At Detroit auto show, spotlight dims for EVs

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DETROIT (AP) — At the North American International Auto Show, tires squeal as gearheads put shiny new vehicles through their paces on a pair of indoor tracks that sprawl across the event space. One of those tracks used to be set aside exclusively for electric vehicles as U.S. automakers sought to quickly build out the cars of the future.

But no longer. This year, both strips are open to hybrids and gas-powered vehicles as Detroit continues a pivot away from EVs since President Donald Trump returned to the White House with a pro-fossil fuels agenda.

“The show will always reflect what’s happening in the industry at the consumer level,” said Todd Szott, chairman of this year’s event and an auto dealer. “Obviously things have changed in the EV landscape.”

Some industry players say they’re emphasizing “consumer choice” in the cars they’re showing at Detroit’s premier auto event. But some experts expressed concern about the EV pullback’s long-term effect on American automakers as the rest of the globe — especially China — electrifies.

“What we worry about is how competitive will we be on the global stage as the market continues to advance around us,” Michael Robinet, vice president of forecast strategy at auto market intelligence firm S&P Global Mobility, said during a panel Wednesday on industry trends.

Electrification in the US

Including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, U.S. sales of electrified cars grew just 1% last year, according to data released by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence this week. Compare that to China, which saw 17% growth in plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles last year, and Europe, which saw a 33% increase. (U.S. pure-EV market share was just under 8% in 2025, with 1.23 million EVs sold — a slight decline from 2024.)

None of that seemed to alarm President Donald Trump earlier this week when he toured the Ford River Rouge Complex, which churns out pickup trucks and more in suburban Dearborn. Trump used his time in Detroit to boast of policy changes on EVs and tariffs that he says have boosted U.S. automakers.

“Among my first acts in office was to end the radical left war on oil and gas and stop the crusade to kill American energy and, frankly, to open up cars so that you don’t have to have an electric car,” Trump said in remarks to an economic club before the plant tour.

Trump revoked a Biden-era target for half of new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric, and has tried to block money obligated to EV charging across the nation’s highways. Under Trump, Congress cut tax incentives that saved buyers up to $7,500 on an EV purchase. The administration has also weakened fuel economy standards — going so far as eliminating penalties for the automakers who do not meet them — and gas mileage rules.

“I love electric cars. I think they’re great,” Trump added. “But I’ve been saying it for four years. They wanted everybody to have an electric car in a very short period of time.”

Those changes have cut into the U.S. industry in 2025 and cost automakers billions of dollars in investment.

Ford Motor Co. announced last month $19.5 billion in charges from electrification efforts and ending production of the all-electric version of the F-150 Lightning truck. Detroit rival General Motors also recently announced $6 billion in EV-related charges, among other losses, and has also rolled back some of its EV commitments. Even once- market leader Tesla had a tough 2025.

“I still push for it because, I mean, it is the future of the company,” said Shawn Strain, marketing manager at Ford. “We still are just completely committed to EVs. And it may not be as overt as we once were.”

Industry concern arises

But industry experts at and outside of the show say it’s a tough time. The competitive auto landscape has been radically reshaped, they say, and China dominates what most see as the future of the industry.

“We have to look at what we’re up against. In a word — China,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a speech at the show Thursday. “China wants to dominate every part of auto manufacturing. They’re making major headway.

“They’ve captured major market share almost everywhere except the U.S. and Canada,” she added. “We have to meet these challenges.”

Will Roberts, automotive research lead at Benchmark Minerals that released the 2025 data, warned that U.S. policy has made all the difference.

American automakers have responded to those changes, he said, but it would be good strategy if they made sure they were “keeping things ticking along in the background with a really compelling EV offering.”

Otherwise, the U.S. sector runs the risk of falling behind, Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, agreed.

In another panel at the show, Buttegieg said Trump can’t stop electric vehicles from becoming the leading automotive technology.

“But he can stop America from being the leader in that technology,” Buttigieg said. “Industry should point a different direction.”

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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