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AUTO CENTRAL – Louisville, KY: April 5. 2026; Every Sunday for over 30 years, Larry Nutson — The Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer of The Auto Channel — has delivered his weekly take on the automotive world. Each report distills the week’s top stories into sharp, easy-to-digest News Nuggets.
The full version of today’s News Nuggets — along with hundreds of thousands of additional articles, reviews, and editorial insights — can be found in The Auto Channel’s Million-Page Automotive Library, built and indexed over three decades. To dive deeper, simply copy any headline and paste it into this or any Site Search box on The Auto Channel.
LEARN MORE FROM THE WEB’S LONGEST RUNNING AUTOMOTIVE COLUMN
Here are Larry’s Top Auto Story Picks of the Week of March 29-April 4, 2026: Larry picked these as important, relevant, interesting and sometimes semi-secret stories you need to know—served up as snappy, opinionated, and insider-sharp, these are expertly crafted, easy-to-understand news nuggets that cut through the noise and get right to what matters to you in the automotive world.
*Q1 new vehicle sales. New-vehicle sales momentum improved in the final weeks of March, finishing stronger than Cox Automotive had forecasted. Early estimates suggest March new-vehicle sales will come in at approximately 1.4 million units, down nearly 12% year over year, a smaller decline than the roughly 14% drop outlined in the initial forecast. As a result, March’s seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) is now estimated at 16.3 million. Despite the Q1 upside, Cox Automotive is maintaining its full year 2026 sales forecast of approximately 15.8 million units.
* Big trucks with big fees. We’ve written in the past about ever increasing destination fees. Now both Ford and General Motors full-size pickup trucks and SUVs are charging a whopping $2,795 to ship these vehicles from factories to dealerships. Read about this news from The Drive HERE
* Wartime gas prices. U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday as the Iran war pushed fuel prices to soar worldwide. According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more than before the war began. The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now. Motorists around the world are also coping with higher gas prices due to the war. In Paris, for example, gas is at 2.34 euros per liter ($2.68), which is about $10.27 a gallon. Hauling other cargo and packages has also been impacted. The United Postal Service, for example, is seeking a temporary 8% added charge on some of its popular products including Priority Mail.
U.S. diesel prices — the fuel used for many freight and delivery trucks — is now going for an average of $5.45 a gallon, up from about $3.76 a gallon before the war began, per AAA. On Friday GasBuddy.com said, Americans have now paid ~$10 billion more on gasoline since the U.S. attacks on Iran began a month ago- today adding ~$430 million alone.
* Vehicle prices climb 10.4%. Tariffs added $30 billion in industry costs, driving a 10.4% increase in average vehicle MSRP. Dealers absorbed 4.5% of price increases, highlighting ongoing margin pressure and competitive pricing dynamics. Domestic production rose to 54.4%, but affordability challenges are pushing entry-level buyers toward used vehicles. Read more HERE
* Car dealer system has cracks. Rivian Automotive won a yearslong battle in Washington state to sell vehicles directly to consumers, after threatening a ballot measure. The new law allows Rivian and Lucid to sell directly, but traditional automakers called the exception discriminatory. Rivian is now eyeing other states that ban direct sales but allow ballot initiatives, seeking to expand its model. Read more HERE
* The battle over AM radio. AM radio is currently at the center of a major legislative and technological tug-of-war between the U.S. Congress and the automotive industry. As of March 2026, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is moving through the 119th Congress with broad bipartisan support. The bill aims to mandate that all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. include a broadcast AM radio receiver as standard equipment. Details HERE
* Headlight glare. A new AAA survey reveals a growing concern among drivers: headlight glare. Six in ten drivers say glare is a problem after dark, and nearly three-quarters of those affected believe it has worsened over the past decade. The findings are renewing concerns about road safety, headlight regulations, and modern lighting standards. See the report HERE
* Another speed limiter law. Proposed Illinois legislation (House Bill 4948/SB3102) would require drivers convicted of severe speeding (over 100 mph) or multiple reckless driving offenses in a year to install Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology in their vehicles. If passed, this program would take effect by January 1, 2027, or 2028, requiring offenders to use GPS-based devices to restrict speeds. Virginia, Washington State, and Washington D.C. have enacted laws requiring speed-limiting devices.
