Tesla faces mounting legal and regulatory hurdles amid autonomous driving controversies in 2025

Ford has reclaimed its status as the most loyal automotive brand in Q2 2025, outperforming Tesla amid market challenges, rising cross-shopping, and increasing competition from legacy automakers.Despite dealing with some significant challenges—such as a record number of recalls and repeated repair campaigns—Ford has maintained a strong hold on customer loyalty. According to data from S&P Global Mobility, Ford was named the most loyal automotive brand during the second quarter of 2025, with a buyer retention rate of 59.6%. This marks a return to its previous position after holding the top spot for 12 consecutive years until Tesla briefly took over in 2023. The broader industry saw a slight decline in overall loyalty, dropping to 51.1%, a decrease of about 1.4 percentage points from the same period last year. What makes Ford’s resilience notable is its ability to sustain loyalty amidst a shifting market landscape. Tesla, which once led in customer loyalty, experienced a significant decline—its retention rate falling approximately 9.4 percentage points throughout 2024 into 2025, at times dipping below the industry average. Industry analysts attribute this decline partly to CEO Elon Musk's political involvement, such as endorsing Donald Trump in mid-2024, which alienated many environmentally conscious Tesla customers. Reuters reports indicate Tesla’s loyalty rate dropped from 73% in June 2024 to just under 50% in March 2025, with a partial rebound to 57.4% in May. Nonetheless, Tesla’s position remains behind major automakers like Chevrolet and Ford. Tesla’s struggles extend beyond loyalty figures. Its U.S. electric vehicle (EV) market share has declined to 38% in August 2025—the lowest since 2017—down from its historic dominance of over 80%. The decline is fueled by increased competition from legacy automakers such as Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Toyota, and Volkswagen, which are ramping up incentives and introducing new models. Tesla’s lack of new affordable models and ongoing political controversies have contributed to this downward trend. Additionally, global vehicle sales for Tesla decreased by nearly 9% in the first quarter of 2025, the first year-over-year decline in nearly four years, reflecting increased market competition and slowing demand. Meanwhile, General Motors (GM) continues to demonstrate strong customer loyalty. About 68.1% of customers who switch vehicles within GM’s brand portfolio or to other GM brands remain loyal to the group. Ford, which includes Lincoln, has a slightly lower loyalty rate of 58.9%. Certain models are particularly influential in driving these figures; for example, Ford’s F-Series pickups, Expedition SUVs, and Bronco Sport each boast loyalty levels exceeding 60%. Chevrolet’s Equinox crossover also performs well, with 42.7% of buyers switching from one Equinox to another, indicating that approximately 57.3% of its buyers remain loyal to the model. Customer behaviors are shifting, with data showing increased cross-shopping activities. In the first half of 2025, conquest rates—where buyers opt for a different brand—rose notably, by 7.6% among mainstream brands and 6.2% among luxury brands. Vince Palomarez, associate director of loyalty product management at S&P Global Mobility, explains that this trend is driven by a combination of a steady return-to-market volume and intense inter-brand competition. Consumers now appear more open to exploring alternative brands than during pre-pandemic times when loyalty was typically higher. This shift reflects pent-up demand that has been building since 2020, even as vehicle prices continue to rise. Looking ahead, the expiration of the federal EV tax incentive—currently set at $7,500—could further influence brand loyalty. The incentive is scheduled to end soon, prompting a possible surge in EV purchases before the cutoff, which may temporarily boost loyalty for brands offering qualifying models. Conversely, some buyers might delay or forgo EV purchases due to higher post-incentive costs, potentially benefiting traditional internal combustion and hybrid vehicle markets. Overall, Ford’s position as the leading brand in customer loyalty amid a turbulent market underscores its critical role in the automotive industry. Its ability to retain customers despite recall issues demonstrates resilience, while Tesla’s recent decline highlights the risks associated with political entanglements and rising market competition. As the industry navigates evolving consumer preferences and regulatory landscapes, legacy automakers like GM and Ford are well positioned to capitalize on shifting trends, balancing innovation and loyalty in a challenging environment. Source: Noah Wire Services

