Top Automotive Stories of 2024
Hot on the heels of our Weird and Viral Automotive Stories of 2024, let’s now take a look back at some of the biggest news and stories that defined the past year in the auto industry.
We’ll also have compilations of the top new vehicles and concepts that made their debut in 2024, so don’t miss those, either.
R.I.P Jacques Duval
Jacques Duval, a former race car driver, auto journalist, TV host and founder of Le Guide de l’auto, passed away on February 8 at the age of 89. A widely known and highly respected figure in Quebec and beyond, Duval was a household name within the auto industry as well as among the general public.
Duval founded Le Guide de l’auto in 1967 and could never have imagined that his annual book would become a bestseller in La Belle Province and serve as bedtime reading material for legions of car enthusiasts. He steered Le Guide de l’auto for 37 years (except for a short period where he worked for Ford) before leaving in 2004. He returned as a collaborator from 2013-2015.
He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and was given the Georges-Emile Lapalme Award by the Government of Quebec in 2011 for his outstanding career and exceptional contribution to the province’s cultural development. Rest in peace, Jacques!
Fisker is Dead… Again
Fisker, which began delivering its Ocean electric SUV in late 2023, found itself in a pretty bad spot. After laying off 15 percent of its staff and unsuccessfully trying to team up with another automaker, the company decided to slash prices by up to $31,000.
It later halted production and filed for bankruptcy in June, putting an end to another sad chapter of the Fisker story.
Everyone’s Scared of Chinese EVs
In 2024, the European Union, the United States and Canada successively announced tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, claiming a need to protect their auto industries against unfair competition from Chinese producers, which benefit from non-market policies and practices.
In Canada, the 100-percent surtax went into effect on October 1, 2024 and added to the import tariff of 6.1 percent that already applied to EVs produced in China. It is aimed at electric and certain hybrid passenger automobiles, trucks, buses and delivery vans.
Chinese automaker BYD halted its plans to break through the Canadian market due to the new federal tariffs, then Tesla stopped importing Model 3 and Model Y units from China, resulting in higher prices. New EV models like the 2025 MINI Cooper SE will be significantly delayed, while others like the Polestar 2 may leave Canada next year. Oh, and the U.S. government said it would consider banning Chinese- and Russian-made hardware and software in connected vehicles sold across the country, citing national security concerns.
The Fight Against Car Thieves
In February, leaders from all orders of Canadian government, industry and law enforcement met in Ottawa for the National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, looking to take stock of the scope and scale of the auto theft issue. A number of actions were announced, including a federal investment of $28 million to tackle the export of stolen vehicles and another $15 million to support law enforcement agencies’ work to combat auto theft across the country.
The Canadian government announced in May a National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft with the goal of "disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting the organized crime groups involved in auto theft." It’s already starting to pay off: while 2022 and 2023 were record years for auto theft in Canada, 17 percent fewer vehicles were stolen across the country during the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2023.
Hard Times for Stellantis, Volkswagen, Nissan
While some automakers had a great year in 2024, others struggled mightily. Stellantis, which kicked off battery production at its new plant in Ontario, watched profit slump and had to make production and pricing adjustments all over the globe. In the end, controversial CEO Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned on December 1, a full year earlier than his planned exit, after he had threatened to eliminate money-losing brands.
In late October, Volkswagen said it planned to close at least three factories in Germany, cull tens of thousands of jobs and slash salaries in a "historic" cost-cutting drive. As it turned out following negotiations with unions, no plant will close, but 35,000 jobs will be cut by 2030 and Golf production will move to Mexico in 2027.
Nissan may be in a worse spot, mind you. The company reported a 93-percent plunge in net profit in the first half as CEO Makoto Uchida told reporters that weak sales in the North American market were a major factor. In November, Nissan announced 9,000 job cuts as it slashed its annual sales forecast, saying it was taking urgent measures to tackle "a severe situation." A few weeks later, two unnamed executives told the Financial Times that Nissan has “12-14 months to survive.” Yikes. In December, Nissan and Honda began talks about a merger that would also involve Mitsubishi and could be finalized by 2026. My, how times change!
Trump and the 25-Percent Tariff Threat
Donald Trump loves to make threats, everybody knows that. The new U.S. President-elect, who greatly benefited from the financial support and endorsement of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and rewarded him with a key role in his future administration, threatened to impose a 25-percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as he returns to the White House on January 20, 2025—a move that essentially aims to put pressure on the two neighbouring countries to strengthen the borders and curb illegal immigration.
The Canadian government has since taken action, but will it be enough to ward off Trump’s threat? In any case, here’s the full list of vehicles built in Canada and Mexico that are currently sold in the U.S. There are many more than you may think.
Jaguar’s Polarizing Rebrand
Jaguar is currently selling just one vehicle, the F-PACE crossover, with plans to retire it after the 2026 model year. The once-glorious British luxury brand is now just a shell of its former self. The Jaguar name will endure, but what comes next will almost completely let go of the past.
As we found out, the transformation will include a new logo, new crest and new font. Then there’s that focus on “Exuberant Modernism,” an attempt to move upmarket and play in the same league as Bentley, Mercedes-Maybach and Rolls-Royce, with breathtaking styling and craftsmanship usually associated with haute couture as building blocks.
Following an outlandish “Copy Nothing” campaign that looked more like an ad for Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Prada (Elon Musk even took to X to ask, “Do you sell cars?”), Jaguar unveiled a spectacular concept called Type 00 during Miami Art Week. No production model will ever come out of this large fastback devoid of a rear window, which is rather an attempt to set the styling direction for future Jaguars. More will be announced in 2025.