* Ban Chinese air-bag parts. Federal regulators are weighing a ban on air-bag components from China-based DTN Airbag after they were linked to 10 deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration escalated its investigation into DTN Airbag inflaters, believing them defective. NHTSA warned used-car owners to inspect vehicles if air bags deployed since 2020 and weren’t repaired at a manufacturer’s dealership. Learn more . Here
* 2026 New York Auto Show. Debuting at this year’s NY Auto Show is the 2027 Toyota Highlander, the brand’s first three-row battery-electric SUV for the U.S. market; two Toyota concept vehicles, the Camry GT-S and bZ Time Attack;
and, the Subaru Wilderness Hybrid and a 420-hp high-performance all-electric 3-row Subaru Getaway. Chrysler premiered the refreshed 2027 Chrysler Pacifica and displayed the previously shown Pacifica Grizzly Peak concept. Kia introduced the second-generation 2027 Kia Seltos and the all-new 2027 Kia EV3. Volkswagen has its redesigned second-generation Volkswagen Atlas. The 2026 Dodge Durango America250 special edition and the 2027 Ram ProMaster City commercial van also made an appearance. The Hyundai Boulder design study is a new body-on-frame off-road SUV concept that made a surprise global debut. Honda showed and demonstrated is all-electric Fastport eQuad last-mile delivery van that is engineered for bike-lane use.
* WCOTY winners. The 2026 World Car of the Year winners were announced at the New York International Auto Show. The winners were selected by a jury of 98 international automotive journalists from 33 countries. Winners are:
World Car of the Year: BMW iX3, World Electric Vehicle: BMW iX3, World Luxury Car: Lucid Gravity, World Performance Car: Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, World Urban Car: Nio Firefly, and World Car Design of the Year: Mazda 6e / EZ-6.
* Green Car Awards. Green Car Journal has announced its second round of 2026 Green Car Awards, recognizing new models that exemplify environmental achievement. Winners include the Rivian R2 as 2026 Electric Green Car of the Year, Jeep Cherokee as 2026 Green 4×4 of the Year, Lexus ES as 2026 Premium Green Car of the Year, Ford E‑Transit as 2026 Commercial Green Car of the Year and the Bintelli Beyond is the 2026 Neighborhood Green Car of the Year. Get more green info HERE
* Route 66 and Chicago’s Navy Pier. The Chicago Tribune editorialized the recent relocating of the eastern terminus of Route 66 about a mile and half east and north from its long time historic location. Actually, not unlike what California did years ago. Now the iconic 1926 road runs from pier to pier, from freah water to salt water. Read more HERE
* New “Green Hell” record. Ford just set a new Nürburgring lap record with the GT Mk IV, recording a time of 6 minutes and 15.977 seconds, becoming the fastest American automaker around the iconic track. The GT achieved its record-setting time as a track-only vehicle in the Prototype class, the same class the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X ran when it set its record lap of 6 minutes and 49.275 seconds. The $1.7 million Ford supercar is also now the fastest car powered exclusively by an internal combustion engine and the third-fastest overall.
* NASCAR 2027 Hof. The NASCAR Hall of Fame revealed its ballot of 15 nominees for the Class of 2027, adding Kevin Harvick, Ray Elder and Ernie Elliott to the list of Modern Era candidates for induction. Ray Fox and Herb Nab, two prominent figures from the world of mechanics and crew chiefs, have been added to the Pioneer Era Ballot, and longtime sports marketing guru T. Wayne Robertson joins the list of five nominees for the Landmark Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to stock-car racing. The Hall of Fame voting panel will meet in person to cast ballots on May 19 in Charlotte. Fan voting, which will count as one ballot toward the selection of next year’s class, will be open from April 14 to May 17 on NASCAR.com. More on this HERE
* RIP. The Auto Channel’s senior editor John Anthony Heilig, Jr., 88, passed away April 1, 2026. A lifelong car enthusiast, he was the founder of the MG Car Club in New Jersey and spent many weekends rallying around the Garden State. He was a former Only Vice President of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society, and a member of the International Motor Press Association. He was awarded the prestigious Karl Benz Award by the Society of Automobile Historians for his article on Checker automobiles. HERE
tay safe. Be Well.
Kind regards,
Larry Nutson, Chicago Car Guy
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