Hunter Engineering has launched a major software update for its ADASLink diagnostic tools, introducing features like ADAS Align and expanded vehicle support to enhance calibration speed, accuracy, and shop efficiency in the growing field of ADAS servicing.Hunter Engineering has recently rolled out a pretty significant software update for its ADASLink diagnostic scan tool — and honestly, it’s a move that really helps strengthen their position in the rapidly growing field of ADAS calibration tech, especially for aftermarket auto service shops. The standout of this update is the introduction of ADAS Align, which is basically a rebranded and streamlined version of what used to be called Bosch ADAS Positioning (BAP). Now, this new app gives technicians easier, more direct access through a shortcut on their devices, making it faster to activate vehicle cameras, connect smoothly to diagnostic tools, and get more precise when squaring, centering, and setting the distance of calibration fixtures. These upgrades really aim to optimize the calibration process — so, in the end, shops can perform more calibrations, faster and with better accuracy. Another nice addition is the ability to schedule software updates at times that suit the shop's operating hours. Before, monthly updates required the tool to be constantly available, which could sometimes interrupt workflow or delay services. Now, shops can set updates to run outside of working hours, which is definitely a plus in keeping downtime to a minimum. Plus, the update brings in the Net Promoter Score (NPS) feature, which lets users give feedback on their ADASLink experience. That way, the developers can gather data on user satisfaction and make smarter improvements down the line. Beyond that, the software now covers vehicles from the 2026 model year — and it also supports a bunch of 2024 and 2025 models with many new calibrations for ADAS systems. That’s pretty handy for workshops that need to stay on top of the latest OEM calibration requirements, especially as vehicles become more advanced and driver assistance tech becomes more widespread. It’s all about making sure calibration stays accurate and compliant as the automotive industry shifts. Alongside this software update, Hunter recently introduced the HawkEye Elite Xpandable system — and this really is a ‘future-proof’ setup that isn’t just about wheel alignments anymore. It includes features for ADAS calibration, too. The system uses Quick Grip adapters and runs on WinAlign software, plus it’s equipped with the ADASLink tool that has secure gateway functionality. This combo supports everything from dynamic calibrations and pre- and post-scan diagnostics to steering system resets. It’s designed to help technicians perform advanced diagnostics, analyze trouble codes, conduct special tests, and even do part coding or pairing. Ultimately, it broadens the scope of services workshops can offer, making them more comprehensive and potentially more profitable when it comes to alignments and ADAS calibration jobs. In addition to hardware, Hunter has made accessible a package of 13 OEM-approved ADAS calibration targets—these can be ordered via the HunterNet 2 customer portal. They cover a wide range of sensor setups, including surround-view, lane-watch, forward-facing cameras, and radar systems. This suite aligns with the Ultimate ADAS system, providing full calibration capabilities. Plus, subscriptions for the ADASLink and DAS 3000 tools are now available online, and there's a detailed ADAS Coverage Guide that maps out calibration and alignment procedures for vehicles from 2006 all the way up to today. These resources really come together to form an integrated platform, supporting both precision calibration and efficient workflows across many vehicle makes and systems. Overall, Hunter’s latest software updates plus their new hardware and service options mark a pretty strategic move for shops looking to meet the rising demand for ADAS calibration expertise. By making tools easier to access, expanding vehicle support, and enabling more flexible system operations, Hunter continues to equip auto service providers with the tech they need to navigate the increasingly complex world of vehicle safety and driver assistance technology. It’s pretty interesting, right? Seems like they’re really investing in the future of automotive repair. Source: Noah Wire Services

Jaguar Land Rover faces a major cyberattack that has disrupted its global manufacturing, highlighting growing risks and the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity in the automotive sector.Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is currently dealing with a pretty serious cyberattack that's really thrown a wrench into its global production and retail functions. This whole incident—well, at least to me—seems like one of the most disruptive events in the company's recent past. The breach was spotted towards the end of August 2025, and almost immediately, JLR shut down its IT systems across the board. The company’s move to contain the damage—shutting everything down—did what it was supposed to do, but it also ended up causing a lot of operational standstill. Major manufacturing sites in the UK—like Solihull, Halewood, and Wolverhampton—and facilities in Slovakia, China, India, and Brazil have all been halted. Because of this, roughly 33,000 UK workers have been told to stay home through at least the first half of September. The disruption's impact has gone beyond just vehicle production, spilling over to suppliers too, many of whom have had to send their workers home because they can't get the necessary components. At first, JLR was trying to reassure everyone that none of their sensitive customer data had been compromised. But, interestingly enough, they later changed their tune and admitted that “some data” was affected. As far as specifics go—well, they haven’t really said much yet about what exactly was compromised. They did, however, mention that they’re working closely with regulators and will notify any parties that might be impacted. Cybersecurity experts industry-wide are warning that this kind of exposed data could make companies more vulnerable to phishing scams and identity theft—so, yeah, it highlights that even big, well-established automakers aren’t immune to these vulnerabilities. The group claiming responsibility for the attack is a teen hacker collective with a pretty fearsome name—"Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters." It’s actually a mash-up of three hacking groups: Scattered Spider, Lapsus$, and ShinyHunters. Despite law enforcement cracking down on them around the world, these groups still seem to be exploiting social engineering tricks and known security gaps to go after big corporations globally. What's also pretty worrying is that JLR isn’t alone in this—2025 has seen a surge of ransomware and cyberattacks targeting prominent British companies, including retailers like Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods. All in all, this event stacks onto a pretty tough year for JLR. The company’s been struggling with an 11% dip in quarterly sales, delays in production, and even had to pause shipments to the US because of tariffs. Profit margins have shrunk too. And at the same time, JLR is going through a major strategic shift—phasing out new petrol and diesel Jaguar models in favor of a fully electric lineup, led by the new CEO, PB Balaji. In the short run, JLR says it plans to bring their systems back online in a “controlled and safe manner,” with help from third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement agencies. Dealerships have apparently kept selling cars, but with a catch—they’re having trouble registering new vehicles, which is hitting the retail pipeline pretty hard. Some media outlets suggest this chaos could last for several weeks, but JLR hasn't really confirmed or denied any specific timelines. The impact on the aftermarket supply chain isn’t trivial either. Extended production stops could create serious bottlenecks in parts supply, affecting distributors, workshops, and fleet operators who depend on steady vehicle output and parts availability from JLR. This whole incident underscores the growing importance of beefing up cybersecurity defenses across manufacturing and retail networks, especially as digital integration becomes more central to operations. It also raises urgent concerns about data security, operational risk, and crisis readiness for OEMs and their suppliers alike. As JLR works to get back on track, watching how they respond and recover will be crucial for industry players. This experience really drives home how vulnerable even major automotive brands are in today’s cyber threat landscape—highlighting the need for coordinated security measures and adaptable supply strategies to lessen the impact of such disruptions. Honestly, it’s pretty clear that cybersecurity can’t be an afterthought anymore. Source: Noah Wire Services