aims to equate hybrids and electric cars — so it’s surprising to see such an investment in EV production. Especially in the U.S., where EVs have been stymied by regulatory flip-flopping.
4th Gear: It’s Ford recall time again, for 255,000 cars
Another day ending in Y, another Ford recall! This time the Navigator, Nautilus, Aviator, and Explorer are going back to dealers, for issues with their camera software. From
Ford Motor is recalling 254,640 SUVs in the U.S. over software issues that may result in the loss of rearview camera image and some advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday.
Here are some details:
* The recall includes Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln Nautilus, Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer SUVs, according to the NHTSA.
* An unexpected reset of an image processing software may cause loss of ADAS features like pre-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring.
Take a drink!
Reverse: Same as it ever was
Anyone who tells you that our history with Iran begins with the 1979 revolution doesn’t know what they’re talking about. For example: Who was over thrown in 1979? Why were they in power?
The Fuel Up
This is a bigger jump from yesterday than yesterday was from the day before, which isn’t a fantastic sign. Will we break the four-dollar mark this week?
On The Radio: Purity Ring – ‘Fineshrine’
We were talking about perfect songs in Slack yesterday, and I think “Fineshrine” qualifies. It’s just an absolute banger.
